In 1772, George Washington purchased this home for his mother, Mary Ball Washington. It was in this white frame house, within walking distance of her daughter's house at Kenmore, that Mary spent the last 17 years of her life before dying of breast cancer. It is said that during the Revolution, General Lafayette found Mrs. Washington in her garden and that, before his inauguration as President, George Washington came to receive his mother's blessing.

Preservation Virginia purchased the house in 1890, saving it from demolition. The house then underwent restoration and opened to the public in 1931. The house is currently owned and operated by Washington Heritage Museums.