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Washington’s final instructions were nearly ignored in the grief surrounding his death. A legacy-minded group sought to have his remains interred beneath the Capitol rotunda. To aid the cause, then Representative John Marshall secretly obtained congressional permission to have Martha Washington buried beside her husband. Ultimately, Washington’s wish to rest forever at Mount Vernon was respected.

His hopes for a simple funeral were not as successful. The service included a long procession of mourners, a contingent from Washington’s Masonic lodge, a band, and a military honor guard. Martha was given a quieter farewell when she died and was buried next to him in 1802.

Washington’s will stipulated the construction of a new tomb to replace the deteriorating old family structure on the property. When that new vault was completed in 1831, the bodies of George and Martha Washington, along with those of other family members, were moved to their current location.

Touring George Washington’s Tomb at Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, is located sixteen miles south of Washington, D.C. It is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. April through August; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., March, September, and October; and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., November through February. Admission is $15.00 for adults, $14.00 for senior citizens, and $7.00 for children ages six to eleven. Children under six are admitted free. Special rates are available for groups.

From Washington: Take the George Washington Parkway south to Alexandria/Mount Vernon. Follow the parkway past Ronald Reagan National Airport, through Old Town Alexandria. Mount Vernon is eight miles south of Old Town, located at a traffic circle at the end of the parkway.

Mount Vernon is also accessible by bus and, in the summer months, by boat. Several sightseeing services also include Mount Vernon on their tours.

To find Washington’s grave from the west side of the museum, follow the road (marked as “Tomb Road”) directly to the grave.

For additional information

Mount Vernon

P.O. Box 110

Mount Vernon, VA 22121

Phone: (703) 780-2000

www.mountvernon.org

George and Martha Washington’s final resting place

“‘I die hard, but I am not afraid to go,’ Washington informed his doctors.”

—Richard Norton Smith

Millions of tourists pay their respects before the red brick tomb whose construction George Washington had decreed in his will. Few making the trip to Mount Vernon have any idea of the theatrical scene enacted there in December 1799, by one of history’s consummate actors. Taking charge of his treatment for a fatally sore throat, Washington held out his arm to be bled. “Don’t be afraid,” he assured his overseer. Over the next twenty-four hours or so, physicians would drain much of the old hero’s blood supply. Around his neck, they placed flannel soaked in ammonium carbonate, a treatment no more effective than blisters of Spanish fly or vapors of vinegar. Heavy doses of calomel and emetick tartar emptied the patient’s system of everything but the true source of his complaint.

Late on the afternoon of December 14, Washington asked his wife to go to his study and retrieve two wills from a desk there. One document was to be burned, the other preserved in her closet. As twilight fell, the ex-president seemed already to be wearing his death mask. “I find I am going,” he told his secretary, Tobias Lear, adding that he faced the end “with perfect resignation.” As thoughtful as he was organized, several times Washington apologized for the trouble he was causing. Lear, fighting back tears, said he only hoped to alleviate his friend’s suffering.

“Well,” replied Washington, “it is a debt we must pay to each other, and I hope when you want aid of this kind you will find it.”

“I die hard, but I am not afraid to go,” Washington informed his doctors. He felt his own fading pulse. The bedroom clock chimed ten as the dying man summoned his last