Attempted theft of George Washington's skull

Nonetheless, arguments concerning the details of the committal arrangements severely delayed the transfer of Washington's remains which were, in the interim, placed in a separate crypt on the Mount Vernon estate.

The situation was exacerbated by a large number of "pilgrims" who traveled to Washington's grave to retrieve artifacts, generally including foliage.

The extremely dilapidated state of the tomb reportedly contributed to the gardener's confusion; some twenty members of the Washington family and their relatives had been placed in the crypt but many of their coffins had since rotted through, meaning human skeletons lay littered on the ground.

The bodies of George and Martha Washington were moved to the new facility in 1831, which drew criticism from some, including the Earl of Carlisle who, after visiting it in 1841, observed that "the tomb of that most illustrious of mortals, is placed under a glaring red building, somewhat between a coach-house and a cage".

[7][8][9][10] A claim has been made that locks of hair were removed from the body of George Washington during the 1837 unsealing, though attempts to auction them in recent years have proved unsuccessful and doubts about their authenticity have been raised.