Two pairs of George Washington’s sleeve buttons, one from Shelby County and the other from Mount Vernon, were reunited this month at the Presidential Sites Summit in Washington, D.C. The Alabama pair belongs to the Karl C. Harrison Museum of George and Martha Washington at American Village in Montevallo, which opens to the public on October 20.
The summit, hosted by the White House Historical Association September 8-10 at the Mayflower Hotel, brought together leaders and staff from presidential sites across the nation—including birthplaces, childhood homes, libraries, museums and alma maters—to reflect on the accomplishments and lessons of America’s 250th anniversary and look toward the future.
The Summit focused on lessons learned during the Semiquincentennial, opportunities for collaboration and strategies for sustaining the relevance of presidential sites in a changing cultural landscape. Keynote addresses, panel discussions, workshops and networking opportunities let attendees share ideas and explore how the 250th anniversary has reshaped their organizations—and how they can build on that momentum for years to come.
Representing American Village, which hosted Alabama’s official America 250 celebration in July, were Val Crofts, Chief Education and Programs Officer and Chief Historian, and Village President and CEO Alan Miller, a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Crofts also serves as a commissioner on the United States Semiquincentennial Commission, the body Congress created in 2016 to plan the 250th anniversary.
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Among the highlights of the Summit was a special ceremony that reunited two pairs of George Washington’s sleeve buttons—one from the Karl C. Harrison Museum of George and Martha Washington at American Village and the other from George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
Presided over by White House Historical Association President Stewart D. McLaurin, the ceremony brought together the two institutions and highlighted the importance of collaboration among organizations dedicated to preserving and interpreting the nation’s presidential history.
McLaurin praised American Village and Mount Vernon for working together to reunite the historic artifacts.
“The Presidential Sites Summit brings together presidential sites of all types, from libraries and museums to childhood homes and historic sites,” McLaurin said. “One of the goals is to encourage sites to collaborate beyond our gatherings, and this was a great example to show attendees and the public how that works. It was a privilege to celebrate American Village and Mount Vernon to reunite these unique pieces of presidential history.”
Both pairs of Washington’s sleeve buttons will be on exhibit at Mount Vernon for the next three months. The buttons belonging to American Village will return to Alabama in early 2027, where they will join a significant collection of Washington family artifacts in the Karl C. Harrison Museum at American Village. The museum opens to the public on October 20 in the East Wing of Independence Hall, the campus’s replica of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.
The Alabama collection dates to 1982, when Karl C. Harrison, a Columbiana banker and philanthropist, opened the Karl C. Harrison Museum of George Washington around heirlooms that Charlotte Smith-Weaver, a Shelby County resident and sixth-generation granddaughter of Martha Washington, decided to share with the public.
The collection was moved from the Mildred B. Harrison Regional Library in Columbiana to American Village ahead of the new museum’s opening.
The reunion also held special significance for McLaurin. He and American Village founder Tom Walker grew up just blocks from one another in Birmingham. McLaurin joined American Village as Executive Vice President after serving George Washington’s Mount Vernon as Vice President of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. In 2014, he became President of the White House Historical Association.
“American Village is dear to my heart, and it was an honor to share their mission with all present,” McLaurin said during the Summit.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
