Washingtons Headquarters State Historic Site

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During the 18th and 19th centuries, locks of hair were common mementos of a deceased loved one, a souvenir of a famous person, or a token of a romantic relationship. This object is said to be lock of George Washington's hair. It was formerly owned by the Honorable Smith Thompson (1768-1843), a justice of the U. S. Supreme Court whose widow gave the lock of hair to the Abraham Tomlinson's Museum of Revolutionary Articles in Poughkeepsie. In 1855, it was purchased by Mr. Enoch Carter of Newburgh and loaned then gifted to Washington's Headquarters.

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During the 18th and 19th centuries, locks of hair were common mementos of a deceased loved one, a souvenir of a famous person, or a token of a romantic relationship. This object is said to be lock of George Washington's hair. It was formerly owned by the Honorable Smith Thompson (1768-1843), a justice of the U. S. Supreme Court whose widow gave the lock of hair to the Abraham Tomlinson's Museum of Revolutionary Articles in Poughkeepsie. In 1855, it was purchased by Mr. Enoch Carter of Newburgh and loaned then gifted to Washington's Headquarters.