Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union (MVLA) is a non-profit organization that preserves and maintains the Mount Vernon estate originally owned by the family of George Washington.^[1] The association was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham of South Carolina, and is the oldest national historic preservation organization as well as the oldest patriotic women's society, in the United States.

Cunningham appointed 30 vice regents in the country, with one woman per state, who together raised $200,000 to purchase the property (equivalent to $4.1 million in 2003 dollars).^[2] The MVLA took over operation of the Mount Vernon estate on February 22, 1860, and opened the site as a museum. Through historic preservation of a national symbol, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association hoped to transcend or "heal" the sectional divisions that were deepening over the issue of slavery in the United States. During the American Civil War, the MVLA's restoration efforts were put on hold, but resumed in 1866.

Today, the MVLA continues its original mission, relying solely on private contributions, and is overseen by a board of regents made up of women from 27 states.