Mount Vernon Lays Cornerstone for New Ford Orientation Center

$95 Million Project Designed to Restore George Washington's Preeminent Place in U.S. History

MOUNT VERNON, Va., May 11 -- On Tuesday, in front of a crowd of more than 50 VIPs, gold trowels were dipped into 18th-century-style mortar to lay the cornerstone for the new Ford Orientation Center at Mount Vernon. Part of an unprecedented $95 million campaign to restore the "Father of Our Country" to his rightful place of honor and distinction in America, the Ford Orientation Center opens October 27, 2006, and will give visitors an overview of the Mount Vernon experience while dispelling the elder statesman icon and introducing the real George Washington -- a dynamic, fascinating hero. The Ford Orientation Center is made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund.

The ceremony included a visit from Hollywood actor Sebastian Roche, who portrays George Washington in an action-packed 18-minute feature film, also made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund, which will be shown in the Ford Orientation Center. In luxurious theaters with state-of-the-art technology, visitors will see a movie full of adventure, drama, and even a little romance as Washington is shown to be the "indispensable man" who was responsible for the survival of this country.

Ziad Ojakli, Group Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Ford Motor Company, applied mortar to the cornerstone during the ceremony. "Ford Motor Company is pleased to continue its longstanding partnership with Mount Vernon, which began when Henry Ford donated a fire engine to Mount Vernon in 1923," said Ojakli. "We are proud that the Ford Orientation Center will serve as a gateway for generations of young Americans to learn about George Washington."

"With an exciting movie that shows Washington as a charismatic American hero and introductory exhibitions such as Mount Vernon in Miniature and a magnificent stained glass wall with scenes from Washington's life, the Ford Orientation Center will be a terrific way for visitors to begin their experience at Mount Vernon," said James C. Rees, Executive Director of Historic Mount Vernon.

Since 1860, over 80 million visitors have made George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens the most popular historic home in America. Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, America's oldest national preservation organization, founded in 1853.