Get to Know Their Stories
Spend the day at Mount Vernon exploring the lives and loss of enslaved couples Boatswain and Myrtilla and Hercules and Alice through a special guided tour and family activity.
Both enslaved families featured during this event suffered the loss of a loved one. Although a footnote to the farm management documents, the loss of young Boatswain, a son and brother, and of Alice, a mother and wife, transformed the lives of many who knew and loved them.
Special Tour, Activity, and Commemoration
A special tour, self-guided map, a family activity, and Slave Burial Ground Commemoration will all honor their lives, share their loves, and mark their loss.
Special tours will be available at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (free tour ticket required).
The commemoration at cemetery will be held at 11:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.
Connections with the Past
We invite participants to bring their own family stories of love and loss that connect them to the past.
Lives, Loves, and Loss
Remembering the Enslaved People of Mount Vernon
Online Exhibit: "Lives Bound Together"
Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon explores the personal stories of the people enslaved at Mount Vernon while providing insight into George Washington’s evolving opposition to slavery.