George Washington was laid to rest in a lead-lined mahogany coffin that was encapsulated within a wooden case shrouded in black fabric. Unfortunately, the family vault in which he was first entombed was subjected to near constant dampness and even vandalism. In 1831, in accordance with Washington's wishes as stated in his will, a new tomb was erected and his remains reinterred in a marble sarcophagus. Fragments of the original decayed and defaced funerary furniture were saved as souvenirs by family members and visitors alike. In 1855, this piece of the outer coffin case was presented by a member of the Byrd family of Virginia to Ann Pamela Cunningham, who had formed the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association one year prior.