Mount Vernon Slave Memorial:
In 1929, a plaque was placed at the slave cemetery at Mount Vernon which reads, "In Memory of the Many Faithful Colored Servants of the Washington Family Buried at Mount Vernon from 1760 to 1860 - Their unidentified graves surround this spot."
In 1983, Dr. Judith Saunders-Burton helped facilitate efforts to improve and maintain the burial site. Architecture students from Howard University in Washington, D.C. designed a memorial, which features a granite shaft in the center of a circular plaza. The low terrace around the shaft bears the words:
"In Memory of the Afro Americans Who Served as Slaves At Mount Vernon This Monument Marking Their Burial Ground Dedicated September 21, 1983 Mount Vernon Ladies' Association."
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association which oversees the Washington estate, cleared the area, installed two park benches, laid a gravel path and opened the burial site to tourists.
The burial site is believed to contain the remains of about 300 of Washington's slaves.
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