Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/09/1969
NRHP Listing Date 10/15/1966
NHL Listing Date 12/19/1960
NRHP Reference Number 66000833
In 1754, George Washington became the proprietor of Mount Vernon, located on the Potomac River in Fairfax County. Through a series of alterations and remodelings, completed by 1787, Washington transformed a simple farmhouse built by his father into the mansion that it is today. The composition of the house is set off by its cupola, rusticated wooden siding, and famous portico. Every aspect of the estate—the architecture of the mansion, the decoration of its interior, the planning of the outbuildings, the layout of the gardens, and the operation of the plantation—received Washington’s most careful attention. After Washington’s death at Mount Vernon in 1799, the property gradually fell into disrepair. In 1858 some 200 acres of the original 8,000-acre plantation were acquired by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, organized by Ann Pamela Cunningham. The association continues to maintain the meticulously restored Mount Vernon complex in its matchless Potomac River setting as a shrine to the father of our country.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: September 13, 2022
