it would have been farther north than its current location). Tourists are able to go in the Mary Washington House Gift Shop, which is believed to have originally been a dining room from a period of the late 18th century when it was used as a boys' school, due to its proximity to where the original kitchen would have been. Preservation In 1891, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities acquired the house, which was scheduled to be disassembled for travel to the Chicago World's Fair for display. It was their second property acquisition, and the location where the Fredericksburg Branch was chartered. The house underwent a restoration and was opened to the public for tours. The APVA recovered 8 objects original to the house, including a mirror Mary Washington once labeled her "best dressing glass". By the later Twentieth Century, APVA had become Preservation Virginia and that organization signed an agreement with the newly created and Fredericksburg-based "Washington Heritage Museums" group, to cede ownership of the property to the later group by 2013. The site is a landmark in that City. References External links Washington Heritage Museums Preservation Virginia: Mary Washington House Mary Washington House, 1200 Charles Street, Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg, VA: 11 photos, 12 measured drawings, and 5 data pages at Historic American Buildings Survey Image of Deed at FamilySearch.org - Spotsylvania County, Virginia deed book H, page 227 Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Washington family residences Houses in Fredericksburg, Virginia Museums in Fredericksburg, Virginia Historic house museums in Virginia Georgian architecture in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Fredericksburg, Virginia Historic district contributing properties in Virginia