Browse Items (40 total)

Eighteenth Century Plantation Outbuilding Kitchen & Quarters .

Ash Grove House, dating to circa 1790, was built by Thomas Fairfax on land that had been acquired by the Fairfax family in 1740. The small brick structure, identified as an…

Fairfax County, VA In 1760 An Interpretive Historical Map indicates that there were 24 enslaved people held by the McCarty Family. These people likely lived at Mount Air, but perhaps also at times resided at nearby Cedar Grove, another McCarty…

James Pendleton Robinson, like his grandfather James “Gentleman Jim” Robinson of Prince William County, after emancipation, became a prominent member in the community. Robinson owned a farm opposite Nestor Kincheloe’s mill at the confluence of Big…

Lawrence and Gladys Lee purchased a 120-acre dairy farm located on Centreville Road in 1945. The farm, like their daughter, was called Alta Lee. Alta recalled a carefree childhood centered on family, school, and church, spending time riding horses…

Harrison Dodge was the longest serving Superintendent of the Mount Vernon Estate (1885-1937). He recounts the history of George Washington’s Mount Vernon including his personal recollections. This includes a chapter IX “The Old Negroes” where he…

When President Washington died in 1799, the enslaved population at Mount Vernon numbered 317. Of the 317 enslaved, 123 belonged to George Washington, 153 were owned by the estate of Martha, 41 were rented from local neighbors. Washington's will freed…

The 1760 map of Fairfax County indicated that there were 15 enslaved people at Belvoir, home of the Fairfax family. There were likely more enslaved people associated with this property prior to the death of William Fairfax, who subdivided his…

J. Henry Borgus purchased 27 acres in 1892 at the junction of Leesburg Pike and Lewinsville Road. He built a farmhouse overlooking Leesburg Pike and named it Ash Grove Farm. He farmed 23 acres that were part of his property on the opposite side of…

Formerly enslaved, Alfred Odrick, purchased 30 acres in 1872 along the south side of Lewinsville Road beginning at Springhill Road. Odrick farmed the land, but he was a carpenter by trade and, so, built his house. A vibrant Black community developed…

Jim Moss was granted a license in 1972, to operate a riding stable off Bellview Road. He named it Shadybrook Stables. The facility offered horseback riding lessons, specializing in English riding. There were stalls for horses, an indoor arena, an…

In 1846, Chalkley Gillingham and his business partners purchased the 2,000-acre Woodlawn plantation property from Washington Family heirs. They relocated from their homes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York in order to establish a free labor…

Woodlawn Mansion was built in 1805 and was a wedding present from George Washington to his step-granddaughter Nelly Custis and his nephew Lawrence Lewis. More than 90 individuals were enslaved on the plantation, which is now owned by the National…

Laurel Grove School was built by freed men and women in the 1880s to educate their children. Today the one room school is a museum sharing the history of African American families who built the school, furnished it, provided books, and hired the…

In 1869 Andrew Lee, an African American, purchased 20 acres of land in the Frying Pan area from Ann Keeler. In 1891 he transferred 3/4 of an acre of the land to his son, Edward Lee. Edward built this house on his parcel of land. His father's house…