The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon is the presidential library of George Washington, the first president of the United States.[1] Located at Washington's home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, the library was built by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and is privately funded.[1] It is named for the chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation which donated $38 million to the project.[1] The library officially opened September 27, 2013.[1]
Description
The new library is 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2) in a three-story building located on a 15-acre (6.1 ha) plot of land across the street from Mount Vernon's main entrance.[2] The general library contains thousands of books, newspapers, pamphlets, microforms, electronic resources, maps, photographs, and periodicals belonging to Washington.[3] These materials cover a variety of topics including George Washington, Martha Washington, Mount Vernon, the American Revolution, Colonial America, slavery, the Early Republic, and historical preservation.[3] The library's special collections include rare books, documents, letters, farm books, and maps that pertain to Washington, his presidency, and family life.[3] This collection also contains 103 books that once were part of Washington's collection in his home at Mount Vernon.[2] The books are only a small portion of Washington's 900-title and 1,200-volume collection.[2] The rest of this large collection was given to family members or sold in 1848 to bookseller Henry Stevens.[2]
The new library also contains high-tech meeting rooms that will allow for lectures, conferences, and other meetings.[2] The new Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington also has a large oval vault. This vault contains a six-foot (1.8 m) pewter bas relief representation of Washington's bookplate that depicts the Washington family crest.[2] The library is available to researchers and interested scholars of all ages by appointment only; library materials must be used within the building and cannot be checked out.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Solis, Steph (September 3, 2013). "George Washington presidential library to open Sept. 27". USA Today.
- ^ a b c d e f Klein, Christopher (2013). "Mount Vernon Opens New George Washington Presidential Library". History in the Headlines. The History Channel.
- ^ a b c d "Library FAQs". George Washington's Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon Ladies Association. 2014.
External links
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