Photo courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
The ribbon-cutting ceremony featured remarks from Anne “Dede” Neal Petri, Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association; Carly Fiorina, Virginia 250 Commission Honorary National Chair; and Doug Bradburn, Mount Vernon President and CEO.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon today unveiled its new Education Center, the landmark exhibition George Washington: A Revolutionary Life, celebrating the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by hundreds of donors, elected officials, civic leaders, descendants connected to Mount Vernon’s history, media representatives, educators, and visitors from across the region and nation.
The opening marks a major milestone in the lead-up to America’s 250th anniversary and represents a $20 million investment in civic education and public history. The transformed Education Center features nine galleries, six immersive media experiences, rare artifacts, original documents, hands-on learning spaces, and the most comprehensive exhibition ever created about the life and legacy of George Washington.
Among those attending the celebration were Fairfax County Supervisor Dan Storck, Virginia Senator Scott Surovell, Delegate Paul Krizek, representatives connected to Mount Vernon’s history including Sheila B. Coates, founder and president of Black Women United for Action (BWUFA).
The ribbon-cutting ceremony featured remarks from Anne “Dede” Neal Petri, Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association; Carly Fiorina, Virginia 250 Commission Honorary National Chair; and Doug Bradburn, Mount Vernon President and CEO.
“This new Education Center is Mount Vernon’s gift to America as we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary,” said Anne Neal Petri. “We take our educational mission seriously, and this exhibition helps visitors see George Washington as a leader, a citizen, and a human being whose decisions continue to shape our nation. We hope people leave with new knowledge, a deeper understanding of our history, and a greater appreciation for the ideals that define America.”
The new exhibition presents a fresh and expansive interpretation of Washington’s life, incorporating the latest historical scholarship and exploring his experiences as a surveyor, military leader, farmer, president, and citizen. Visitors encounter Washington’s triumphs and failures, his evolving views on slavery, his role in advancing religious liberty, and his enduring influence on the American experiment.
“George Washington was the indispensable leader of a revolutionary age,” said Carly Fiorina. “This exhibition helps tell the full American story while educating and engaging visitors from every background. As we commemorate our nation’s founding, places like Mount Vernon play a vital role in helping Americans understand the ideas, people, and sacrifices that shaped our country and continue to inspire civic renewal today.”
The new Education Center replaces the previous exhibition, which opened in 2006, and reflects significant advances in technology, visitor experience design, and historical research. Through immersive storytelling, authentic artifacts, interactive experiences, and original documents, the exhibition connects visitors directly to Washington’s world while demonstrating the continued relevance of his leadership today.
“We set out to create the most complete and up-to-date exhibition on George Washington anywhere in the world,” said Doug Bradburn. “By combining extraordinary artifacts, groundbreaking scholarship, immersive experiences, and the latest technology, visitors can explore Washington’s life in ways that simply were not possible before. Most importantly, the exhibition helps people understand not only who Washington was, but why his ideas, leadership, and example still matter today.”
Among the exhibition’s highlights are George Washington’s Revolutionary War camp bed, the only complete surviving set of his dentures, archaeological discoveries unearthed during the Mansion Revitalization Project, artifacts connected to the lives of enslaved people at Mount Vernon, objects from Washington’s presidential households, and rare founding-era documents, including an early ratification copy of the U.S. Constitution.
The opening of the Education Center builds upon Mount Vernon’s recent $40 million Mansion Revitalization Project and other major investments across the estate. Together, these projects strengthen Mount Vernon’s role as the nation’s premier destination for exploring the life, leadership, and legacy of George Washington.
Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States. The estate is open to visitors and includes the Mansion, a museum and education center, gardens, tombs, a working farm, a functioning distillery, and a gristmill, as well as the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. Learn more at www.mountvernon.org.
