Amid concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19, all public events, programs and tours at Washington Crossing Historic Park and all other Pennsylvania state parks have been canceled, effective immediately and lasting through April 30.
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Dr. Matthew Costello, senior historian of the White House Historical Association, will visit Washington Crossing Historic Park (PA). The lecture is free and will be held in the Visitor Center auditorium. Costello will present a free public lecture on his 2019 book, The Property of the Nation: George Washington’s Tomb, Mount Vernon and the Memory of the First President.
Costello’s book explores the evolution of George Washington’s legacy during the early Republic by focusing on his tomb at Mount Vernon. Costello will share:
The efforts to move Washington’s remains elsewhere for political reasons
How the Washington family and enslaved storytellers profited from historical tourism
The creation of Mount Vernon as a “sacred space” ripe for pilgrimage
The process of transforming Washington from a symbol of republicanism into an icon of democracy
The triumph of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, who saved the estate and made themselves the legal guardians of Washington’s legacy