Join us on Saturday, February 14th to commemorate George Washington’s birthday, the first of several 2026 Family Day programs marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence. Activities during the drop-in program (10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) are primarily designed for kids and their families but everyone is welcome — so please do come along. If you have any 18th century wigs, hats or other accessories, feel free to wear them! There is no charge for the event, but you will need to get free building tickets to enter the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. A limited number of these are available on the day, but registering in advance is the best way to guarantee entry at your preferred time. Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at 202-707-6363 or by emailing [email protected].
The program includes activities for all ages to enjoy as they discover more about this most famous of American heroes. You’ll be able to pose for a birthday picture with a life-size Washington cutout and try out your sculpting skills to create an air-dry clay souvenir to take home. From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a special guest will be on hand to share titbits about Washington and chat about life in the late 1700s. Visitors can explore the Library’s Two Georges exhibition to gain insights into Washington’s personal and professional lives and the parallels between his experiences and those of King George III. A staff specialist from the Manuscripts Division will display and discuss letters to and from Washington. Correspondents include his mother, his dentist, and his troublesome stepson’s tutor.
Join In from Home
If you can’t attend in person on February 14, digitized Library resources offer plenty of information and primary sources to explore. They provide a full picture of Washington the individual, as well as his familiar roles as the heroic leader of the Continental Army and the nation’s first president. The original documents in the Manuscript Division’s George Washington Papers provide an unparalleled look at Washington’s entire life and achievements. This is the largest collection of original Washington papers in the world, consisting of about 77,000 items he amassed between 1745 and 1799. Research Guides and subsections help users navigate this huge treasure trove, highlighting topics such as a timeline of major events in his life, his school copy books, his diaries, his work as a surveyor and mapmaker, and much more. An introduction tells how the papers were preserved and eventually ended up at the Library of Congress in 1904.
- His birthday was originally on February 11. Find out why it changed to February 22 in 1752.
- A description of his family history and the society in which he grew up provides background details of his early life.
- A love poem by 16-year-old George about his crush Frances Alexander adds a fresh dimension to how we usually think of him.
- The Two Georges exhibition examines the different stages of Washington’s life (and those of his contemporary George III).
- British Beginnings looks at his first 43 years as a British citizen. It covers his childhood, his work as a young land surveyor (also described in this blog post), the start of his military career in the French and Indian War, and his gradual opposition to British policies in the American colonies.
- American Revolution tackles the long and challenging years of the conflict, from the first outbreak of hostilities and Washington’s appointment as the Continental Army’s Commander-in-chief in 1775 to the 1781 British surrender at Yorktown and the signing of the Treaty of Paris and his resignation of his military commission in 1783.
- Washington as President and how he navigated the role are the focus of President and King.
- Transitions of Power considers how Washington left office in 1797 at the end of his second term, and the national grief at his death three years later.
- Family, Reading the Sources, and Science and Agriculture look at the personal concerns and interests of Washington as a family man and Virginia planter.
The Library not only has resources on Washington himself, but also on how celebrations of his birthday evolved from celebratory toasts and dinners during his lifetime to a federal holiday. The blog post “In Celebration of the Father of Our Country” explains this and provides some fascinating facts about how the Washingtons entertained during his presidency and at Mount Vernon. Examples from the digitized collections below show other ways that Washington’s birthday used to be observed, along with plenty of suggestions of how to throw a commemorative bash of your own.
We now know that the well-known story about young George chopping down a cherry tree, so central in shaping his reputation for lifelong principled behavior, was a fabrication. Author Mason Locke Weems added it to later editions of his 1800 Washington biography. You can read his invented tale on pages 13 and 14 of the 1808 edition of “The Life of George Washington”. It soon became a national myth, a way to illustrate the importance of honesty and describe both little George’s good moral character and his father’s guidance. (Whether it was good parenting to give a six-year-old a hatchet so he “was constantly going about chopping everything that came in his way” isn’t explored!)
True or not, this famous anecdote was a central feature of party plans in the past. Hatchet shaped invitations, a cherry tree centerpiece and serving cherry jello are all recommended in the 1915 edition of Children’s Parties for Sunday School and Home (pages 33-35). Three cherry candy recipes are included in the February chapter of The Candy Calendar published by Women’s World Magazine in 1923. A cherry race and a “Chopping Down the Cherry Tree” game feature in the Our Washington’s Birthday Party chapter of The Children’s Party Book (1923), along with other activities like “Find the Continental Army” and “Crossing the Delaware”.
Party and hosting tips in digitized books extend to table decorations too. Chapter 48 of “Table Decorations and Delicacies; a Complete Hand-Book for the Hostess” (1914) provides directions for a Washington’s birthday tablescape, complete with the “inevitable hatchet”. As well as table settings, page 39 of “Woman’s Favorite Cookbook” suggests menus suitable for breakfast, lunch and dinner on February 22nd. “Dame Curtsey’s Book of Party Pastimes for the Up-to-Date Hostess” (1912) has a chapter full of curious party ideas for Washington’s birthday on pages 27-32. “A Hatchet Party” has hostesses, or “receiving dames” with names like Johanna Adams Hatchet and Tomazine Jefferson Hatchet. An “Original State Party” for thirteen guests puts Lafayette Dressing and Revolutionary Cannon Balls (cheese balls) on the menu. Other featured recipes include cake with ice cream cannon balls, and cookie hatchets.
However you choose to mark Washington’s birthday, we hope these selections from the collections will expand your knowledge about him and the historic events that he did so much to shape. If you’re in Washington D.C. on February 14 and can join us at the Library, we look forward to seeing you for a fun birthday celebration!