About

Mary Ball Washington was born in Lancaster County, Virginia in 1708 and was orphaned as a child. She married Augustine Washington in 1731 and her oldest child, George, was born in 1732. Following the death of her husband in 1743, the young widow raised five children, including George Washington, at Ferry Farm. In 1772, George Washington purchased a three-room cottage for his mother in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Mary Washington resided in the house for the final seventeen-years of her life, dying from breast cancer at the age of eighty in 1789. While living at the Mary Washington House, Mary relied on the skills of her enslaved workers to clean, cook, maintain her livestock and gardens, and nursing her during her final illness. A costumed interpreter leads visitors on a tour of the first floor. Afterwards, guests may tour the second floor, historic kitchen, and gardens at their leisure. Allow time for a visit to the museum store, which carries a selection of gift items, books, and food items, and features many Virginia-made products.