The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington is a resource for scholars, students, and all those interested in George Washington, colonial America, and the Revolutionary and founding eras.
The library at Mount Vernon is a work of art, comprising of beautiful, sophisticated areas in which scholars (and the rest of us) can conduct research using the actual papers of George Washington. Most of our 35 hours of professional development (administered by 25 scholars from many places) were spent inside these halls.
| I was privileged to be among a small group who visited the "vault" where documents and volumes are housed under high security and environmental control. Inside the vault, six documents were displayed before us, one from as early as 1754 from George Washington to Governor George Dinwiddie (pictured far right, bottom). | |
Another "inner" part of the vault was only visible from the doorway. In this wooden-shelved room, surrounding a relief of Washington's family crest, lies the library of George Washington. In the center of this is displayed a book containing the text of the Constitution, complete with notes and underlinings by our first president himself. The book was acquired at auction by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association at roughly the same time as the library was built. The book on display isn't even the original; it is a replica. It seems the original is kept out of sight due to its immense rarity and value.
