Just in time for the nation’s 250th birthday, an immersive new exhibit that includes household objects owned by the first president will open inside a fully reimagined education center at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
A ribbon cutting for the $20 million transformation — touted by Mount Vernon officials as a “birthday gift to America” — is slated for today (June 11).
The new exhibit, “George Washington: A Revolutionary Life,” features interactive simulations placing the viewer inside four challenging situations Washington faced as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and as president, and rare objects, such as the camp bed Washington used during the American Revolution.
According to Mount Vernon officials, the exhibit will include the most items from George and Martha Washington ever on display, including pieces from the first presidential porcelain service, the swivel chair Washington used as president, and even his dentures.
While in the popular imagination the first president wore a set made of wood, in reality, the dentures were made with a lead base and a combination of human teeth and animal bone.
Other items on display will include a 1757 letter from Washington, a silver replica of his casket, a memorial locket containing locks of his hair, and fragments of the outer layer of his original coffin. (The leaden inner casket containing the first president’s remains was moved to a tomb at Mount Vernon in 1837.)
Interactive elements in the new, 21,000-square-foot education center will include a 4D theater, media installations where visitors can listen to dramatized conversations from the founding era, and hands-on activities for children.
“The new Education Center builds on a series of major investments at Mount Vernon, including the $40 million Mansion Revitalization Project and ongoing enhancements to the estate’s historic gardens and grounds,” George Washington’s Mount Vernon leaders said in a press release. “Together, these efforts ensure that Mount Vernon remains the premier destination for understanding the American founding, along with the character and leadership of George Washington.”
The exhibit comes at a time when celebrations for the nation’s 250th birthday are ramping up locally.
This weekend, George Mason’s Gunston Hall will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Virginia Declaration of Rights, which promoted the idea that “all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights.” The document is widely viewed to be a direct influence on the Declaration of Independence.
“George and Martha Washington” will also visit the Town of Vienna this weekend during a colonial faire celebrating Flag Day.
