In 1772, George Washington purchased a house from Michael Robinson in Fredericksburg, Virginia, for his mother. Mary Ball Washington spent her last seventeen years in this comfortable home.

The white frame house sits on the corner of Charles and Lewis Streets and was in walking distance to Kenmore, home of Mary's daughter Betty Washington Lewis. Tradition has it that, during the Revolution, General Lafayette came by the home seeking a visit with Mrs. Washington and found her working in her garden. The president-to-be came to this home to receive his mother's blessing before attending his inauguration in 1789. ​

In 1890, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, later named Preservation Virginia, acquired the Mary Washington House and saved it from certain destruction. The house was slated to be disassembled for travel to the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition and reassembled there for display. The organization opened the house to the public in 1900. The house later underwent an extensive restoration and was reopened to the public in 1931. ​

The Mary Washington House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (06/05/1975) and the Virginia Landmarks Register (03/18/1975) and is located within the Fredericksburg Historic District.

In the heart of this vibrant city stands the Mary Washington House. It is an emblem of maternal devotion and the last home of George Washington’s mother. According to local lore, her spirit never left the place she cherished so much. Sightings of a ghostly figure, believed to be Mary herself, tending to the garden or sitting by the window have been reported, adding an emotional dimension to the whole story. Her spirit, it seems, remains tied to the house. Perhaps finding comfort in the familiar surroundings or yearning for the son who went on to shape a nation. Interestingly, many who claim to have encountered her describe a feeling of warmth and tranquility rather than fear. Indeed, Fredericksburg is an amazing little town where the spectral meets the historical, and hauntings have a touch of heartwarming emotion.