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Preferred Citation
[Name and date of item], Papers of Harrison H. Dodge, [Series, Folder], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association,
Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia
Processing Information
The original donation included 31 books relating to George Washington and Mount Vernon, as well as copies of the MVLA Annual
Reports and Minutes of the Council. Most of these were incorporated into the library's general collection and series of duplicate
Annual Reports and Minutes.
Harrison Howell Dodge was born on March 31, 1852 in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Columbian College, now George Washington
University, in 1871 and began working for Jay Cooke & Co., a Wall Street banking house. He returned to Washington, D.C. in
1873 and worked on indexing the Congressional Record, and later in banking and finance with Riggs & Co. In 1875 he married
Elizabeth Knowlton and the couple eventually had six children. Dodge was appointed the Superintendent of Mount Vernon by the
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association in 1885 and stayed in this position until his death in 1937.
His numerous contributions and accomplishments for the preservation and restoration of Mount Vernon's Mansion and grounds
cannot be overstated. During his tenure, the size of the property owned by the MVLA doubled in acreage. Fire prevention and
preservation of the Mansion were a major concern and led him to write the article "Fire Protection of the Home of Washington,"
and to oversee the installation of electric lighting to replace kerosene lamps. Dodge oversaw every detail of work and maintenance
to the buildings and grounds, as well as the supervision of all employees. The restoration of the Houdon bust, the building
of a sea wall to prevent erosion, and research for the redevelopment of Washington's gardens all took place during his tenure
as Superintendent. In his book, Mount Vernon, Its Owner and Its Story, Dodge relates many of his favorite stories of famous
visitors to the estate, memories of Regents and Vice Regents, and his knowledge of the Washington family.
Dodge suffered from several illnesses in his later years and finally succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage while at work on May
1, 1937. He was taken to the hospital where he died. He had been the Superintendent of Mount Vernon for 52 years, the longest
term yet for that position.
The Papers of Harrison H. Dodge is a small collection of material created and compiled by Dodge and/or his family. Types of
records include correspondence, articles, family trees, news clippings, photographs, and several objects. Most of the items
pertain to Dodge's time as Superintendent at Mount Vernon, however there are some personal family letters, genealogy information,
and items regarding his work on a Library of Congress committee. Some genealogical records, mostly fragments and scraps of
paper, may date as early as the 1770s, however the bulk of material in the collection dates from the 1880s to the 1930s. The
earliest dated item in the collection is a Dodge family bible, c. 1816.
An addition of three books and a pair of silhouette portraits was made in 2023. Two oral history audio recordings by Dodge's
daughter, Anna Heiberg, were transferred to the AV collection.
This collection has been divided by format into five series. There was no pre-existing original order for the papers, so this
was done mainly to facilitate housing and storage of like material. The records are described in alphabetical order by folder
title. The series are:
Series 1. Papers
Series 2. Photographs
Series 3. Books
Series 4. Objects
Papers of the Superintendent and Resident Director
Papers of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
Minutes of the Council, Annual Reports of the MVLA
Superintendent's Letter Books, Diaries, and Monthly Reports, 1885-1967
Book, "Mount Vernon, Its Owner and Its Story" by Harrison H. Dodge, 1932
"Guards at the Tomb of Washington, Brief Sketches of Some"
1936English.
Text box: 1
"Jefferson and His Garden"
undatedEnglish.
Text box: 1
Letter (copy) to Ann Pamela Cunningham from George Riggs
October 6, 1860English.
Text box: 1
Letter to Dodge from Lawrason Crane (handwritten notes by Dodge on reverse)
September 6, 1934English.
Text box: 1
Letter to Dodge from Mrs. Archibald Hopkins (granddaughter of Edward Everett)
April 4, 1935English.
Text box: 1
Letter to Dodge from the Secretary to Mrs. Roosevelt re: gift of a needlework piece
1933English.
Text box: 1
Letterhead, Mount Vernon
undatedEnglish.
Text box: 1
Letters from Harriet Comegys, Regent
1915, 1920English.
Text box: 1
Letters of thanks for gifts of his book (Includes letters from Franklin Roosevelt and Queen Marie of Romania)
1932-1933English.
Text box: 1
Library of Congress – Joint Committee of Congress on the Library
1881-1924English.
Text box: 1
Motion by Vice Regent Mary Denham re: wallpaper in Washington's room
undatedEnglish.
Text box: 1
"Mount Vernon, Virginia: A Brief Sketch of its History, Decline, and Restoration"
Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937undatedEnglish.
Text box: 1
"The Nelly Custis Harpsichord"
undatedEnglish.
Text box: 1
News clippings
1915, 1927, 1929English.
Text box: 1
Radio talks on Mount Vernon
undatedEnglish.
Text box: 1
Recipe for the Great Cake
undatedEnglish.
Text box: 1
Reminiscences
undatedEnglish.
Text box: 1
"The Story of the Mount Vernon Bouquet," by Mary S. Denham, Vice Regent
1935English.
Text box: 1
"Synopsis of Automobile Trip by Col. H.H. Dodge and Lieutenant Heiberg"
Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-19371925English.
Text box: 1
"Trip Abroad"
Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-19371931English.
Text box: 1
Visit of Arthur Cabot, great-grandson of Thomas Handasyd Perkins
1897English.
Text box: 1
"The Washington Palm of Mount Vernon," by Alice Sutcliffe
undatedEnglish.
Text box: 1
Washington related – Miscellaneous
undatedEnglish.
Text box: 2
Certificate from the office of the Postmaster General authorizing Harrison H. Dodge to serve as Postmaster of Mount Vernon
1885English.
Text box: 2
Certificate from the office of the Postmaster General authorizing Harrison H. Dodge to serve as Postmaster of Mount Vernon
1930English.
Text box: 2
Certificate from the office of the Postmaster General authorizing Harrison H. Dodge to serve as Postmaster of Mount Vernon
1934English.
Text box: 2
Certificate, Legion d'honneur – Colonel Harrison Dodge
1932English.
Text box: 2
Certificate, President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, authorizing Harrison H. Dodge to serve as head of the Post Office
at Mount Vernon
1928English.
Text box: 2
Certificate, President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, authorizing Harrison H. Dodge to serve as head of the
Post Office at Mount Vernon
1934English.
Text box: 3
Autograph book
1870s-1890s English.
Scope and Contents
With signatures of U.S. Presidents and politicians including Chester Arthur, Robert Todd Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin
Harrison and Caroline Scott Harrison
Cabinet cards by Luke Dillon - Mansion exterior and grounds
Dillon, Luke C., 1836-19041884-1894English.
Scope and Contents
Mansion exteriors and grounds by Luke Dillon including S.W. View of Mansion, Tomb of Washington (2 different views), Butler's
House, West View (West Front – 2 different views), North Gate, West View (with West Gate), East View (East Front), Summer
House
Graphic Materials box: 3
Cabinet cards by Luke Dillon - Mansion interiors
Dillon, Luke C., 1836-19041884-1894English.
Scope and Contents
Cabinet cards – Mansion interiors by Luke Dillon including Pennsylvania Room, Maine Room, West Virginia Room, New Jersey Room,
Florida Room, Maryland Room (Bedchamber of Eleanor Custis), Hall and Stairway, Georgia Room (Lady Washington's Sitting Room),
New York Room (New Room), Key of the Bastille, Mrs. Washington's Bedchamber, Massachusetts Room (Study), Kitchen of Mount
Vernon, Ohio Room (Nellie Custis Music Room), Washington's Room and bed on which he died, District of Columbia Room, North
Carolina Room, Illinois Room
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – Cabinet card – Harrison Dodge with Charles and Frank Dodge, Lieutenant Mann, and Hamilton Cooke standing by a
Mount Vernon colonnade
August 25, 1885English.
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – Cabinet card – Photo of a drawing, "East View of Mt. Vernon Mansion"
undatedEnglish.
General
Black and white, artist or photographer unknown
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – Mount Vernon event
1936English.
General
Three black and white prints, developed by Snappy Snap Shop Photo Service
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – Mount Vernon with snow
undatedEnglish.
General
Black and white, Tenschert (DC), photographer
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – Postcards featuring Hearst Castle, Mount Shasta, and other unknown locations
undatedEnglish.
General
Black and white images, photographers unknown
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – Queen Marie of Romania
1926 English.
General
Removed from folder "Letters of thanks for gifts of his book, 1932-1933"
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – School House
undatedEnglish.
General
Black and white, photographer unknown
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – Steamboat W.W. Corcoran, burned
September 3, 1891English.
General
Black and white mounted on board, photographer unknown
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – Washington gavel, description of gavel on reverse
1893English.
General
Black and white mounted on board, copyright Henry G. Wagner, Trustee Potomac Lodge, No. 5, F.A.A.M., Georgetown, DC
Graphic Materials box: 4
Photograph – Woodlawn East Front
undatedEnglish.
General
Black and white mounted on board, Luke Dillon, photographer