134 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine EDUCATION Since 1980, Mary V. Thompson has worked for the Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens, the former residence and plantation of George Washington, beginning as a museum attendant. In 2022, she was given the title research historian emerita in acknowledgment of her many years of service to the historic site, which is now referred to as George Washington’s Mount Vernon. As a research historian emerita, Ms. Thompson assists visitors in the Mount Vernon library, including research fellows and scholars, graduate students, and full professors on sabbaticals from their universities. She is dedicated to improving the experience for visitors to Mount Vernon, particularly those with limited knowledge of history, and she strives to ensure all visitors have the best experience during their time at the site. She holds a BA in history from Samford University and an MA in history, with a specialty in early modern Europe and colonial America, from the University of Virginia. In 2019, Ms. Thomson published “The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret: Slavery at the Home of George Washington,” based on her graduate research on slavery. Despite historians researching slavery in the United States since the 1930s and 1940s, little attention was given to the subject in museums, historical societies and historic house museums, such as Mount Vernon. This lack of acknowledgment inspired her research, and since publishing the book, she has noticed a shift, with Mount Vernon now interpreting slavery and establishing positive relationships with the descendants of enslaved peoples from the estate. She is also the author of “Hands of a Good Providence: Religion in the Life of George Washington.” Looking ahead, Ms. Thompson is focused on completing a book on the animals of Mount Vernon. Afterward, she hopes to bring further attention to her work on Martha Washington’s experiences during the American Revolutionary War. MARY V. THOMPSON RESEARCH HISTORIAN EMERITA George Washington’s Mount Vernon Mount Vernon, VA
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