Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, the former plantation estate of George and Martha Washington on the Potomac in Virginia, became George Washington’s home after he began leasing it in 1754 and took sole ownership in 1761. Originally part of Washington family land acquired in 1674, it was renamed by Lawrence Washington for Vice Admiral Edward Vernon. The mansion evolved from a house built around 1734 by Augustine Washington and was enlarged twice by George Washington, creating the distinctive residence seen today. The estate later declined, but in 1858 the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association rescued it, preserving a site that also bears witness to the enslaved labor on which it depended.

Mount Vernon, Virginia · United States