Place

The People Behind the Place: Stories from the Memorial House Museum

A black and white photo of a brick house and people walking up to the home — Historic Image of Memorial House Museum
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Benches/Seating, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Maps Available, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Junior Ranger Booklet Available, Restroom, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Wheelchair Accessible

By the early 1800s, the house in which George Washington was born no longer stood, and its exact location was forgotten. In 1923, the Wakefield National Memorial Association envisioned an uplifting commemorative tribute for Washington’s bicentennial birthday that would, in their view, symbolize his early life and experiences. In 1931, the Memorial House Museum was built— and a new chapter in how we remember the origins of our first President began.

As you explore the Memorial House Museum, you’re not just stepping into a building, you’re stepping into a story. A story shaped by people who believed in honoring the past, even when it meant navigating disagreement, compromise, and change.

Let’s meet four individuals who helped bring this place to life. As you enter the Memorial House Exhibit, you will see four figures standing in each corner of the room. This audio guide will introduce you to each figure, going in a clockwise direction around the room.

Philip Hough

The decade of the 1930s was a significant period for the historic preservation movement in the United States. Initially created for the management of America’s scenic landscapes, the National Park Service began expanding its role into the preservation of America’s historic sites. Philip Hough arrived in 1932 as this monument’s very first National Park Service superintendent—and for a while, its only employee.

Imagine that. One person, responsible for managing a brand-new national monument, interpreting history, maintaining the grounds, and building relationships with a private organization that had already been running the show.

The Wakefield National Memorial Association had their own visions about how to honor George Washington at his birthplace. The National Park Service had different ones. And Hough? He was caught in the middle.

He offered guided tours to the earliest visitors to the park. Under his watch, services expanded to include a Log House tearoom, a post office, and a picnic area. But behind the scenes, he was dealing with thorny questions: Was the Memorial House really on the original homesite? What was the mysterious “Building X”? And how different is the Memorial House Museum from the building that existed during Washington’s life?

Despite the challenges, Hough stayed for 21 years and helped transition the site into a fully managed national monument, shaping the park’s future in the process.

Josephine Wheelwright Rust

In the early 1900s, wealthy, patriotic women did not have many opportunities to showcase their talents. They couldn't vote in most of the United States, and they couldn't hold political office. One thing they could do was to support philanthropic causes, from endowing libraries to saving historic places.

Josephine Wheelwright Rust was a member of the Society of the Colonial Dames of America, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Society of Daughters of 1812, the Colonial Dames Club of Washington DC and the Washington Club. All of these groups honored the earliest eras of American history and the nation's greatest leaders. Rust used her connections in these groups to fulfill her vision for a place important to her heart; the birthplace of George Washington.

In 1923, she gathered a group of citizens in her living room and founded her own organization: the Wakefield National Memorial Association. Her dream? To build a house—not a statue—that would honor George Washington.

Peaking between the two World Wars, the Colonial Revival Movement coincided with George Washington's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversaries of the American Revolution and the Constitutional Convention. People were looking to the past for inspiration, and Rust believed that a home—something warm, familiar, and rooted in daily life—could tell Washington’s story better than any monument.

Edward Donn, the architect of the Memorial House Museum, built the house to her specifications. In order to build the house where Rust and others believed the original birthhouse had once stood, she convinced Congress to contribute funds to remove the obelisk which had marked that location since 1896. That kind of conviction didn’t always sit well with the Park Service. But Rust got results. The Memorial House was completed in 1931.

On June 26, 1931, just four days after signing the deed for the Birthplace over to the National Park Service, Rust passed away. Tributes to her came from all around the nation. In February, 1932, on the bicentennial of George Washington's birthday, Rust was honored in the Memorial House Museum, where her vision still stands for you to visit today.

Julia Washington Muse

Julia Washington Muse was a descendant of the Washington family and the park’s first female federal employee.

Julia grew up just a couple miles from here, in a house built by George Washington’s nephew. Her family stories were steeped in local lore, and in 1932, she brought those stories to the park as Postmistress of a post office located in the basement of the Memorial House Museum.

On her first day, she sent out 350 letters—many of them souvenir postcards from visitors excited to get a postmark from Washington’s birthplace. But Julia offered more than stamps. She offered a living connection to the Washington family. For many visitors, meeting her was like shaking hands with history.

She served until 1935, when she married fellow park employee Robinson Muse. After that, the post office moved to its own building, but Julia’s presence had already left a lasting impression—one that made the past feel personal.

Louise du Pont Crowninshield

Louise du Pont Crowninshield came from one of America’s wealthiest families. But she used her resources to preserve history. Already known for restoring colonial homes like Kenmore in Fredericksburg, she became president of the Wakefield National Memorial Association in 1935—and transformed the Memorial House Museum into a vignette of the past.

Before her, the Memorial House Museum was filled with mismatched donations and reproductions. With no clear vision for what visitors would see inside, her goal was to furnish it with authentic pieces from before 1753—closer to the time the Washington family called this place home.

She sourced furniture from across the U.S. and Europe, sometimes using her own money. By 1939, the transformation was so striking that the Park Service sent her a personal letter of gratitude.

But her impact went beyond furniture. She built a strong partnership with Superintendent Hough, encouraged the Wakefield members to support the park, and even had them attend events in full colonial era costume. She also used her political connections and personal wealth to support park projects.

In 1956, Crowninshield stepped down. She passed away two years later. But her legacy lives on—in the furnishings you see today, and in the Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award, the highest honor in historic preservation, named in her memory.

Sometimes, a memorial can say as much about the people who built it as it does the person it is meant to honor. So, as you walk through the rest of the Memorial House Museum, remember: this place wasn’t just built to honor George Washington. It was shaped by people who believed in the power of place, the importance of memory, and the value of preserving the place where Washington’s story began.

Philip Hough. Josephine Wheelwright Rust. Julia Washington Muse. Louise du Pont Crowninshield.

Four people. One house. And a legacy that still speaks today.

The People Behind the Place: Stories from the Memorial House Museum

Let’s meet four individuals who helped bring this place to life. As you enter the Memorial House Exhibit, you will see four figures standing in each corner of the room. This audio guide will introduce you to each figure, going in a clockwise direction around the room.

Date created:

09/05/2025

Audio Transcript

By the early 1800s, the house in which George Washington was born no longer stood, and its exact location was forgotten. In 1923, the Wakefield National Memorial Association envisioned an uplifting commemorative tribute for Washington’s bicentennial birthday that would, in their view, symbolize his early life and experiences. In 1931, the Memorial House Museum was built— and a new chapter in how we remember the origins of our first President began.

As you explore the Memorial House Museum, you’re not just stepping into a building, you’re stepping into a story. A story shaped by people who believed in honoring the past, even when it meant navigating disagreement, compromise, and change.

Let’s meet four individuals who helped bring this place to life. As you enter the Memorial House Exhibit, you will see four figures standing in each corner of the room. This audio guide will introduce you to each figure, going in a clockwise direction around the room.

Philip Hough

The decade of the 1930s was a significant period for the historic preservation movement in the United States. Initially created for the management of America’s scenic landscapes, the National Park Service began expanding its role into the preservation of America’s historic sites. Philip Hough arrived in 1932 as this monument’s very first National Park Service superintendent—and for a while, its only employee.

Imagine that. One person, responsible for managing a brand-new national monument, interpreting history, maintaining the grounds, and building relationships with a private organization that had already been running the show.

The Wakefield National Memorial Association had their own visions about how to honor George Washington at his birthplace. The National Park Service had different ones. And Hough? He was caught in the middle.

He offered guided tours to the earliest visitors to the park. Under his watch, services expanded to include a Log House tearoom, a post office, and a picnic area. But behind the scenes, he was dealing with thorny questions: Was the Memorial House really on the original homesite? What was the mysterious “Building X”? And how different is the Memorial House Museum from the building that existed during Washington’s life?

Despite the challenges, Hough stayed for 21 years and helped transition the site into a fully managed national monument, shaping the park’s future in the process.

Josephine Wheelwright Rust

In the early 1900s, wealthy, patriotic women did not have many opportunities to showcase their talents. They couldn't vote in most of the United States, and they couldn't hold political office. One thing they could do was to support philanthropic causes, from endowing libraries to saving historic places.

Josephine Wheelwright Rust was a member of the Society of the Colonial Dames of America, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Society of Daughters of 1812, the Colonial Dames Club of Washington DC and the Washington Club. All of these groups honored the earliest eras of American history and the nation's greatest leaders. Rust used her connections in these groups to fulfill her vision for a place important to her heart; the birthplace of George Washington.

In 1923, she gathered a group of citizens in her living room and founded her own organization: the Wakefield National Memorial Association. Her dream? To build a house—not a statue—that would honor George Washington.

Peaking between the two World Wars, the Colonial Revival Movement coincided with George Washington's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversaries of the American Revolution and the Constitutional Convention. People were looking to the past for inspiration, and Rust believed that a home—something warm, familiar, and rooted in daily life—could tell Washington’s story better than any monument.

Edward Donn, the architect of the Memorial House Museum, built the house to her specifications. In order to build the house where Rust and others believed the original birthhouse had once stood, she convinced Congress to contribute funds to remove the obelisk which had marked that location since 1896. That kind of conviction didn’t always sit well with the Park Service. But Rust got results. The Memorial House was completed in 1931.

On June 26, 1931, just four days after signing the deed for the Birthplace over to the National Park Service, Rust passed away. Tributes to her came from all around the nation. In February, 1932, on the bicentennial of George Washington's birthday, Rust was honored in the Memorial House Museum, where her vision still stands for you to visit today.

Julia Washington Muse

Julia Washington Muse was a descendant of the Washington family and the park’s first female federal employee.

Julia grew up just a couple miles from here, in a house built by George Washington’s nephew. Her family stories were steeped in local lore, and in 1932, she brought those stories to the park as Postmistress of a post office located in the basement of the Memorial House Museum.

On her first day, she sent out 350 letters—many of them souvenir postcards from visitors excited to get a postmark from Washington’s birthplace. But Julia offered more than stamps. She offered a living connection to the Washington family. For many visitors, meeting her was like shaking hands with history.

She served until 1935, when she married fellow park employee Robinson Muse. After that, the post office moved to its own building, but Julia’s presence had already left a lasting impression—one that made the past feel personal.

Louise du Pont Crowninshield

Louise du Pont Crowninshield came from one of America’s wealthiest families. But she used her resources to preserve history. Already known for restoring colonial homes like Kenmore in Fredericksburg, she became president of the Wakefield National Memorial Association in 1935—and transformed the Memorial House Museum into a vignette of the past.

Before her, the Memorial House Museum was filled with mismatched donations and reproductions. With no clear vision for what visitors would see inside, her goal was to furnish it with authentic pieces from before 1753—closer to the time the Washington family called this place home.

She sourced furniture from across the U.S. and Europe, sometimes using her own money. By 1939, the transformation was so striking that the Park Service sent her a personal letter of gratitude.

But her impact went beyond furniture. She built a strong partnership with Superintendent Hough, encouraged the Wakefield members to support the park, and even had them attend events in full colonial era costume. She also used her political connections and personal wealth to support park projects.

In 1956, Crowninshield stepped down. She passed away two years later. But her legacy lives on—in the furnishings you see today, and in the Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award, the highest honor in historic preservation, named in her memory.

Sometimes, a memorial can say as much about the people who built it as it does the person it is meant to honor. So, as you walk through the rest of the Memorial House Museum, remember: this place wasn’t just built to honor George Washington. It was shaped by people who believed in the power of place, the importance of memory, and the value of preserving the place where Washington’s story began.

Philip Hough. Josephine Wheelwright Rust. Julia Washington Muse. Louise du Pont Crowninshield.

Four people. One house. And a legacy that still speaks today.

Last updated: September 11, 2025

The People Behind the Place: Stories from the Memorial House Museum

Philip Hough

Josephine Wheelwright Rust

Julia Washington Muse

Louise du Pont Crowninshield

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