Huzzah!
On Monday's excursion to the Harry Truman Library and Museum to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Mount Vernon's own presidential library devoted to the study of George Washington, I had the opportunity to play presidential trivia for prizes. Questions focused on George Washington and Harry Truman.
The high score in the room was 19.5 points. Yours Truly came in second with 19! That meant I earned second choice from the prize tables. Who knew I was so intelligent!
The most valuable prize? A bottle of whiskey distilled, bottled, and aged in George Washington's distillery at Mount Vernon, priced around $200 if one is to purchase it at Mount Vernon. Certainly a valuable prize, but before anyone asks, while I can certainly appreciate the design of the label, and while the chemistry of the distilling process intrigues me, I do not drink, and no, I did not choose it as my prize (Neither did the first trivia winner.).
On Monday's excursion to the Harry Truman Library and Museum to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Mount Vernon's own presidential library devoted to the study of George Washington, I had the opportunity to play presidential trivia for prizes. Questions focused on George Washington and Harry Truman.
The high score in the room was 19.5 points. Yours Truly came in second with 19! That meant I earned second choice from the prize tables. Who knew I was so intelligent!
The most valuable prize? A bottle of whiskey distilled, bottled, and aged in George Washington's distillery at Mount Vernon, priced around $200 if one is to purchase it at Mount Vernon. Certainly a valuable prize, but before anyone asks, while I can certainly appreciate the design of the label, and while the chemistry of the distilling process intrigues me, I do not drink, and no, I did not choose it as my prize (Neither did the first trivia winner.).
The Acts of Congress holds a prominent place in the library vault. Instead, my eye was on another item - a replica copy of the most valuable book owned by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association (MVLA). Since I was a guest in honor of the library's anniversary, this was a more appropriate prize. The book, you see, was purchased during the same year as the library's opening. While the MVLA had already raised the $106.4 million to build the 45,000-square-foot building to house its collection of books and manuscripts, as well as provide a venue for study, they also wanted to acquire this volume.
So they raised an additional $10 million and sent a representative to the auction. At the $8.7 million bid, a record was already broken. It would now be the most expensive American book every sold. At $9.8 million, it far surpassed the previous record.
So they raised an additional $10 million and sent a representative to the auction. At the $8.7 million bid, a record was already broken. It would now be the most expensive American book every sold. At $9.8 million, it far surpassed the previous record.
| The book of which I now own a copy is the Acts of Congress, including the United States Constitution and Bill or Rights as they were ratified by the first congress of the United States of America. This particular copy was gifted to Washington and existed in his library for a period before many of his personal papers were dispersed to others. The video (right) explains why the original book is so valued to the Washington Presidential Library. | |
I also came home with a second book prize, this one provided by the Truman Library. This book contains images and explanations from the National Archives. Some of the images even fold out into pages that double in size. They are some of the most important and most interesting items in the National Archives collection.
I'll enjoy pondering its pages, from government documents to the lunar module.
Both books (three actually) will remind me of my experience in Independence on the fifth anniversary of George Washington's library, ultimately because of my initial acceptance and invitation to join the Teachers Institute Summer Residency at Mount Vernon, last month.
I'll enjoy pondering its pages, from government documents to the lunar module.
Both books (three actually) will remind me of my experience in Independence on the fifth anniversary of George Washington's library, ultimately because of my initial acceptance and invitation to join the Teachers Institute Summer Residency at Mount Vernon, last month.
