Fragment of George Washington’s Coffin

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A piece of wood from the first coffin of George Washington. This coffin was broken up after the President was reinterred in the Washington Mausoleum at Mount Vernon, in the 1830s.

(Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019. Photograph: English Heritage)

This fragment was presented to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1860 on his visit to the United States. He was the first heir to the British throne to undertake a tour of North America.

The shard was presented by Washington’s great, great nephew, John A. Washington Jr. at Mount Vernon, October 3, 1860.