THE PLIGHT OF MOUNT VERNON - Cover Page: December ‘96 American History Feature

THE PLIGHT OF MOUNT VERNON

BY ROBERT POCH

THE VIRGINIA ESTATE TO WHICH GEORGEWASHINGTON
LONGED TO RETIRE WHEN HE LEFT THEPRESIDENCY
IN 1797 WAS LATER SAVED FROM RUIN BY THEEFFORTS
OF A GROUP OF LADIES LED BY ANN PAMELACUNNINGHAM.

Late on an autumn night in 1853, a passenger boat slowly made its way down the Potomac River. Adhering to a tradition that began during the War of 1812, the captain tolled a bell in solemn respect for George Washington as the craft passed Mount Vernon, his beloved Virginia estate. The sound awakened Mrs. Louisa Cunningham, a passenger on the boat who had been sleeping in one of its cabins. She ventured out on deck and beheld a dramatic but heartbreaking sight: Mount Vernon, illuminated by the moon, was in a state of ruin, its roof collapsing and its old, weakened portico held upright only by means of unsightly wooden supports. Overgrown shrubs, tall grass, and withered trees surrounded the once proud home of the first president.

Disturbed by the sight, Mrs. Cunningham described the experience in a letter to her daughter, Ann Pamela, who at the time was receiving treatment in Philadelphia for a permanent spinal injury. “I was painfully distressed at the ruin and desolation of the home of Washington,” Mrs. Cunningham wrote, “and the thought passed through my mind: Why was it that the women of his country did not try to keep it in repair, if the men could not do it? It does seem such a blot on our country!” As her daughter read this, she was filled with a sense of purpose that could be quelled by nothing less than rescuing and preserving Mount Vernon as a permanent memorial to President Washington.

Confined to her bed, Ann needed considerable help to initiate such a large undertaking. She composed a forceful letter urging the “Ladies of the South” to become active in raising enough money “to secure and retain the home and grave” of Washington “as a sacred spot for all coming time!” She signed the letter “A Southern Matron,” lest anyone know the identity of the woman who dared such a task, and sent it to the Charleston Mercury, which printed it in December 1853. Other newspapers copied the letter, effectively publicizing her initial effort to obtain and preserve the estate. But before Ann Cunningham and the ladies she enlisted could pursue their goal, they would have to overcome numerous obstacles, not the least of which was opposition of John A. Washington, Jr., greatgrandnephew of George Washington and the last private owner of Mount Vernon.

Following President Washington’s death in 1799, Mount Vernon passed through a long line of heirs who, for either financial or occupational reasons, had been unable to maintain the estate. By the time Mount Vernon came to belong to John A. Washington, Jr., years of unintentional neglect seriously jeopardized its future. Aware that he could not maintain the estate, the newest owner made several unsuccessful attempts to sell it to either the state or federal government. Speculators and other undesirable venturers offered large sums of money for the home, but Washington refused to sell the property to anyone with questionable motives. He looked with skepticism on every offer, including that of the frail Miss Cunningham and her determined followers.

When she learned that Mount Vernon was for sale, Ann feared that she would not have time to organize an effective fund-raising campaign. To forestall a quick sale, she wrote to Mrs. Washington in late 1853, hoping to appeal to her more gentle personality. With great diplomacy Ann explained, “when you reflect on the rare nature of this enterprise and the results which must follow its success, I trust Mr. Washington and yourself will not only return a favorable answer to our appeal for time, but will determine in your hearts that no other shall be allowed to possess Mount Vernon, not even Congress, should they apply at last.”

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