Archive for the ‘George Washington’ Category

There are several exciting things coming up at Mount Vernon soon, with the first being the launch of our new exhibit “Bringing Them Home” tomorrow. This special exhibition is in the Donald W. Reynolds Museum at Mount Vernon, and brings together for the first time over 150 objects linked to George Washington that the Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been tracking down since the 1850’s. It’s such a special thing to be able to bring these objects back to their home here at Mount Vernon, even if for just a short while. As a sneak peak, the USA Today article about the show also mentions our new traveling exhibition that opens at the Heinz Center in Pittsburgh next week. Don’t worry- we’ll have lots more details for you about that next week, as well as a brand new, absolutely fabulous website that will launch next week as well. Get excited!

As Mount Vernon educators, we spend a lot of time coming up with creative, novel ways to teach about George Washington and his life at Mount Vernon. We do everything from writing elaborate content to dancing around in costume, giving extremely well-researched tours to plowing fields with oxen, providing detailed lesson plans to cooking hoe-cakes over an open fire. So it can sometimes be discouraging when you come across a simply worded and adorably pictured piece in the New York Times that sums up George Washington’s life. Sigh… so cute. The piece by Maura Kalman can be linked to here. Enjoy!

Our very first 3-D animated Mount Vernon website is now live! Ta Da! WashingtonsWorld.org is a website that allows children of all ages to explore Mount Vernon and meet some of the people, such as Dr. Craik and Billy Lee, that lived in Washington’s world. The game Washington’s Treasures is a treasure hunt through the estate that has you looking for clues to find famous objects such as Washington’s spy glass or fan chair. In Harpsichord Hero, you are a colonial rock star playing the harpsichord so the Washingtons and their guests can dance. General Washington gives the orders in Bombarding Yorktown as you aim the cannons at the British forts and frigates during the siege of Yorktown. A Mount Vernon archaeology game and virtual jigsaw puzzles are also available when you beat that final level of Harpsichord Hero (though we’re not quite sure that’s possible- it’s hard!). So leave a comment and let us know what you think about our two new websites!

Through dedication and determination, George Washington accomplished the impossible by leading the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War. On Thursday, October 29th at 1:00 p.m., our panel of historians, including Caroline Cox, William Fowler, Ed Lengel, and Andrew O’Shaughnessy, will explore how Washington’s leadership was instrumental in securing American independence via the distance learning broadcast First in War: George Washington and the American Revolution. Discussion topics on the broadcast will include Washington’s relationship with his generals as well as the common soldier, the British perspective of the war, the turning point at Valley Forge, and the quelling of a rebellion at Newburgh. This program will be broadcast across the nation and available for free by DVD. Check out the Fairfax Network webpage for information about registering or requesting a DVD copy.