The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-03-23
Mt. Vernon.

In view OIL the slNe' a
abou, TO be made in Richmond LOT thc nehe.
6t Of the "Mt. Vernon Ladies Associatlon'
the nub,ication of the following facts In re-
f.ronce 70 its present condition and status is
deemed appropriat,. On the 9th day OF Aprl',
1919 Miss A. p. CuNsINGHAN, of South Caro-
lima. and the late j ,HN AUGUSTINE WASHING
TON, signed contracts for the purchase Of Dit.
Vernon. which included the mansion, It's
curtilage, and two hundred acres OF
land. 1t was bought, is paid for,
and secured by deed and held IN
the name of the "Mt. Vernon Ladies' Asso'
citation of the Unj9n," which Association
consists of Regeis, aud one lady from each
State chosen by the Regent and confirmed oy
the council at its next succeeding yearly
meeting. A clause in their charter, which
was granted by the Legislature OF virginia
reads thus:
1.-THE property purchased by the Assocla'
lion shall be forever held by it sacred to the
Father Of his Country; and, If from any
cause, the said Association shall cease to en-
ist, then the property owned by said Asso-
citation shall revert to the Commonwealth OF
Virginia, sacred to the purposes for which 1t
was originally purchased"
At the time of the purchase the mansion
and several of the adjoining buildings were
newly rooted, the portico on river front re-
built. new dock built where the landing
originally stood; all the fences near the
mansion and their brick foundations were
built anew.
The war then came on, and not only sus-
pension of all improvements for four years
was the consequence, but devastation and
ruin, the dire impress Of war, were left on
this sacred spot too. But since the war an
appropriation of few thousand dollars by
Congress has rebuilt the greenhouse, re-
placed in the mansion decayed timbers, floors,
ceilings, the tower stairs, and in some OF the
rooms the entire walls, the roads, walks, and
grounds have been put in order and i'm
proved, and the mansion is at all times open
to visitors.
But the Association is without any certain
or sufficient income, for when the purchase
was made there was no endowment fund
collected or created. The fund realized
from Mr. EvERETr's lecture, and other con-
tributions made at the time by the people OF
the United States, were absorbed in the pur-
chase itself and the improvements made at
the time of the purchase and Dit. Vernon
has been sustained by taxing the visitors
TWENTY-FIVE cents each-and this amount,
although included in fare on the steamer,
is obnoxious to the people, aud will be
wholly dispensed with when the endowment
is obtained. This charge, with rent of dock
and small sales of flowers on the premises,
constitute its revenues-a very uncertain
and insufficient income.
There are now two special objects to
which the ladies are givin 6 their efforts and
energies: One is the creation Of an endow-
ment fund, and the other is to carry out the
suggestion contained in the following ex-
tract from Judge TuoaAs's report to the
Legislature of Virginia:
cit has been suggested by the Association
that each Of the original thirteen States take
upon itself the work Of furnishing one OF
the rooms of the mansion with furniture OF
antique style, and, if possible, with relics
of Washington himself. Some of the States
have already acted upon this suggestion, and
should this noble design be carried into
effect by the Association, the Board would
recommend that Virginia, his birthplace
and home, should be among the first to col.
lect her relics with which 10 adorn the apart.
,nept assigned to her in the sacred mansion
of her great and immortal Washington"
TO carry into effect on the part of Vir-
ginia this resolve of the council, so beauti-
fully and happily expressed by Judge
THOMAS, we understand that an address will
be delivered in this city on the goth of this
month by j. MORTIMER KILGoUR, Esq, of
Loudoun-a gentlemen Of fine genius and
brilliant speaker.