Mount Vernon

Photo by Els Slots.

Mount Vernon is part of the Tentative list of United States of America in order to qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.

Mount Vernon is an example of an 18th century American south cultural landscape that is one of the most preserved examples of its time. Mount Vernon was home to the first President of the United States, George Washington, and consists of a Virginia plantation that was reliant on hundreds of enslaved workers. The property includes buildings constructed in the Colonial Revival style, as well as gardens, farms, and paths demonstrating landscape design in the American south.

Map of Mount Vernon

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The coordinates shown for all tentative sites were produced as a community effort. They are not official and may change on inscription.

Community Reviews

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Carlo Sarion

Philippines | New Zealand - 07-Feb-25 -

Mount Vernon (T) by Carlo Sarion

It just seems appropriate to visit and write a review of Mount Vernon after doing so with Monticello, as both were the residences and plantations of two prominent American presidents in Virginia. We visited the site in Dec 2024 as a side trip while visiting family for Christmas. Whether it has the potential to be inscribed or not and regardless of our opinions about George Washington as a slave owner, I'd recommend a visit here.

The mansion tour

At the time of our visit, the mansion was undergoing significant renovation (see photo, with the facade obstructed by tarpaulin) and only a very limited part of the mansion could be accessed. It was helpful to attend the free virtual tour at the Ford Orientation Centre. We entered the mansion through the door that opens to the New Room. This multi-purpose room is the most interesting (to me) of all the rooms in the mansion. Its walls are painted in pastel green, and it has a Palladian window with composition ornament and a ceiling with stuccowork. Our tour guide pointed out some interesting artwork as well, such as the paintings (check out Trumbull's Washington at Verplanck's Point) and the motifs on the marble mantelpiece.

We stepped out of the mansion (yep, that was it!) and took in the view of the Potomac River from the veranda (and yes, the view is beautiful as Els pointed out). We then went to the kitchen and storehouse located in the lower garden. There were workers coating sand and paint onto the wooden wall to create the appearance of stone blocks, a process called rustication. It was a bit funny how the workers were so nonchalant about the crowd of tourists gathering around them. We then crossed the bowling green towards the upper garden and greenhouse, which is a fine building in itself. We then checked out slave quarters beside the greenhouse, which had some displays of furniture and kitchenware. We lingered here for a bit before our guide concluded the tour.

The tour was a quick one but had we visited after the renovation was finished, we could've explored the other rooms on the first and second floors of the mansion. It would have been interesting to see the Lafayette Room, the Yellow Room, and the Washingtons' bedchamber on the second floor.

Through the Eyes tour

This hour-long tour is guided by an actor portraying an actual 18th-century resident of Mount Vernon who retold the lives of those employed and enslaved at the plantation. We had Tom who played Edinburgh-born James Anderson, Washington's farm manager, and boy was he brilliant! Some guests thought that the actor was faking his Scottish accent but he actually is Scottish, so it was just apt he was playing James. 

James, the character, brought us to different parts of the farm on the southern side of the estate. We visited the poop repository (yes, located near the mansion!), the paddocks where the rare breed Hog Island sheep are raised, and the cattle and sheep enclosures. It pretty much gave you a pretty good idea of how the farm operated. The sheep were so cute and curious about our presence, but I think they were also waiting for James to pet them. We finished the tour visiting Aladdin the camel, who visits Mount Vernon during the holiday season. Washington was enamoured by rare animals that he bought a camel for 18 shillings.

Note that there are other interesting parts of the estate that we didn't visit, such as the tomb, the slave memorial, the wharf, and the Washington farm past the memorial. 

Some practicalities

All visitors are required to buy the Grounds Pass to enter the site. While tickets are sold on-site, it's best to book them online as it'd give you options to indicate your time of visit and see what other tours are available (where we found the Through Our Eyes Tour). I also bought the official guidebook which I thought was a good purchase.

If you have a full day, I'd recommend combining your trip to Mount Vernon with a visit to the historical district of Alexandria on the Potomac River. Manassas National Battlefield Park is also an option if you are into the history of American Civil War, though this is a 45-minute drive from Mount Vernon. And since I've mentioned Manassas, I'd also suggest visiting Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, an important American Civil War site east of Lynchburg, VA.


Kyle Magnuson

California - United States of America - 19-Apr-19 -

Mount Vernon (T) by Kyle Magnuson

Mount Vernon simply cannot be separated with the man and its not what the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association want. As stated on the official website, "The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is an intrepid group of American patriots who have been preserving and promoting George Washington's Mount Vernon for more than 160 years." If the property was managed by the National Park Service, perhaps the narrative of Mount Vernon would be more expansive in scope. The justification of Outstanding Universal Value outlined in the nomination refers to Mount Vernon as an "evolved cultural landscape of the 18th-century American south".

I enjoyed my time at Mount Vernon, but the founding myths of American greatness should not be inscribed on the world heritage list. Sure Washington is a great man, but he is also a deeply flawed one as well. Unfortunately, while the preservationists that operate Mount Vernon have done more to address the issue of slavery, the narrative over generations that has been fed to the American public is one that still tends to justify or dismiss slavery when discussing statesmen like Washington or Jefferson. For example, common dismissals of the slavery issue include "Washington freed his slaves when he died." That is only partially correct. Yet, other relevant questions are rarely pursued, for example: What about the conditions of slaves or the stories about slaves that attempted to escape Mount Vernon? I was certainly curious to know more about the slave burial ground.

I am thankful the Alamo was not inscribed on the world heritage list alone, nor was it inscribed for its association with Texan Independence. That would be another example of myth clouding reality. Inscribing the San Antonio missions for the carefully chosen OUV in the nomination made sense. However, that approach would be hard to replicate here in Mount Vernon. Management of the property is a complication and the fact that the site is wildly popular, particularly with school groups, makes little incentive for Americans to support a 2nd nomination attempt. I struggle to see how Mount Vernon can make it toward inscription under these conditions.

Read more from Kyle Magnuson here.


Pam

USA - 03-Nov-09 -

I visited this site in 1994. It was a very historical and informative site. Artifacts from the home and farm were unique and well preserved. I think the site ties into being a world heritage site because of the documents and artifacts that corresponded to the relationship our 1st president had with the French government. The education I received about that aspect of this country's early years came alive at this visit.


Els Slots

The Netherlands - 13-Apr-09 -

Mount Vernon (T) by Els Slots

George Washington is a (or The) National Hero in the United States. His estate Mount Vernon now features on the USA's updated Tentative List. "We had to look at the site itself regardless of Washington," says one of the persons responsible for the nomination document.

For the casual visitor it's not easy to get around George Washington and the story of his life. This is a very popular spot for school trips, and there were already plenty of noisy children around when I arrived at 8.30 am on a Monday morning.

Washington bought the estate in 1754 and expanded it in the following years. Visitors are herded through the fairly modest main house. I wouldn't call it tastefully decorated; one of the rooms is even painted bright green. In each room there is a lady present of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association to tell some simple anecdotes to the passing tourists. At the sight of five guest rooms it is noted that the Washingtons received up to 667 visitors staying overnight during the first year he was President!

The interior may not be very luxurious, the man did have a lovely veranda overlooking the broad Potomac River.

If it's not the life and works of George Washington, what element of international significance will make this site into a WHS? Is it the 18th century plantation layout? Or the innovative agricultural techniques used? Surely a walk in the pleasant gardens and a visit to the farm are worth an hour or two. However, many of the current buildings (like the 16-sided barn and the slave cabin) are reconstructions, a fact that will not amuse the advisory bodies or the WHC.


Full Name
Mount Vernon
Country
United States of America
Added
2008
Type
Cultural
Categories
Cultural Landscape - Clearly defined
Link
By ID
2010 Requested by State Party to not be examined

2008 Added to Tentative List

The site has 1 locations

Mount Vernon (T)
WHS 1997-2025