Editing Mount Vernon (section)

== Preservation, legacy, and tourism ==
[[File:Mt-vernon-1850s.jpg|right|thumb|Mount Vernon in the 1850s]]
[[File:Mount Vernon 1956 U.S. stamp.1.jpg|thumb|Mount Vernon's [[Liberty Issue]] in 1956]] 
[[File:George Washington's Distillery.JPG|thumb|Reconstruction of George Washington's [[George Washington's Rye Whiskey|1797 distillery]]]]
[[File:Mount Vernon 2018.jpg|thumb|George Washington Family Statue]]
Following Martha Washington's death in 1802, George Washington's will was carried out in accordance with the terms of his bequests. The largest part of his estate, which included both his papers and Mount Vernon, passed to his nephew, [[Bushrod Washington]], an [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States]].<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWOWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA90 |last=Fister |first=Jude M. |title=America Writes Its History, 1650-1850: The Formation of a National Narrative |page=90 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland and Company, Inc. |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-7864-7921-4 |oclc=859384941 |via=[[Google Books]]|ref=none}}
* {{cite web|last=Lossing|first=Benson J.|author-link=Benson John Lossing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQMD93N4LgMC&pg=PA350|year=1870|title=The Home of Washington; Or, Mount Vernon and Its Associations, Historical, Biographical, and Pictorial|location=Hartford, Connecticut|publisher=A.S. Hale & Company|page=350|oclc=1593086|via=[[Google Books]]|ref=none}}
* {{cite web|last=Washington|first=George|author-link=George Washington|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0404-0001|title=George Washington's Last Will and Testament, 9 July 1799|work=Founders Online|publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]]|access-date=October 25, 2020|quote=To my nephew Bushrod Washington, I give and bequeath all the Papers in my possession which relate to my Civil and Military Administration of the affairs of this Country; I leave to him also such of my private papers as are worth preserving; and at the decease of my wife, and before; if she is not inclined to retain them, I give and bequeath my Library of books, and pamphlets of every kind. ..... To my nephew Bushrod Washington and his heirs (partly in consideration of an intimation to his deceased father, while we were Bachelors, & he had kindly undertaken to superintend my Estate during my Military Services in the former War between Great Britain and France, that if I should fall therein, Mount Vernon (then less extensive in domain than at present) should become his property) I give and bequeath all that part thereof which is comprehended within the following limits, ....|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022043348/https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0404-0001|url-status=dead|ref=none}}.  [Original source: {{cite book|title=The Papers of George Washington|series=Retirement Series|volume=4: 20 April 1799 — 13 December 1799|editor-first=W. W.|editor-last=Abbot|location=Charlottesville, Virginia|publisher=[[University of Virginia Press|University Press of Virginia]]|year=1999|isbn=0-8139-1855-3|oclc=985598820|lccn=97006770|pages=479–511|ref=none}}]
* {{cite web|url=https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_1.html|title=George Washington's Last Will and Testament|work=The Papers of George Washington|format=Manuscript|pages=[https://web.archive.org/web/20201026004141/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_14.html 14], [https://web.archive.org/web/20201025233110/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_19.html 19], [https://web.archive.org/web/20201025233110/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_20.html 20], [https://web.archive.org/web/20201025233110/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_21.html 21]|location=[[Charlottesville, Virginia]]|publisher=[[University of Virginia]]: washingtonpapers.org|date=July 9, 1799|access-date=October 25, 2020|archive-date=October 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026004141/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_1.html|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last=Smith|first=M. Earl|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/|title=Bushrod Washington|encyclopedia=Digital Encyclopedia|publisher=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, [[Virginia]]|access-date=November 16, 2016|ref=none}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/ |title=Bushrod Washington · George Washington's Mount Vernon |access-date=November 16, 2016 |archive-date=November 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116185522/http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/ |url-status=bot: unknown|ref=none }}.</ref> The younger Washington and his wife then moved to Mount Vernon.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Smith|first=M. Earl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116185522/http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/|archive-date=2016-11-16|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/|title=Bushrod Washington|encyclopedia=Digital Encyclopedia|publisher=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|access-date=November 16, 2016}}</ref>

Bushrod Washington did not inherit much cash and was unable to support the upkeep of the estate's mansion on the proceeds from the property and his Supreme Court salary. He sold some of his own slaves to gain working capital.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWOWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA124|last=Fister|first=Jude M.|title=America Writes Its History, 1650–1850: The Formation of a National Narrative|page=124|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|publisher=McFarland and Company, Inc.|year=2014|isbn=978-0-7864-7921-4|oclc=859384941|access-date=March 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617164543/https://books.google.com/books?id=QWOWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA124|archive-date=June 17, 2016|url-status=live|ref=none}} At [[Google Books]]
* {{cite web|last=Dunne|first=Gerald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021009061618/http://supremecourthistory.org/04_library/subs_volumes/04_c16_e.html|archive-date=October 9, 2002|url=http://www.supremecourthistory.org/04_library/subs_volumes/04_c16_e.html|title=Bushrod Washington and The Mount Vernon Slaves|publisher=[[Supreme Court Historical Society]]|work=1980 Yearbook|access-date=November 30, 2015|ref=none}}</ref> However, the farms' low revenues left him short, and he was unable to adequately maintain the mansion.

Following Bushrod Washington's death in 1829, ownership of the plantation passed to George Washington's grandnephew, John Augustine Washington II. After he died in 1832, his wife, Jane Charlotte inherited the estate, and her son began managing it. Upon her death in 1855, John Augustine Washington III inherited the property. As his funds dwindled and the wear and tear of hundreds of visitors began to take its toll, Washington could do little to maintain the mansion and its surroundings.<ref name="Rescue">{{cite web|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/809/|title=The Formation of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and the Dramatic Rescue of George Washington's Estate|work=Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229075342/http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/809/|archive-date=29 December 2008|access-date=23 November 2015}}</ref>

Washington suggested to the United States Congress that the federal government purchase the mansion.<ref name="Rescue"/> However, Congress paid little interest to Washington's offer, as the legislature was focusing on the conditions that shortly led to the [[American Civil War]].<ref name="Rescue"/> Washington then traveled to Richmond, where he was equally unsuccessful in appealing to the [[Virginia General Assembly]] for the state to purchase the mansion.<ref name="Rescue"/> The mansion's decline continued.<ref name="Rescue"/>

In 1858, Washington sold the mansion and a portion of the estate's land to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, which was under the leadership of [[Ann Pamela Cunningham]].<ref name="Rescue"/> The association paid the final installment of the purchase price of $200,000 ($6.3 million in 2020 dollars) in December 1859, taking possession in February 1860.<ref name="Rescue"/> The estate first opened to the public during that year.<ref name=aboutMV/>

The estate served as a neutral ground for both sides during the Civil War, although fighting raged across the nearby countryside. Troops from both the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] toured the building. The two women caretakers asked that the soldiers leave their arms behind and either change to civilian clothes or at least cover their uniforms. They usually did as asked.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://civilwarstudies.org/articles/Vol_8/mount-vernon.shtm|title=Smithsonian Civil War Studies: Article - Protecting Mount Vernon During the Civil War|access-date=February 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909042827/http://civilwarstudies.org/articles/Vol_8/mount-vernon.shtm|archive-date=September 9, 2016}}</ref>

[[Harrison Howell Dodge]] became the third resident superintendent in 1885. During his 52 years' overseeing the estate, he doubled the facility's acreage, improved the grounds, and added many historic artifacts to the collections. Dodge reviewed George Washington's writings about the estate, visited other Colonial-era gardens, and traveled to England to see gardens dating from the Georgian period. Using that knowledge, Dodge oversaw the restoration of the site completed by [[Charles Wilson Killam]],<ref name=":27">{{Cite book |url=http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll2/id/11980/rec/15 |title=Minutes of the Council of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union held at Mount Vernon, Virginia |date=May 11–18, 1932 |publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]] |via=The George Washington Presidential Library At Mount Vernon}}</ref> and put in place a number of improvements that Washington had planned but had never implemented.<ref name="obit">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/21/archives/col-harrison-dodge-mt-vernon-custodian-superintendent-of.html |title=Col. Harrison Dodge, Mt. Vernon Custodian; Superintendent of Washington's Home Since 1885—Made Many Improvements |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 21, 1937 |access-date=July 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402012523/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/21/archives/col-harrison-dodge-mt-vernon-custodian-superintendent-of.html |archive-date=April 2, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Charles Wall]] was assistant superintendent from 1929 to 1937, then resident superintendent for 39 years. He oversaw restoration of the house by Killam and planted greenery consistent with what was used in the 18th century. In 1974, a campaign he organized was successful in preserving as parkland areas in Maryland across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon, as part of an effort to retain the bucolic vista from the house.<ref name="WallObit">{{cite news | author=Robert McG. Thomas Jr. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/05/obituaries/charles-wall-91-long-director-of-george-washington-s-home.html |title=Charles Wall, 91, Long Director Of George Washington's Home |work=The New York Times |date=May 5, 1995 |access-date=July 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531141212/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/05/obituaries/charles-wall-91-long-director-of-george-washington-s-home.html |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> His office was the same one used in the 18th century by Washington.<ref name="Barnes1995">{{cite news|last=Barnes|first=Bart|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/05/04/former-master-of-mt-vernon-charles-cecil-wall-dies-at-91/c2c825b7-3bf7-4ff5-aaca-f7ae82514646/|title=Former Master of Mt. Vernon Charles Cecil Wall Dies at 91|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 4, 1995|access-date=November 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117064345/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/05/04/former-master-of-mt-vernon-charles-cecil-wall-dies-at-91/c2c825b7-3bf7-4ff5-aaca-f7ae82514646/|archive-date=November 17, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Steamboats began to carry tourists to the Mount Vernon estate in 1878.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118032344/http://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/tours-activities/sightseeing-cruise-of-the-potomac/19th-century-cruises-potomac-river|archive-date=January 18, 2018|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/tours-activities/sightseeing-cruise-of-the-potomac/19th-century-cruises-potomac-river/|title=19th Century Cruises on the Potomac River|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|year=2018|access-date=February 13, 2020}}</ref> In 1892, the [[Northern Virginia trolleys#Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Electric Railway|Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Electric Railway]] opened, providing electric [[Tram|trolley]] service between Alexandria and the estate.<ref name="GWMP">{{cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/facts/george-washington-memorial-parkway/|title=George Washington Memorial Parkway|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|year=2020|access-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213151211/https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/facts/george-washington-memorial-parkway/|archive-date=February 13, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Merriken">{{cite book|last=Merriken|first=John E.|url=https://archive.org/details/olddominiontroll0000merr|title=Old Dominion Trolley Too: A History of the Mount Vernon Line|year=1987|publisher=LeRoy O. King, Jr. |isbn=0-9600938-2-6|lccn=86091361|oclc=17605355|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref><ref>1894 topographic map of the city of Alexandria, Alexandria County, and eastern Fairfax County, showing the route of the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Railway (unlabled) between the city of Alexandria and Mount Vernon: {{cite web|url=http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/virginia/txu-pclmaps-topo-va-mount_vernon-1888.jpg|last1=Gannett|first1=Henry|last2=Thompson|first2=Gilbert|title=Reconnaissance Map: Virginia - Maryland: Mt. Vernon Sheet|date=November 1894|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=January 20, 2020|via=Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection: Virginia Historical Topographic Maps: Austin, Texas: Perry–Castañeda Library, University of Texas at Austin}}</ref> The electric railway and its successors carried tourists and others between [[Washington, D.C.]], and Mount Vernon from 1896 to 1932, when the federal government acquired part of its route on which to construct the [[George Washington Memorial Parkway]].<ref name="Merriken" />

<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite book|last=Snowden|first=William H.|url=https://archive.org/details/someoldhistoric00snowgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/someoldhistoric00snowgoog/page/n1 1]|title=Some Old Historic Landmarks of Virginia and Maryland, Described in a Hand-book for the Tourist Over the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Electric Railway|edition=3rd|location=Alexandria, Virginia|publisher=G.H. Ramey & Son|year=1902|oclc=6234650|access-date=February 2, 2018|via=[[Internet Archive]]|ref=none}}
* 1904 map of Alexandria County (now Arlington County), the city of Alexandria and southeastern Fairfax County showing the route of the Washington, Alexandria & Mt. Vernon Railroad (Wash. Alex. & Mt.V. R.R.): {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/randmcnallycospi03rand|chapter=Map of electric railroads, steam railroads and streets in Washington and vicinity|title=Rand McNally & Co.'s Pictorial Guide to Washington|page=[https://archive.org/details/randmcnallycospi03rand/page/n72 5]|publisher=Rand McNally & Company|location=New York and Chicago|year=1904|access-date=January 13, 2013|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{cite journal|last=Tindall|first=Dr. William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZUHrL7tQVS8C&pg=PA46|journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C.|title=Beginning of Street Railways in the National Capital|volume=21|publisher=[[Historical Society of Washington, D.C.|Columbia Historical Society]]|year=1918|location=Washington, D.C.|pages =46–47|access-date=2014-02-02|via=[[Google Books]]|ref=none}}</ref> The parkway, originally named the Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway, opened in 1932.<ref name="GWMP" />

In 2007, the estate opened a reconstruction of [[George Washington's Gristmill#Distillery|George Washington's distillery]] on the site of Washington's original distillery, a short distance from his mansion on the Potomac River. Construction of the distillery cost $2.1&nbsp;million. The fully functional replica received special legislation from the Virginia General Assembly to produce up to {{convert|5000|gal|L|abbr=on}} of whiskey annually, for sale only at the Mount Vernon gift shop.

Frank Coleman, spokesman for the [[Distilled Spirits Council]] that funded the reconstruction, said the distillery "will become the equivalent of a national distillery museum" and serve as a gateway to the [[American Whiskey Trail]].<ref name="Barakat2007">{{cite news |url=http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/03/ap_washingtonwhiskey_070331/|title= Replica of distillery of Washington Opens |access-date=April 1, 2007 |last=Barakat|first=Matthew |date=March 31, 2007|work=The Navy Times| publisher=navytimes.com}}</ref> In 2019, Mount Vernon began an annual whiskey festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northernvirginiamag.com/things-to-do/things-to-do-features/2019/07/15/a-new-whiskey-festival-is-coming-to-mount-vernon/|title=A new whiskey festival is coming to Mount Vernon|date=July 15, 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref>

As of 2020, the estate had received more than 85&nbsp;million visitors.<ref name=aboutMV/> In addition to the mansion, visitors can see original and reconstructed outbuildings and barns (including slaves' quarters), an operational blacksmith shop, and the Pioneer Farm. Each year on [[Christmas Day]], Aladdin the Christmas Camel recreates Washington's 1787 hiring of a camel for 18 [[shillings]] to entertain his guests with an example of the animal that brought the [[Three Wise Men]] to [[Bethlehem]] to visit the newborn [[Jesus]].<ref name="MB">{{cite web|first=Michelle|last=Basch|date=25 December 2011|title=Mount Vernon continues 'Christmas Camel' tradition|url=http://www.federalnewsradio.com/41/2682986/Mount-Vernon-continues-Christmas-Camel-tradition|access-date=March 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118185142/http://www.federalnewsradio.com/41/2682986/Mount-Vernon-continues-Christmas-Camel-tradition|archive-date=January 18, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Starting in 2023 and continuing through 2026, the mansion is undergoing a major restoration in stages, including a new [[Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning|HVAC]] system and extensive repairs to the structural systems of the house. Drainage issues with groundwater will be improved and masonry is being repaired. Portions of the mansion will be closed off to visitors during the project.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mansion Revitalization Project |url=https://www.mountvernon.org/preservation/restoration-projects/mansion-revitalization-project |website=mountvernon.org |date=June 25, 2024 |publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]] |access-date=April 2, 2025}}</ref> 

Mount Vernon remains a privately owned property. The non-profit Mount Vernon Ladies' Association has not received any funds from the federal government to support the restoration and maintenance of the mansion and the estate's {{convert|500|acre|km2|adj=on}} grounds or its educational programs and activities.<ref name="Smithsonian2006">{{cite news |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/exploring_mount_vernon.html |title=Exploring Mount Vernon |work=Smithsonian Magazine |publisher=Smithsonian.com |date=November 1, 2006 |access-date=February 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203151254/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/exploring_mount_vernon.html |archive-date=February 3, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The association derives its income from charitable donations and the sales of tickets, produce and goods to visitors. These enable the Association to continue its mission "to preserve, restore, and manage the estate of George Washington to the highest standards and to educate visitors and people throughout the world about the life and legacies of George Washington, so that his example of character and leadership will continue to inform and inspire future generations."<ref name="AboutMV">{{cite web|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/about/our-mission|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805011835/http://www.mountvernon.org/about/our-mission|archive-date=August 5, 2016|title=The Mission of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association|work=About Mount Vernon: Our Mission|year=2016|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|access-date=November 16, 2016}}</ref> Admission to Mount Vernon is free on [[Washington's Birthday|Presidents' Day]] (the third Monday of February) and on George Washington's birthday (February 22).<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216231013/https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/calendar/events|archive-date=February 16, 2020|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/calendar/events|title=Special Events|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|year=2020|access-date=February 16, 2020}}</ref>

Mount Vernon was featured in a 1-cent [[Postage stamps and postal history of the United States|United States postage stamp]] in 1936 within the Army and Navy Commemorative Series. The green stamp, which was the first in the series, also contained portraits of George Washington and [[Nathanael Greene]], a [[Major general (United States)#U.S. Army|Major General]] of the [[Continental Army]] during the Revolutionary War.<ref>{{cite web|first=Gordon T.|last=Trotter|url=https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/about-us-stamps-bureau-period-1894-1939-commemorative-issues-1936-1937/army-navy-issue|title=Army & Navy Issue: 1-cent Washington & Greene|work=About U.S. Stamps|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]: [[National Postal Museum]]|access-date=October 26, 2020|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018030244/https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/about-us-stamps-bureau-period-1894-1939-commemorative-issues-1936-1937/army-navy-issue|url-status=dead}}.</ref> 

In 1956, a 1.5-cent stamp within the [[Liberty Issue]] of U.S. postage stamps memorialized Mount Vernon as a national shrine. The Liberty Issue was originally planned to honor six presidents, six famous Americans, and six historic national shrines. The Mount Vernon stamp, which featured a view of Washington's home facing the Potomac River, was the issue's first that commemorated a shrine.<ref>{{cite web|first=Steven J.|last=Rod|date=May 16, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213153919/https://arago.si.edu/category_2028960.html|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url=https://arago.si.edu/category_2028960.html|title=1-1/2-cent Mount Vernon|work=Arago: people, postage & the post|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]: [[National Postal Museum]]|access-date=February 13, 2020}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213181826/https://arago.si.edu/category_2028960.html|date=February 13, 2020}}.</ref>

Mount Vernon was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] on December 19, 1960, and listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on October 15, 1966.<ref name=register/><ref name=landmark/> Development and improvement of the estate is an ongoing concern. Following a $110&nbsp;million fundraising campaign, two new buildings that GWWO, Inc./Architects had designed opened in 2006 as venues for additional background on George Washington and the American Revolution. The Ford Orientation Center introduces visitors to George Washington and Mount Vernon with displays and a film. The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center houses many artefacts related to Washington along with multimedia displays and further films using modern entertainment technology.

Mount Vernon was put on the tentative list for [[World Heritage Site]] status in the early 2000s. It was submitted but failed to get approved. In 2014, Mount Vernon awarded its first [[Cyrus A. Ansary]] Prize for Courage and Character to former President [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref>[[Peter Baker (author)|Baker, Peter]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/us/politics/hindsight-proves-kinder-and-gentler-to-bush-41.html "Bush 41 Reunion Looks to Burnish His Legacy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119004040/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/us/politics/hindsight-proves-kinder-and-gentler-to-bush-41.html |date=19 November 2018 }}, New York ''Times'', 3 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20140404182314/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=25005652&privcapId=29054144 "Executive Profile: Cyrus A. Ansary"], ''[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]''. Retrieved 4 April 2014.</ref>

The airspace surrounding Mount Vernon is restricted to prevent damage from aircraft vibrations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/60106/11-places-planes-cant-fly-over-us |title=11 Places Planes Can't Fly Over in the U.S. |last=Nesi |first=Chris |date=November 18, 2014 |access-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012214541/http://mentalfloss.com/article/60106/11-places-planes-cant-fly-over-us |archive-date=12 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2005-05-25/pdf/05-10371.pdf |title=Federal Register PART 73—SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE Mount Vernon, VA |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=May 25, 2005 |access-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012214514/https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2005-05-25/pdf/05-10371.pdf |archive-date=12 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> As a consequence, overhead/aerial photography has been limited and requires unique approaches.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.camerondavidson.com/blog/2016/11/17/mount-vernon-for-virginia-tourism |title=Mount Vernon for Virginia Tourism |last=Davidson |first=Cameron |work=Cameron Davidson |date=November 17, 2016 |access-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013014407/https://www.camerondavidson.com/blog/2016/11/17/mount-vernon-for-virginia-tourism |archive-date=13 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Mount Vernon Viewshed===
[[File:DAR group at Mt. Vernon LCCN2016892236.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Daughters of the American Revolution]] at Mount Vernon in 1923.]]
In 1955, a 485-acre farm across from Mount Vernon went up for sale. There were rumors that an oil company was to buy it. Charles Wagner, a resident of the [[Moyaone Reserve|Moyaone Association]], a community next to the proposed site, reached out to Charles Wall, the Resident Director of Mount Vernon.<ref name=McDonnell>{{ cite web | url = http://npshistory.com/publications/pisc/adhi.pdf | author = McDonnell, Janet | date = December 2020 |website=[[National Park Service]] | title = Preservation and Partners: A History of Piscataway Park }}</ref> The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and its then leader, [[Ohio]] Member of Congress [[Frances P. Bolton]], had expressed a desire to protect the view from Mount Vernon. At this point Bolton, Wagner, Wall, and Moyaone resident Robert W. Straus developed a decades-long plan to protect the Mount Vernon [[viewshed]], which came to be known as Operation Overview.<ref name="sprinkle">{{ cite journal | title = Operation Overview and the Creation of Piscataway Park | author = John H. Sprinkle Jr. | journal =  [[The Public Historian]] | date = November 2016  | volume = 38 | issue = 4 | pages = 79–100 | doi = 10.1525/tph.2016.38.4.79 }}</ref><ref name=Meringolo>{{cite journal |publisher = [[National Park Service]] | url = https://www.nps.gov/CRMJournal/winter2008/article3.html | year = 2008 | volume = 5 | issue = 1 | author =  Meringolo, Denise D. | title = The Accokeek Foundation and Piscataway Park | journal = CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship }}</ref>

The first step was taken in 1957 when Bolton founded the Accokeek Foundation, one of the nation's first [[land trust]]s.<ref name="Meringolo" /> The Foundation was used to purchase {{Convert|200|acres}} of land across from Mount Vernon to help preserve the area,<ref>{{Cite news | last=Lutz | first=Lara | date=November 1, 2005 | url=http://www.bayjournal.com/article/piscataway_park_rooted_in_farming_of_past_sows_seeds_for_future | title=Piscataway Park, Rooted in Farming of Past, Sows Seeds for Future | newspaper=Bay Journal | location=[[Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania]] | publisher=Chesapeake Media Service | access-date=April 27, 2016 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1961 and at Bolton's instigation, a joint resolution to preserve the viewshed was introduced in the [[United States Senate]] by Senator [[Clinton Anderson]] with identical text in the [[United States House of Representatives]] by Representative [[John P. Saylor]]. The resolution was quickly passed and signed by [[President John F. Kennedy]]. Its purpose was to "preserve lands which provide the principal overview from the Mount Vernon Estate and Fort Washington" in order to designate {{Convert|133|acre}} around Mockley Point, which was to be the site of water treatment plant, as a national landmark. The resolution also authorized the National Park Service to receive donations and scenic easements from adjacent communities.<ref name="1961-bill">{{cite act | url = https://www.congress.gov/bill/87th-congress/house-joint-resolution/459 | legislature = [[United States House of Representatives]] | date = October 4, 1961 | title = Joint resolution to provide for the preservation and protection of certain lands in Prince Georges and Charles Counties, Maryland, and for other purposes}}</ref> At this point Bolton and the Accokeek Foundation transferred their land to the National Park Service to form [[Piscataway Park]].<ref name=McDonnell /> In addition, Moyaone Association residents transferred conservation easements to the Park Service to further protect the viewshed. In 2020, the Moyaone Reserve was given National Register of Historic Places status.<ref name=Moyaonehistoric>{{cite web | url = https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/weekly-list-20201009.htm | title = WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 10/2/2020 THROUGH 10/8/2020
 | date = October 9, 2020 | publisher = [[National Park Service]] }}</ref>