The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1911-11-18

l # pTUSTSSS. lnOSe VINO go
| the home in which he live
and died wish to see in what he live
J and died! Let one spot in this coul
try be saved from changed"
These words formed the warnin
with which Ann Pamela Cunningham
rounded out her work of saving Noun
Vernon. To achieve success she ha
worked many years, had founded an
carried to success the first woman
association of the kind in the Unite,
States. had subjected herself to pub
Hcity which she detested, and hat
planned and executed much of tn,
task while she lay near to death.
Miss Cunningham was an invalid
bedridden, when she began the move
ment for the salvation Of Washing
tons home. In carrying out the work
she was transported from city to city
on air beds. and once so nearly dead
from pain and exhaustion that her life
was despaired Of by her physician and
friends.
1t was in 1853 that Miss Cunning.
hams mother, on her way from the
north to the family home in South Car
DINA, journeyed down the Potomac
river and passed Mount Vernon. She
saw the home Of Washington by moon
light and noticed that ruin had laid
heavy hand on the place. Already
the roofs OF the mansion and the other
buildings needed repairs, and in the
grounds there were signs of neglect
and disorder,
State and Nation Wouldn't Buy.
This was at time when John Au-
gustine Washington, unable to keep
up the estate which George Washing
ton had farmed with profit, had sought
to have the national government or
the state Of Virginia buy the property
and preserve it as a place Of interest
for succeeding generations. He had
expected to receive S250,O00 for the
buildings and 200 acres of the land.
Both Virginia and the United States
had refused to make the purchase.
Mrs. Cunningham. musing over the
tragedy in the country's indifference
toward the home and grave of it's
father. had this thought:
1t the men Of the United States will |
not save Mount Vernon. why cannot
the women do ft?"
When she repeated this to her |
daughter, then bedridden and suffer
ing greatly. the reply was:
Il will do it,
Miss Cunningham's home was the
center Of brilliant circle. When she
old her friends of her determination
o save Mount Vernon they made COM
nents of two kinds: One was that her
lealth was not such as to allow her to
Undertake the work; the other was in
he form of ridicule, the statement
hat no mere woman could succeed in
UGH a task.
She disregarded the disbursement
nd the laughter and addressed a let !
err to the Women Of America" max
ng 1t an appeal for their united effort
collect enough money to buy and
reserve the neglected home and for
often grave Of Washington. This let t
er, which she had signed "The South
IN Matron," was followed by many {
theirs and all Of them were published
the newspapers of the country. a
To supplement this she got out a
lonthly magazine, the Mount Vernon
ecord, explaining the progress in col t
citing funds and carrying on the c
cvement. She then formed the t
cunt Vernon Ladies' association, b
hich would be perpetual, made up of t
ce-regents and governed by regent, Q
Id charged with the duty of restor-
g Mount Vernon to exactly what it n
I'd been when Washington occu- e
ed It c
Her plan was to raise 100000 to
~ Mount Vernon and the surround II
g 200 acres and then give it to vir- y
MIA to hold as a sacred place forever. d
'terward it was decided to purchase n
e property and have the association 81
yn it and keep it up. Although the u
sponses to the Southern Matron's"
II for help began from the start, the
,rk of organizing such an associa-
N and of getting 100000 was slow v,
d discouraging. But in 1855 the I,
lole country awoke to the bigness Ia
d beauty Of the project. II
All over the country fairs were Civ. dl
and women went to work individu- is
y to collect money. Philadelphia :.
med clubs and set up boxes for p,
ntributions. Everything was going en-
g summer breeze. when suddenly dc
} business men of Philadelphia be- ~,
n to discourage the work by saying MI
" disapproved of women mixing in T.,
bic affairs. Interest Jagged. and 70
frail invalid in South Carolina "a
to muster all her optimism, draw ~
all her mental resources to keep -,
courage and continue the fight 81
t was in 1856 that a severe blow y.
(. A charter had been drawn I'M
the purchase of Mount Vernon nv "s
ladies' association When it was ~
mltted to John Augustine Wash W
ton he declined to sign it. All an
ng he had refused to take the work 'h'
he women seriously To his mind
@ the minds of many other men in
Sc days, women could not swing an
erprise Of that kind.
ut Miss Cunningham did not faIter tai