Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
PO Box 3600Mount Vernon, VA 22121
Telephone: 703-799-3600
URL: https://archives.mountvernon.org
Rebecca Baird, archivist, and Milan Cook, intern
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use
Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.
Conditions Governing Access
Oral history recordings of the Regents or Vice Regents and the 
President 
CEO (previously the Resident Director or Executive Director) are restricted for 30 years per the Association's policy. Other
interviews are open to research, except in cases where the subject has indicated a preference for a wait period before release.
Until the recordings are digitized, the transcriptions (when available) will remain the best way to access an interview. The
library reserves the right to restrict access to physical media for preservation purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Name and date of item], Oral Histories of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, The George Washington Presidential Library [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Biographical / Historical
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham. The purpose of the Association
was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to visitors
and admirers who desired to see Washington's house and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of
Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, saw the house in its neglected and dilapidated state
and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two women of like mind together to raise money
to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by
Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at
the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia
or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858 he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham
and the MVLA for $200,000.
The MVLA is the owner and executive board of Mount Vernon. Membership is made up of one Regent and 20-30 Vice Regents, each
from a different state. All MVLA members assemble twice a year in April and October for Council, where they hear motions and
reports concerning projects or issues at the estate. The Vice Regents also divide into committees focused on different functions
and operations, and rotate members every few years. Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first
organization dedicated to historic preservation in the United States, and as innovators in the field of preservation. The
Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of Mount Vernon, and educating people all over the
world about George Washington's life and legacy. Mount Vernon is open to visitors 365 days a year. The estate now consists
of not only the Mansion and tomb of Washington, but restored gardens, outbuildings, Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum
and orientation center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, food pavilion, and the Mount
Vernon Inn restaurant.
Scope and Contents
The oral histories collected by the MVLA and the Washington Library include personal memories and reminiscences of previous Regents, Vice Regents, and Mount Vernon employees. Much of the collection was recorded during the 2000s-2010s by staff members Sandra Robinette and Mary Thompson. This collection grows and accrues more recordings every year as other long-term employees and Board members contribute their stories. Mount Vernon's oral histories were often recorded via audio tape, some of which were then transferred to CD. The most recent interviews were digitally recorded and are only accessible in that format, or via the transcriptions. The date range of this collection is 1983-2021, but it is consistently updated.
Arrangement
The collection is described alphabetically by last name. Transcriptions are also arranged alphabetically. Physical media, audio cassettes and CDs, are arranged in separate boxes according to format.
Box 1 – Audio cassette recordings Box 2 – Compact disc recordings Box 3-4 – Transcriptions (alphabetical)
Related Material
- Audio/Visual Collection of the MVLA - Papers of the MVLA - Publications and Printed Material of the MVLA - Papers of the Superintendent and Resident Director - Papers of James Rees
Significant Persons Associated With the Collection
- Bishop, Mabel Livingstone, 1925-2007
- Bolton, Mary Peters
- Call, Nancy Banning
- Collins, Mary Call Darby, 1911-2009
- Dawson, Kenneth
- Embrey, Ernest "Lee", Jr.
- Funderburk, Charles F.
- Guy, Frances Claiborne, 1921-2016
- Hagner, Adlumia Sterrett, 1916-2007
- Hanks, Mary Esther Vilas, 1873-1959
- Keeler, Sue
- Lee, Jane Carew, 1931-2019
- Macomber, Walter
- Malissa, Dean
- Newman, Eleanor Tarrant, 1934-2017
- Norton, Dean
- Rees, James C., 1952-2014
- Seamans, Eugenia Merrill, 1922-2010
- Viebranz, Curt
- Wall, Charles Cecil, 1903-1995
- Walton, Ellen Carroll
- West, Gail Berry, 1942-
- Williams, Priscilla de Forest
Container List
Interview of Mary Peters Bolton on January 24th and January 25th in 2007. Interviewed by Sandra Robinette. Includes 2 transcripts, 2 CDs, 1 CD transcript, 2 cassettes, and photographs.
Interview of Nancy Morse Banning Call, Vice Regent for California, 1984-2001, on February 26, 2008. Interviewed by Sandra Robinette. Includes 3 transcripts, 2 cassette tapes, and 1 transcript CD.
Interview of Mary Call Collins, Vice Regent of Florida, 1961-1982. Interviewed by Kathi Ann Brown on November 17, 2005. Includes transcript.
Oral history of Kenny Dawson, Mount Vernon security officer, August 23, 2019. Interviewed by Mary Thompson. Digital recording available upon request.
Interview of Reba Dodd who worked at Mount Vernon for 38 years. Interviewed by Mary Thompson on September 18, 2001. Includes transcript and cassette tape.
Interview of Lee Embrey on September 29, 2011. Includes 2 CDs.
Interview with Charles Funderburk who worked on the house staff for 48 years. Interviewed by Mary Thompson on July 31, 2000. Includes transcript and cassette tape.
Interview with Frances Claiborne Guy, past Regent (1976-1982) and Vice Regent for Virginia (1963-1995), elected Vice Regent Emerita 1995. Interviewed by Sandra Robinette on August 28th and 29th in 2006. Includes 3 transcripts, 3 cassette tapes, and 2 CDs.
Interview of Adlumia (Lummy) Hagner, Vice Regent for D.C. Interviewed on October 20, 2000. Includes 2 cassette tapes.
2 CDs titled Remembrances of Mary Esther Vilas Hanks, Regent 1943-1948.
Interview with 4 Regents including Ellen Walton, Carew R. Lee, Mabel L. Bishop, Eugenia M. Seamans. Interviewed by Mary Thompson on February 27, 2003. Includes 1 transcript, 3 cassette tapes, and 1 CD.
Interview with Eddie Kearns at his retirement after 43 years at Mount Vernon. Interviewed by Mary Thompson. Includes transcript and cassette tape.
Interview with Sue Keeler, interpreter and guide at Mount Vernon for many years, on May 12, 2015. Interviewed by Mark Santangelo. Includes transcript and CD.
Interview of Walter Macomber, restoration architect, in 1983 and 1984. Interviewed by Kit Young. Includes transcript and 2 CDs.
Oral history recording of Dean Malissa, employee and George Washington character interpreter. Interviewed by Mary Thompson, Research Historian, October 30, 2020. Recorded using StreamYard online service. Audio only and video both available. Contact library staff for a link to the recording.
Interview with James (Jim) McVee on June 27, 2000 before his retirement after working at Mount Vernon for 50 years. Interviewed by Mary Thompson. Includes transcript and cassette tape.
Oral history recording of Julia Mosley, Director of Retail and Licensing at Mount Vernon. Recorded via StreamYard online service. Interviewed by Mary Thompson, Research Historian, September 30, 2020. Audio only and video recording available. Contact library staff for a link to the recording.
Interview of Eleanor Tarrant Newman, Vice Regent for Kentucky from 1985 to 2000. Interviewed by Sandra Robinette. Includes transcript, 2 cassette tapes, and 1 CD transcript.
Oral history recording with Dean Norton, Mount Vernon Director of Horticulture. Interviewed by Mary Thompson, Research Historian, October 7, 2020. Recorded via StreamYard online service. Audio only and/or video available. Contact library staff for a link to the recording.
Interview of Gerald Pettit, who worked as a night guard and in the Security Department, on June 19, 2006. This CD is labeled CD#2 and only includes a portion of the interview, approximately 15 minutes long. The rest of the recorded interview is currently missing. Digital copy of the recording available on request.
Interview with Eugenia Merrill Seamans, Vice Regent for Massachusetts, 1975-1993, Regent 1986-1990, and Elected Vice Regent Emerita 1993, with her husband Dr. Robert Channing Seamans. Interviewed by Sandra Robinette on September 14th and 15th in 2006. Includes 3 transcripts, 2 cassette tapes, 1 CD, and 1 floppy disk.
Interviewed by Mark Santangelo. Digital recording available on request.
Interview of Charles C. Wall, Resident Director of Mount Vernon and employee for over 40 years. Interviewed on October 8, 1987 by Dennis Pogue. Includes transcript and 3 CDs.
Interview with Ellen Carroll Walton, Vice Regent for Pennsylvania, 1991-2007, on July 8th and 9th in 2009. Interviewed by Sandra Robinette. Includes transcript, 2 cassettes, 1 microcassette, and 1 CD.
Interviewed by Rebecca Baird. Digital recording available on request.
Interview of Linda Robey Westby regarding summers at Mount Vernon in the late 1940s and 1950s. Interviewed by Mary Thompson on August 27, 2003. Includes transcript of interview.
Interview of Priscilla Williams, Vice Regent for New York, 1975-1994. Interviewed on August 17, 2000. Includes cassette tape.