 Mount
Vernon is owned and maintained in trust for the people of
the United States
by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, a
private, non-profit organization founded in 1853 by Ann
Pamela Cunningham. The Association is the oldest national
historic preservation organization in the country.
It is the only historic site in America which is open
365 days a year, and visitors can arrive at the estate by car,
bus or boat. Mount Vernon does not accept grants from federal,
state or local governments, and no tax dollars are expended to
support its purposes. Primary sources of income are revenue
from the retail and dining facilities, ticket sales, and
donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals.
The estate, gardens and farm of Mount Vernon totaled some
8,000 acres in the 18th century. Today, roughly 500 acres of
this historic estate have been preserved 16 miles south of
Washington, D.C., on the banks of the Potomac River. Visitors
can see 20 structures and 50 acres of gardens as they existed
in 1799.
The estate also includes a museum, the tombs of
George and Martha Washington, Washington's greenhouse, an
outdoor exhibit devoted to American agriculture as practiced
by Washington, the nation's most important memorial to the
accomplishments of 18th-century slaves, and a collection which
features numerous decorative and domestic artifacts. In 1999
Mount Vernon welcomed over 1,100,000 visitors.
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