Mount Vernon to shut down for major repairs

Mount Vernon‚ George Washingtons famous home is getting ready for a big makeover. Starting 11/1/2024 a large part of the house will be off-limits to visitors for about 8 months. This $30 million project is the biggest repair job since the place was saved from falling apart in the 1860s

The main goal is to fix the houses foundation. Over time‚ the building has gotten loose from its base‚ which isnt good. Workers will use steel beams to hold things up while they put in new oak sills (these are like big wooden beams that connect the house to its foundation). Theyʼre using oak from trees grown at Mount Vernon and some old wood from Ohio

In the basement‚ theyʼre fixing up old stone walls and making it look like it did when Washington lived there. They found some cool stuff while digging around down there - bottles full of old fruit that had been buried and forgotten about for 250 years

Douglas Bradburn‚ who runs Mount Vernon‚ says this work is super important. “Its some of the most important work thats ever been done at Mount Vernon‚“ he said. They want to finish everything by 2026

The house has a long history. It was first built for Washingtons dad back in 1734. George took it over in 1761 and made it much bigger. Sadly‚ after he died in 1799 the place started falling apart. A group called the Mount Vernon Ladies Association saved it in 1860 and they still take care of it today

Even though a big part of the house will be closed visitors can still see:
- The grounds
- Washingtons tomb
- Quarters where enslaved people lived
- Other buildings around the property

Mount Vernon gets about a million visitors every year‚ and even more check it out online. This big repair job will help make sure people can keep visiting for many years to come