Jenrette Foundation student interns from ACBA find future paths after a summer at Mount Vernon
ACBA's Linnea Carlson, a 2024 Jenrette Foundation intern at Mount Vernon
ACBA's Davis Cowling, a 2024 Jenrette Foundation intern at Mount Vernon
Author: William Richards, Ph.D.
In partnership with the American College of Building Arts and the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation supported two student interns in 2024 who learned preservation carpentry and stonemasonry at historic Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home and plantation on the Potomac River, south of Alexandria, Virginia.
ACBA’s Linnea Carlson and Davis Cowling spent the summer of 2024 working across the Mount Vernon estate’s 500 acres to learn the art and craft of historical techniques, material conservation, and structural analysis, gaining valuable experience in tool use, restoration methods, and real-world applications of preservation philosophy.
Mount Vernon’s current restoration and repair initiative include the ongoing preservation of the main mansion building, as well as the distillery and mill structures, along with landscape restoration to reflect the 18th-century gardens the Washingtons would have enjoyed.
Carlson’s first project after she arrived was restoring the final side of Mount Vernon’s smokehouse, replacing the siding with in-kind materials, creating infills where necessary, and documenting the process along the way. Through her work, she learned about some of the principles of restoration including finding an appropriate balance between the efficiencies of modern tooling and the authenticity of hand tooling for finish work. To finish out the summer, she moved on to working in the main mansion building on joist placement, joinery, and evaluating the bones of the original roofing system.
Carlson says her Jenrette Foundation internship allowed her to commit to Mount Vernon and immerse herself in both preservation theory and practice.
“If I hadn’t had the support of the Jenrette Foundation, I wouldn't have been able to focus all of my time learning everything Mount Vernon had to offer—from hands-on experiences to understanding their preservation philosophy. This internship set me up to ask the right questions about where I want to go next.”
ACBA junior and stonemason Davis Cowling also forged a new direction thanks to his Mount Vernon internship supported by the Jenrette Foundation. Cowling is a fifth-generation stonemason who often reflects on the balance between modern masonry’s efficiencies with the time-honored skills of Washington’s era.
“I’m proud to carry on that knowledge and continue this legacy with my family. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Cowling worked in the basement of Mount Vernon, shoring up a wall and restoring it to its original appearance, and had opportunities to walk the grounds of the estate to learn about the different masonry techniques—historic and not-so-historic—employed over the years. He says that his academic experience at ACBA and his summer internship through Mount Vernon will give him a leg-up in places both in the United States and Europe where craftsmanship is not just appreciated, but pursued.
“Jenrette created the opportunity for me—and now I have on my resume the fact that I worked at Mount Vernon. It’s an organization that wants to keep history alive and that’s amazing. Not that many people want to do that any more—it’s reaffirming for me and lots of others.”