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This series is comprised of correspondence of all of the various Directors of the museum. Files were arranged alphabetically by subject, and there is a lot of overlap between different Director's as the files often contained pertinent items from a predecessor. In the case of the first sub-series (1.1), until 1976, the entire museum's files were maintained centrally as one unit in the Director's Office.

This collection combines the papers and files of each Superintendent or Resident Director listed under "Creators," as well as their office staff, assistants, and other Mount Vernon personnel. The bulk of this collection consists of correspondence to and from each Superintendent or Resident Director. Other types of material include reports, essays, memos, publications, clippings, official forms, logs or diaries of events, calendars, schedules, photographs, and ephemera. Subject matter includes a wide variety of topics and concerns for operating and maintaining an historic house. The Resident Directors oversaw almost all major projects and events around Mount Vernon such as building and grounds maintenance, restoration, fundraising, collection of historic artifacts, visitor engagement, and administrative functions. Dodge and Wall were both well known for their involvement in even the smallest details of the operation of Mount Vernon and this is reflected in the volume and scope of their files. Later Resident Directors began keeping chronological files which are also a great resource for understanding projects from specific years and periods of Mount Vernon's history. Both Charles Wall and John Castellani were employees of Mount Vernon before they were appointed Resident Director, and their files include material from previous job assignments. The majority of material reflects Charles Wall's tenure as Resident Director, the 1930s to 1970s, however, there is a substantial amount from the other directors as well. Several folders may extend into the term of James (Jim) Rees who served as Resident Director (later President) of Mount Vernon from 1994 to 2012. Most of the letters written by Superintendent Harrison Dodge were laminated or adhered to a tissue or paper backing, and bound together into a multiple volume set. These bound volumes, along with the original work diaries kept by Dodge, have been combined into a separate collection, the Bound Volumes of Superintendent's Letters, Diaries, and Monthly Reports. A finding aid for this collection is also available.

The racial and ethnic ephemera collection contains various materials regarding race, ethnicity, and racism in the United States. The collection includes papers and items that promote racial prejudice and propaganda. The collection also contains items and papers that exemplify the fight for civil and equal rights. African Americans are the most broadly represented group in the collection. Other ethnic groups include Native Americans, Asian Americans, Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, and Cuban Americans. Ku Klux Klan pamphlets and anti-immigration publications are also included. Through this collection, the American struggle of racism and prejudice is realized.

The collection consists of correspondence, day books, blueprints, photographs, genealogical research, maps, DVDs, artwork, textiles, and artifacts, circa 1760-1990, relating to the Tucker family of Bermuda and the Taliaferro-Bolton families of Richmond, Virginia.

Papers, chiefly 1940-1955, relating to the purchase and operation of Faraway Farm, Lake Lure, North Carolina, the rural retreat of Leslie Cheek, Jr. and his wife Mary Tyler (Freeman) Cheek. Includes Cheek's architectural drawings and photographs as well as documentation concerning a painting of Faraway Farm by William Bailey.

This collection consists of business related papers, including some correspondences from wholesale merchants, receipts, cancelled checks, various business related papers, and three patron account books documenting the business history of Andrew Wallace Morrison' s general store in Collierstown, Rockbridge County, Virginia between 1907 and 1947.