Archive for September, 2010

Associate curator Laura Simo is shown along with items from Mount Vernon’s collections department.

Last weekend it was Mount Veronon’s conservation lab, this weekend it’s the estate’s collections department: C-SPAN 3′s American History TV program will feature George Washington and his belongings once again. For a preview, click here.

This weekend’s installment will focus on the items that Mount Vernon keeps behind the scenes. In the words of C-SPAN 3, the show will allow viewers to have a glimpse at “Washington’s personal belongings and hear what they reveal about him as a military leader, as a leading Virginia land owner and as a citizen of the new United States of America.”

Tune in on Saturday at 3 p.m. or Sunday at 2 a.m., 8 a.m., 7 p.m. or 10 p.m. EST to catch a glimpse.

It’s not every weekend that a sword swallower and a handful of craftsmen and women descend upon the lawn at Mount Vernon. In case you missed the annual Colonial Maket & Fair held Sept. 18 and 19, here in photos are a few of the weekend’s highlights.

The Colonial Market & Fair is shown left; Happy Retreat Estate is at right.

The weekend is shaping up quite nicely for a George Washington-centric itinerary. Check out some of the goings on related to the former president:

SATURDAY– WASHINGTON FAMILY HOMES TOUR: Mount Vernon is by far the best-known estate associated with Washington’s name, but more than an hour and a half northwest in Jefferson County, W.Va. lies a cluster of Washington homes that were owned by his family. Of the ten homes that once stood, seven are still in existence and four are open to view during the third annual Washington Family Homes Tour.

These houses, according to the Washington Post, include “the Georgian-style Harewood, the 1770 home of George’s oldest brother, Samuel; Beallair, the 1790s Classical Revival home of his great-grandnephew Lewis Washington; Claymont, the 1840 Georgian mansion built by the former president’s grandnephew Bushrod Corbin Washington; and Charles Washington’s Happy Retreat Estate & Gardens, the 1780 Classical Revival home of the youngest Washington brother and founder of Charles Town, W.Va.”

Touring hours are between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are available in advance for a donation or for $10-$25 the day of, depending on number of houses viewed.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY — COLONIAL MARKET & FAIR: It’s time for Mount Vernon’s ever-popular Colonial Market & Fair featuring dozens of craftspeople in addition to demonstrations by colonial-attired artisans and 18^th century entertainment including music, fire-eating, sword-swallowing, puppet and magic shows, and specialty food.

The two-day event lasts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the market is included in regular estate admission. Check out the itinerary here.

Mount Vernon conservators Katherine Ridgway and Anne Kingery talk about objects that belonged to Martha Washington, such as an ivory fan and seat cushion, in an upcomming C-SPAN 3 show.

It’s not every weekend that you can catch Mount Vernon on television. In a rare, behind-the-scenes show, C-SPAN 3 will showcase the estate’s conservation lab in a 30 minute feature set to appear multiple times this weekend. For a preview, click here.

In the words of C-SPAN 3, the show goes inside “Mount Vernon’s Conservation Lab to hear from conservators who study and preserve the belongings of George and Martha Washington. Featured in [the] program are Martha’s ivory fan, a needlepoint shell cushion from a set she worked on for over 36 years, and red silk fragments from one of her own dresses. Conservators at George Washington’s estate discuss how they authenticate and preserve historic artifacts.’

The show is set to air Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. and Sept. 19 at 2 a.m., 8 a.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST and features Mount Vernon conservators Katherine Ridgway and Anne Kingery.

The episode is only one in a series shot at Mount Vernon this summer. The following weekend Mount Vernon’s collections storage will be the topic of the series’s second show. Check back for more details.

Update: For the full episode, click here.