Mount Vernon is Ours: The Story of Its Preservation

From dust jacket notes: "...This is the amazing story of the rescue of Mount Vernon from near ruin. It is also the story of an unknown American heroine, Ann Pamela Cunningham, the extraordinary founder of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. There was a time when the great Potomac River plantation of George Washington was in a shocking state of disrepair. Washington's devoted biographer, Elswyth Thane, now records for posterity the remarkable story of the house's preservation, set in a period that was one of the most turbulent in American history. How Mount Vernon survived the Civil War, even though it stood in no man's land between the opposing forces, is part of the drama, as are the fascinating human beings and incidents that all contribute to this account of its restoration. Today, Mount Vernon, beautifully preserved and highly esteemed, is visited by more than a million people a year. The story of its yesterdays is living, exciting history."