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Located near George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon, the Donal W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center features 23 galleries packed full of artifacts, interactive exhibits, films, and other materials that provide visitors with a profound, comprehensive view into the entire Washington family. Featuring 35,000-square-feet of gallery space, and based on the philanthropy of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, this Museum and Education Center also includes over 700 items in its collection, showcasing personal artifacts, manuscripts, and other items related to Pre- and Post-Revolutionary War life in the colonies and, more specifically, at Mount Vernon.

Statesman Gallery at the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center

Statesman Gallery at the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center

Exhibits and paintings in a typical gallery at the Museum

Exhibits and paintings in a typical gallery at the Museum

The iconic Lansdowne portrait, which led to the founding of the Museum

The iconic Lansdowne portrait, which led to the founding of the Museum

Some artifacts at the museum showcase the quieter side to Washington's life, such as this sketch of a barn that he made

Some artifacts at the museum showcase the quieter side to Washington's life, such as this sketch of a barn that he made

History of the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center

The founding of the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center dates back to 2001, when the chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, Fred W. Smith, read that the famous Lansdowne portrait of Washington was going to auction. To ensure the iconic portrait remained in America, Smith moved quickly and contacted the Smithsonian to buy the painting. A week after the notice of the sale went up, Smith and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation had committed $20 million to buy the painting. 

However, that wasn’t all, as the Foundation contributed $4 million to renovate the National Portrait Gallery (where the portrait was held) and another $6 million so that the painting could tour the United States so that schoolchildren could see it. On top of it all, the Foundation then committed $15 million (later $24 million) to build the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation at Mount Vernon.

In providing the nation, both young and old, a more nuanced and realistic picture of George Washington, the museum and education center filled its gallery halls with not only artifacts, paintings, and other “typical” museum offerings, but also an action adventure movie, various short films produced by the History Channel, and a myriad of other immersive experiences.1

1.) Justin Torres, "Bringing History to Life: The foundation behind the amazing new Mount Vernon." Philanthropy Magazine, Jan/Feb 2007 Issue. Accessed April 15, 2016,