Mount Vernon Ladies' Association facts for kids
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union (MVLA) is a special group that takes care of Mount Vernon estate. This was the home of George Washington, America's first president. The association is a non-profit, which means they don't make money for themselves. Instead, they use donations to keep Mount Vernon looking great.
A woman named Ann Pamela Cunningham from South Carolina started the MVLA in 1853. It's the oldest group in the United States dedicated to saving historic places. It's also the oldest patriotic women's society.
Ann Pamela Cunningham chose 30 women, called vice regents, from different states. These women worked together to raise $200,000. This was a huge amount of money back then, like $4.1 million today! They used it to buy Mount Vernon. The MVLA officially took over Mount Vernon on February 22, 1860, and opened it as a museum.
The MVLA hoped that by saving this important national symbol, they could help bring the country together. At the time, there were big disagreements, especially about slavery in the United States. The American Civil War paused their work, but they started again in 1866.
Today, the MVLA still works to preserve Mount Vernon. They rely only on private donations. A board of women from 27 states oversees their important work.
Contents
Saving Mount Vernon: The Story Begins
After George Washington died in 1799 and his wife Martha in 1802, Mount Vernon stayed in their family. But by the mid-1800s, George Washington's great-grandnephew, John Augustine Washington III, owned it. He couldn't afford to fix up the old house. It was falling apart.
In 1853, he tried to sell Mount Vernon to the state of Virginia. But Virginia said no, the price was too high. He also offered it to the U.S. government. But some leaders in Congress thought the government shouldn't have to save every historic place.
A Shocking Sight on the Potomac
A popular story says that one night in 1853, Louisa Bird Cunningham was on a steamboat on the Potomac River. As they passed Mount Vernon, the captain blew the horn. Louisa was shocked to see how bad Washington's home looked. A writer named Gerald W. Johnson described it: "The paint was peeling from the walls, the roof was sagging, at least one of the great pillars along the front had collapsed and been replaced by wooden supports, the lawn was waist-high in rioting weeds. It was a picture of neglect, decay, and desolation, and the passenger could not get it out of her mind."
Louisa thought the house should be fixed and saved as a national "shrine." The next day, she wrote to her daughter, Ann Pamela Cunningham. She said: "If the men of America have seen fit to allow the home of its most respected hero to go to ruin, why can't the women of America band together to save it?"
Ann Pamela Cunningham, who was 37 and often in pain from a horse-riding accident, decided to take on this huge task. She ignored friends who told her not to, because of her poor health.
Starting the Fundraising Campaign
Southern Women Lead the Way
At first, Ann Pamela Cunningham focused on women in the American South. She wanted them to raise money to save Mount Vernon. She worried that "Northern capitalists" (rich business people) might buy it and turn it into a hotel.
On December 2, 1853, Cunningham wrote an open letter called "Appeal to the Ladies of the South." She used the pen name "A Southern Matron." This letter was printed in newspapers. She asked Southern women to help protect Mount Vernon from greedy business people and politicians. It was a bold move for a woman to get involved in public affairs back then!
The first public fundraising meeting was on February 22, 1854, at Cunningham's home in South Carolina. They raised $293.75. More fundraising happened in Georgia and Alabama.
Bringing in Northern Women
By late 1854, women from Northern states also wanted to help. They said "Washington belonged to the whole country." Cunningham realized she needed their help to reach the $200,000 goal.
Cunningham worked hard to include Northern women without upsetting her Southern supporters. Many, including her own mother, wanted to keep the effort "all Southern." But Cunningham believed that American women's patriotism could help them overcome the disagreements that were threatening to divide the country.
However, tensions did arise. A group in Philadelphia wanted the title of Mount Vernon to go to the U.S. Congress. When Cunningham said it would go to Virginia, they were upset. Also, the Virginia committee thought they should be in charge because Washington was from Virginia. This caused some arguments, and some people even quit the group.
Making it Official: The Legislative Charter
Ann Pamela Cunningham decided to make the "Mount Vernon Association" an official nonprofit corporation. She got advice from John M. Berrien, a former U.S. senator. By getting a special law (a legislative charter) from the Virginia General Assembly, Cunningham would also become the main leader of the organization.
After Berrien's death, James L. Petigru helped draft the charter. He added "Ladies'" and "of the Union" to the association's name.
Anna Cora Mowatt, a famous actress, was a big help in getting the charter passed. She held many parties at her home to get male politicians to support the MVLA. She told Cunningham that everyone had a great time, and the politicians promised to pass the bill.
On March 15, 1856, the bill went to the Virginia legislature. Some people were against it because of past arguments within the group. Also, some were skeptical that a woman was leading such a big plan. But Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie stepped in and rallied their supporters.
On March 19, 1856, the Virginia state assembly passed the bill. This officially created the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, with Ann Pamela Cunningham as its leader. The charter also allowed the association to buy Mount Vernon.
A Nationwide Effort
Leaders in Every State
As the head of the new MVLA, Ann Pamela Cunningham started building a nationwide organization. She chose a "Vice Regent" for each state to lead fundraising efforts. Each vice regent then chose "Lady Managers" to help in their state. These vice regents were usually wealthy and well-known women, often from families connected to the Founding Fathers of the United States. Cunningham again stressed that this unique "sisterhood" could rise above national disagreements.
Some vice regents, like Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie of Virginia, were very interested in saving historical places. Anna Cora Mowatt was excited about saving William Shakespeare's birthplace in England. Others, like Octavia Walton Le Vert of Alabama, were impressed by how the home of a poet in Italy was preserved as a "shrine."
Mary Morris Hamilton of New York, a granddaughter of Alexander Hamilton, was a very active vice regent. She raised almost $40,000, which was a big part of the money needed to buy Mount Vernon. Her team in New York included famous women like Caroline C. Fillmore (the second wife of former President Millard Fillmore) and novelist Caroline Kirkland.
Other vice regents also raised a lot of money. Louisa Ingersoll Gore Greenough of Massachusetts raised about $20,000. Octavia Le Vert of Alabama raised over $10,000. Lily Lytle Macalester of Pennsylvania raised almost $9,000.
Famous Supporters
Edward Everett, a well-known politician who had been a U.S. Secretary of State and Governor of Massachusetts, strongly supported the MVLA. He believed Mount Vernon could help unite the country and prevent a civil war.
Everett was a great speaker. He gave his speech, "The Character of Washington," 137 times between 1856 and 1860. People paid to hear him speak, and the money went to the MVLA. He also wrote a weekly newspaper column and gave the $10,000 advance he received to the association. In total, he gave over $69,000, which was more than a third of the purchase price.
While Everett talked about Washington as a national hero, William Lowndes Yancey, a Southern leader, also raised money for the MVLA. He gave speeches in the South, praising Washington as a leader against government control. Yancey was known for defending the right to own slaves. So, both Northern and Southern supporters of the MVLA celebrated George Washington, even though they had very different views on slavery.
Some People Said No
During their fundraising, some people, especially abolitionists (people who wanted to end slavery), didn't want to donate. They didn't like that Mount Vernon was a slave plantation. For example, Abba Isabella Chamberlain Little of Maine reported that some Northerners refused to give money because of this.
In 1858, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leader for women's rights, refused to help. She said she was "pledged to a higher and holier work than building monuments." She believed that working to end slavery was the best way to honor Washington. Similarly, Elizabeth B. Chace also declined, pointing out the irony of saving a symbol of liberty when many women in America were still enslaved.
Buying Mount Vernon
Ann Pamela Cunningham was worried when John Augustine Washington suddenly decided not to sell Mount Vernon after the MVLA got its charter. He felt insulted that the charter said he should sell to the MVLA, not to the state of Virginia. He was also upset by public criticism about his asking price.
In June 1856, Cunningham visited him. She told him she understood his frustration with Virginia. She later wrote that she made him cry and convinced him to reconsider. John Augustine Washington still thought the MVLA's plan was "preposterous" and that the women would mess up managing the estate.
For the next few years, Cunningham stayed in touch with him. She assured him she was defending his honor and his price. She even sent him a newspaper article where she called his critics "abolitionists" working with "speculators."
Finally, on April 6, 1858, John Augustine Washington III signed a contract to sell Mount Vernon to the MVLA. He agreed to sell the mansion, other buildings, and 202 acres for $200,000. He got an immediate payment of $18,000, with more payments later. The rest was due in four yearly payments on George Washington's birthday, February 22.
John Augustine Washington caused more controversy when he advertised his seven slaves for hire. A newspaper editor, Horace Greeley, wrote a harsh article criticizing him and urging the MVLA to take Mount Vernon from him quickly. Other abolitionists questioned if they should donate if he wouldn't free his slaves.
Despite an economic depression, the MVLA raised all the money in less than two years. John Augustine Washington and his family moved out, and the MVLA took over Mount Vernon on February 22, 1860.
After the Purchase: Keeping History Alive
In 1874, Ann Pamela Cunningham retired as regent. She wrote to the MVLA Council: "Ladies, the home of Washington is in your charge – see to it that you keep it the home of Washington. Let no irreverent hand change it; no vandal hands desecrate it with the fingers of progress. Those who go to the home in which he lived and died wish to see in what he lived and died. Let one spot in this grand country of ours be saved from change. Upon you rests this duty."
Preservation work continued. In 1881, Alice Mary Longfellow, daughter of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, paid to restore and furnish Mount Vernon’s library. In 1888, women in Kansas raised money to rebuild the servants' quarters. Phoebe Hearst, mother of newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst, donated $6,000 in 1895 to drain a swamp near the mansion.
Other Preservation Projects
Protecting the View
Congresswoman Frances P. Bolton, who was a Vice Regent from Ohio from 1938 to 1977, started a project in the 1940s. She wanted to save the beautiful view across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon. The association bought 750 acres along the Maryland shore. This land became part of Piscataway Park, which is now 4,000 acres. This helps keep the landscape looking just as the Washingtons would have seen it.
George Washington's Books
On June 22, 2012, the MVLA bought George Washington's own copy of the United States Constitution at an auction for $9.8 million. This special book was printed just for Washington in 1789, his first year as president. It has his handwritten notes inside! Books and papers owned by George Washington that the MVLA buys are kept safe at The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington.
Awards
- 2002 National Humanities Medal
Images for kids
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Photograph of George Washington's mansion in 1858 showing timbers and ship masts used to prop up the piazza roof
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Ann Pamela Cunningham, founder and first regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
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Early leaders of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
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Former Governor of Massachusetts and Harvard University President Edward Everett toured the country to raise money for the MVLA
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Anna Cora Mowatt served as secretary of the Central Committee of the early Mount Vernon Association
