Mount Vernon is marking a major anniversary with a reenactment and the ribbon cutting of a new feature on Sunday in Virginia.

Sunday marks 250 years since George Washington left Mount Vernon to travel to Philadelphia where he was appointed commander-in-chief of the new Continental Army.

It marks the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

“It’s really a very special, interesting weekend,” said Julie Almacy, vice president, media and communications at Mount Vernon. “They can meet the women and children who traveled with the Continental Army and learn about their daily lives. We have colonial artisans and crafts people, where they can have demonstrations and people can actually shop for artisan wares.”

During the Revolutionary War, Washington only briefly returned to Mount Vernon in 1781, just before the Yorktown campaign and ultimate victory for American independence.

“He was never back in his beloved estate for almost the entirety of the Revolutionary War. So it’s a big deal for him to leave,” Almacy said.

At 1:30 p.m. Sunday, the reenactment of Washington’s departure also will include a ribbon cutting of the newly-installed Patriots Path Revolutionary War encampment.

“There are actual replica battles,” Almacy said. “There will be cannon fire and there will be George Washington’s replica tent from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. They come down and they interpret what George Washington’s tent was like, and people can actually go experience that themselves as well,” she said.

The event will also feature remarks from a George Washington reenactor, Fairfax County Supervisor Dan Storck and Mount Vernon CEO Doug Bradburn.

On Sunday, a George Washington reenactor will march down the Patriots Path and out of Mount Vernon’s front gates, marking the start of his journey to Philadelphia.

He will be accompanied by 18th-century musicians and several historic reenactors dressed in period costumes.

The reenactment is part of the Revolutionary War Weekend , during which Mount Vernon’s serene 12-acre field transforms into a battleground. Continentals, Redcoats, and Hessians conduct military drills and 18th-century tactics.

Almacy said the ribbon cutting of the Patriots Path is a “one-of-a-kind” outdoor Revolutionary War encampment to immerse in the daily life of soldiers, military officers and camp followers.

Visitors to Mount Vernon can step back in time to experience the hardship and resilience of the Continental Army.

“Year-round, visitors are going to be able to walk through an 18th century Continental Army encampment that we’re going to have here at Mount Vernon, and it’s featuring soldiers tents and an officer’s tent,” Almacy said. “It’s going to be a hands-on attraction, where they can touch the items inside the tents.”

The Patriots Path includes opportunities to explore 18th-century tents, wash clothes in the laundry yard, examine cooking utensils and engage with historical interpreters.

“It is something that people here in the DMV can experience for themselves what it would have been like to be in an encampment in the 18th century,” she said.

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