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South Carolina Native Ann Pamela Cunningham’s Contributions to Our Nation’s History

Event Start Date: 21 Jan, 2013

Event Time: 6:00 PM

Event Synopsis:

The fate of the spyglass for the next 150 years is a tale of historical interest and intrigue.

Local historian Val Green will present a program on the story of Laurens County native, Ann Pamela Cunningham who is credited with saving George Washington’s beloved home Mount Vernon from ruin and neglect. This program is sponsored by the John Bratton Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. There will be a short chapter meeting during the program but the public is invited to attend.
Pamela was born August 15, 1816 at Rosemont Plantation, in Laurens County. In a letter to Pamela, Cunningham’s mother described the crumbling condition of the estate as she saw it in 1853 while on a steamship heading down the Potomac River. Cunningham was in her 30s and, having been crippled in a riding accident as a teenager, decided she would initiate a campaign to save the estate. She raised funds to purchase Mount Vernon by launching an unprecedented appeal for donations through newspaper articles directed toward “The Ladies of the South”, and subsequently founded The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union; the group that still owns and manages Washington’s estate. She served as its first regent (president). The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association is the oldest preservation and women’s organization in the United States.
Ann’s mother and Val’s 3rd great- grandmother were sisters and he has collected some unpublished stories about his shared ancestors and their connections with the family of our first president. Recently, the newly opened Museum of George Washington at Mt. Vernon incorporated information researched by Mr. Green into a very interesting artifact display among their permanent exhibits. Val’s 2rd great grandfather (William Lowndes Yancey), Pamela’s first cousin, raised $75,000 of the $200,000 to purchase Mt. Vernon from the Washington family. In appreciation for his efforts, Pamela bequeathed to him Washington’s military spy glass used during the Revolutionary War. The fate of the spyglass for the next 150 years is a tale of historical interest and intrigue.
The program will be at the Christ Central Community Center at 235 S. Congress St. next to the museum, at 6 PM. The public is invited to attend free of charge. More information is available at 635-9811 or fairfieldmus@truvista.net.
January 22– Winning at Weigh

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