Woodlawn Plantation
Title
Woodlawn Plantation
Date
1805
Description
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 Trust for Historic Preservation. Their new director is working on research and interpretation of the enslaved community on the property.
Northern Quakers purchased the property from the Washington heirs and worked with the local free Black community to show that slavery was not necessary for agricultural success. An early “Colored School” held its first meetings in the mansion.
Northern Quakers purchased the property from the Washington heirs and worked with the local free Black community to show that slavery was not necessary for agricultural success. An early “Colored School” held its first meetings in the mansion.
Source
“Soil Tilled by Free Men: The Formation of a Free Black Community in Fairfax County, Virginia” by Maddy McCoy and Susan Hellman, Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol 125, No 1
“What’s in a Name” Woodlawn Elementary School,” Fairfax County Public Schools, https://woodlawnes.fcps.edu/about/history
Woodlawn Cultural Landscape Historic District Nomination Form, Virginia Department of Historic Resources
Location
9000 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22309
District
Mount Vernon
Collection
Citation
“Woodlawn Plantation,” Fairfax County African American History Inventory, accessed October 24, 2026, https://fairfaxaahi.centerformasonslegacies.com/items/show/38.