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2018-05-12T05:14:17+00:00

Gunston Hall Shop

The Gunston Hall online shop is temporarily unavailable. We expect to have it running again in late Fall 2018. Until then, visit us in person or contact us in the shop at 703-550-9220.

Summer Saturdays

2016-07-08T03:26:05+00:00

Summer Saturdays

Lazy summer? Hardly!

Kids and the young at heart should visit Gunston Hall every Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in June, July, and August for unique, hands-on adventures. No RSVP required. Included with admission.

This year's themes to be announced.

June 1	June 8	June 15 Declaration Day	June 22	June 29
July 6	July 13	July 20	July 27
August 3	August 10	August 17	August 24	August 31

Symposium

2015-10-22T02:56:07+00:00

The Architecture of Democracy
November 5, 2015

How does the built environment contribute to or detract from our democracy? And what ideas and historical events shaped our founders’ ideas of democracy? Gunston Hall’s upcoming symposium “The Architecture of Democracy” will look both figuratively and literally at some of the ways we have constructed our unique government.

Click here to register.
$95 for non-members
$75 for members
Registration fee includes morning snacks, lunch, speaking program, a visit to the mansion, and reception.

Program:

9:00 a.m.
Registration Opens

9:30 a.m.
Welcome
Scott M. Stroh, III, Executive Director, Gunston Hall

9:45 a.m.
Speaking Program
Denver Brunsman, George Washington University
"Subjects to Citizens: The Birth of America's Democratic Experiment"

Louis Nelson, University of Virginia
“Architectures of West African Enslavement”

Ryan K. Smith, Virginia Commonwealth University
"Robert Morris's Folly, or, The Place of the Palace in the Early American Republic"

Courtney Speckmann, White House Historical Association
"The White House as 'The People's House'"

4:30 p.m.
Reception

Location:

Gunston Hall Visitor Center
10709 Gunston Road, Mason Neck, VA 22079

Speaker bios:

Denver Brunsman is Associate Professor of History at George Washington University, where he writes and teaches on the politics and social history of the American Revolution, early American republic, and British Atlantic world. His courses include “George Washington and His World,” taught annually at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. He completed his MA and Ph.D. degrees at Princeton University and his BA at St. Olaf College. His book, The Evil Necessity: British Naval Impressment in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World (2013), received the Walker Cowen Memorial Prize for an outstanding work in eighteenth-century studies in the Americas and Atlantic world. He is also a coauthor of the leading college textbook, Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People (2015), as well as an editor of The American Revolution Reader (2013) and Colonial America: Essays in Politics and Social Development (2011), among other works.

Louis Nelson is an Associate Professor of Architectural History, the Associate Dean for Research and International Programs in the School of Architecture, and the Director of the Program in Historic Preservation. He is a specialist in the built environments of American colonial architecture and the architectures and landscapes of the early modern Atlantic world. One of Nelson's recent publications, an article Buildings and Landscapes on "Architectures of West African Enslavement," won the 2015 Bishir Prize for Excellence in Vernacular Architecture and Cultural Landscapes.

Ryan K. Smith has been on the faculty of the Department of History at VCU since 2004, where he is an Associate Professor and also Director of Graduate Studies. Previously, he worked at the Library of Virginia, the Winterthur Museum, and other public history sites. Smith received his Ph.D. in American Civilization from the University of Delaware in 2002, and an M.A. in American history from the College of William and Mary in 1998. He specializes in American material culture and religious history. His most recent book was published in 2014 by Yale University Press as Robert Morris's Folly: The Architectural and Financial Failures of an American Founder.

Courtney Speckmann is the Director of Education at the White House Historical Association, where she has worked for seven years. A graduate of the George Washington University Museum Education Program, Speckmann has also worked at the National Cathedral and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. She has contributed to programs, publications, and exhibitions for visitors and learners of all ages.

Release: AAM Accreditation

2015-08-05T01:57:21+00:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact: David DuVal
703-550-9220
david.duval@gunstonhall.org

Gunston Hall Receives Highest National Recognition
Awarded Re-Accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums

MASON NECK, VA, July 27, 2015 – Gunston Hall has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for a museum. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. Gunston Hall has been accredited since 1988. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review every ten years to maintain accredited status.

AAM Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for nearly 45 years, AAM’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable in order to provide the best possible service to the public.

Of the nation’s nearly 17,500 museums over 1000 are currently accredited. Gunston Hall is one of 59 museums accredited in Virginia.

“Gunston Hall is honored to have been awarded subsequent accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums. I could not be more proud of our Board of Regents, our staff, and our volunteers for their tremendous effort and passionate commitment to meeting all the requirements necessary to be recognized in this fashion,” said Scott Stroh, Gunston Hall’s Executive Director.

Accreditation is a very rigorous but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, a panel of seven museum professionals, consider the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.

“By virtue of being awarded accreditation, Gunston Hall has been recognized as a national leader in the museum field. This professional recognition will enhance our reputation, facilitate partnerships, increase our credibility, and inspire engagement as we strive to fulfill our mission, build audience, garner support, and provide maximum value to those we are proud to serve,” shared Stroh.

Gunston Hall is an educational agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia governed by a Board of Regents comprised of members of The National Society of Colonial Dames of America. As the 18th-century home of George Mason, Gunston Hall is committed to stimulating the continuing public exploration of democratic ideals as first presented by Mason in the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights. Gunston Hall features daily guided tours, an active archaeology site, and special events offered throughout the year. For more information, call 703-550-9220 or visit www.gunstonhall.org.

The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 18,000 individual, 3,000 institutional and 300 corporate members, the Alliance is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

# # #

Grapevine

2013-01-24T23:16:07+00:00

Summer 2016 (pdf)
Winter 2016 (pdf)
Fall 2016 (pdf)
Summer 2016 (pdf)
Spring 2015 (pdf)
Fall 2014 (pdf)
Spring 2014 (pdf)
Winter 2014 (pdf)
Fall 2013 (pdf)
Summer 2013 (pdf)
Spring 2013 (pdf)
Autumn 2012 (pdf)
Summer 2012 (pdf)
Spring 2012 (pdf)
Winter 2012 (pdf)

Internet Resources

2013-01-24T03:16:25+00:00

Architect-Designed Furniture in Eighteenth-Century Virginia: The Work of William Buckland and William Bernard Sears
by Luke Beckerdite. Originally published in American Furniture (Milwaukee, WI: Chipstone Foundation, 1994) 29-48.

Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress. Includes a detailed architectural history, photographs and architectural drawings from a survey done in 1981.

"The Greatest American Who Was Never President," by John Silveira. Backwoods Home Magazine. Issue 60 (1999).

Chronology

2013-01-23T21:42:11+00:00

content

Louis Hertle

2013-01-17T02:48:24+00:00

Louis Hertle was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 12, 1860. His German-born parents came to America in 1850 seeking a better life. Very little is known about his family in those early years, except that his father soon set himself up in a business. When Louis was about six years old, tragedy struck as his mother died, leaving his elder sister to care for him and two other brothers.

Louis was given little formal education but was an exceptionally bright young man. At the age of thirteen, he became employed in the hardware business in Cincinnati and then moved to Chicago. In 1887, Hertle captured the attention of Marshall Field, Sr., of Marshall Field and Company, who employed him to manage his rapidly growing hardware department. Over the years, Hertle's strong business acumen brought him success and increased responsibilities, but in 1910, he retired in order to care for his invalid wife, the former Miss Ada Turnbull of Illinois, whom he had married in 1887.

After the death of his wife, Hertle began his search for a farm or property to occupy his time and energies and in 1912 he acquired Gunston Hall. After the Civil War, the house had fallen into serious disrepair, and various additions had changed its character and appearance. Although the mansion was maintained during the time it was owned by Edward Daniels (between 1868-1891) and Joseph Specht (between 1891-1907), real restoration work was not undertaken until Mr. Hertle came into possession of Gunston Hall. He enlisted the services of an eminent Washington architect, Mr. Glenn Brown, to advise him in the restoration process, during which time a large crew of workers lived and worked at the house.

In 1914, Hertle married Miss Eleanor Daughaday of Chicago, a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America. The Hertles lovingly and painstakingly began to re-establish the dignity, beauty and splendor of Gunston Hall and its gardens. Gradually both house and gardens returned to their former charm and glory, becoming in the 1920's a gathering place for diplomats, statesmen and leaders in business, finance and the arts.

Mrs. Hertle died on June 5, 1929 and services were held in the Chapel at Rose Hill Cemetery in Chicago. In 1932, Hertle wrote a Deed of Gift bestowing Gunston Hall to the Commonwealth of Virginia upon his death. He intended the property to remain a national memorial to George Mason, the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights.

Louis Hertle died in September 1949 at the age of eighty-nine, leaving no children. He is buried in Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago alongside his beloved wife, Ella Hertle. Funeral services were held at Pohick Church where he was remembered not only for his remarkable achievement for restoring Gunston Hall, but also for his ability to have carved out a life of distinction from his humble beginnings to accomplish an individual standing enjoyed by few men.

Sources:

Hertle, Louis."The Recollections of Louis Hertle". 1912-1934
McCoy, Charles S. "Personal Recollections of Louis Hertle" Sept. 30, 1950
"Louis Hertle Dies; Owned Gunston Hall." The Washington Post, Sunday Sept. 18, 1949.
"Mrs. Ella Hertle Dies at Her Home." The Washington Post (1877-1954); June 6, 1929; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The Washington Post : page 20

What You'll Find at Gunston Hall

2013-01-16T09:17:22+00:00

What You'll Find at Gunston Hall

Visitors' Center

A visit to Gunston Hall begins in the Visitor Center with an exploration of the center's exhibits which highlight details of George Mason's civic career and the lasting influences of his most famous document, The Virginia Declaration of Rights. Exhibits also focus on facets of his personal life as well as aspects of 18th-century plantation life.

Outbuildings

Just to the east of the house is a group of reconstructed buildings including a kitchen, dairy, smokehouse, and laundry. They surround a well that resides on its original 18th century foundation. These buildings replicate what were the typical support buildings for an 18th century plantation household. They are self-guided and there is also an interpretive area for the slave housing.

Grounds

Stroll through the central boxwood allée believed to have been planted during George Mason's residence. Enjoy the view of the Potomac River from Mason's garden overlook, or take a peaceful hike down to the banks of the river. A short distance from the house is the Mason family graveyard. During the warm weather months, archaeologists can often be found on the grounds discovering more information about Mason's plantation.

Museum Shop

No visit to Gunston Hall is complete without a stop at the Museum Shop. Here one can find books and other printed materials about George Mason, Gunston Hall, and 18th century life as well as a variety of unique gift items.

Directions

2013-01-16T09:11:38+00:00

Directions

Address: Gunston Hall, 10709 Gunston Road, Mason Neck, VA 22079

Traveling From Richmond, Fredericksburg, and other points South

From Interstate 95 take Exit #161 onto Route 1 North. Turn right at the first light onto Gunston Road (SR 242). The Gunston Hall entrance is 3.5 miles on the left.

Traveling From Washington, Baltimore, and other points North

From Interstate 95 take Exit #163. Turn left onto Lorton Road. Turn right at the third light onto Lorton Market Street. Lorton Market Street becomes Gunston Cove Road, and after crossing Richmond Highway (Route 1) it becomes Gunston Road. The Gunston Hall entrance is 3.5 miles on the left.

From Mount Vernon via the George Washington Parkway

From the Mount Vernon entrance continue South on 235. Turn left on Route 1 and continue South for 5.4 miles. Turn left onto Gunston Road (SR 242). The Gunston Hall entrance is 3.5 miles on the left.

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Visit Gunston Hall

Shop

Gunston Hall Shop

Summer Saturdays

Summer Saturdays

Symposium

The Architecture of DemocracyNovember 5, 2015

Release: AAM Accreditation

Grapevine

Internet Resources

Chronology

Louis Hertle

What You'll Find at Gunston Hall

What You'll Find at Gunston Hall

Visitors' Center

Outbuildings

Grounds

Museum Shop

Directions

Directions

The Architecture of Democracy
November 5, 2015