George Mason's Gunston Hall

Here follows an excerpt from the Atlas Obscura website:

George Mason's Gunston Hall
Lorton, Virginia
The former home of the man whose radical ideas changed the nation.

George Mason was a semi-retired farmer who rarely left Virginia or got involved in politics. But Mason had become fed up with the political landscape in the colonies. Mason blazed his own trail in the formation of our government and refused to sign the Constitution. He felt it lacked assurances of individual freedom. The document he eventually created for his home state, the Virginia Declaration of Rules, became the framework for the Bill of Rights. Thanks to his stubbornness, the individual rights guaranteed to American citizens have become a model for democracies around the world.

His home was known as Gunston Hall, a National Historic Landmark about 20 miles outside of Washington, D.C. Like his journey from English gentleman to patriot, Mason’s home is an edifice that cannot be easily labeled. A four-year construction project, the modest Georgian-style facade gives no hint to the exquisite craftsmanship inside.

In his political life, Mason was known for an uncanny ability to master details. That skill flowed seamlessly from professional dealings, to the construction of his home. For example, Mason had strict guidelines about the sand used to make the mortar. He checked the seasoning of the timbers and the cut of the mason stones used for corners of the building.

There were two sides to Mason, the statesman and the private farmer. Gunston Hall reflects these two lifestyles. The Palladian Room was used to entertain guests and was a sign of status. The Chinese Room was equally impressive. It was the site of meals that began at 2 p.m. and included three significant courses, while the afternoon sun drenched the canary-colored walls. The seven bedrooms upstairs could be described as simple, yet functional.

Despite making 136 speeches at the 1787 Constitutional Convention about omissions to the Constitution he felt were essential, he was condemned by Constitutional supporters as a bitter old man. Rebuffed and angry, he found refuge at Gunston Hall among his family.

Gunston Hall’s impressive qualities are not confined to the house. Its 550-acres of overall stillness, broken only by the delicate sound of birds and ample walking paths add to its appeal. Sitting behind the house on a high back bench overlooking the Potomac River, visitors can reflect on Mason’s efforts for the greater good.

Know Before You Go
Gunston Hall is open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Guided tours occur from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The grounds close at 6 p.m.


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Here follows an excerpt from the 1970 Fairfax County Master Inventory of Historic Sites which contained entries from the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory:

Gunston Hall:
Gunston Hall was the home of George Mason, the author of the Fairfax Resolves, the first Constitution of Virginia, and the Virginia "Declaration of Rights." The house is a simple one and a half story brick structure, rectangular in shape with massive chimneys at each end, entrance porches in both the front and rear, and dormer windows. The interior, considered one of the most impressive of the Colonial period, is largely the work of William Buckland. Buckland had just been brought from England on an indenture when he worked on Gunston Hall, and he had brought with him books of sketches of the work of the contemporary British architects. He was responsible for the Chinese Chippendale carving in the dining room, probably the earliest example of such carving in this country. The Palladian drawing room, also splendidly carved, is his work as well.

According to Kenneth P. Neill, a former director of Gunston Hall, great care was taken in the restoration of the structure. The painted walls were scraped and the samples analyzed so that the rooms are now shown in their original colors. Very little interior work was needed, though the mantels in both the Chippendale and the Palladian rooms needed to be replaced.

The extensive gardens of Gunston Hall, restored by the Garden Club of Virginia, are spectacular. Neill believed that Mason himself planted the boxwood. There is a well-marked nature trail on the property. Outbuildings include gazebos in the garden and a school building. The old school building, built c. 1760, had long since burned, and in 1955 a similar structure of the same period was brought from Charlotte County and placed on the old foundations.

Gunston Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is administered by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, whose headquarters is at Dunbarton House in Georgetown.


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Here follows an excerpt from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:

Gunston Hall was the home of George Mason, who, along with George Washington, was one of the most important influences in the revolutionary movement. Mason was known as the "pen of the revolution." He was the author of the Fairfax Resolves, the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the First Constitution of Virginia. Mason shunned public office, preferring to remain at Gunston Hall, and the house reflects his good taste in domestic arrangements. He broke with his old friend and neighbor George Washington when Mason refused to endorse the proposed new Constitution of the United States without the addition of a Bill of Rights. On Mason's death, Thomas Jefferson referred to him as the wisest man of his generation. Gunston is open to the public. In an article published by the Alexandria Gazette on October 17, 1872 it stated that Gunston Hall was very much injured during the war and that the Louisiana Tigers were stationed there for a time. However, no time periods were given in the article.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Clio Foundation website about Gunston Hall as written by Genna Duplisea, Daniel Newcomer, and Benjamin Woodard:

Introduction:
Gunston Hall, built around 1755 to 1759, was the plantation and home of Founding Father and writer of the Virginian Declaration of Rights, George Mason. As a neighbor of George Washington, Mason experienced many similar historical events in the 18th century, ranging from the French Indian wars to the colonial rebellion in the American Revolution. Furthermore, Mason served as one of the principal proponents of the Constitutional Rights fundamental to American life today, including freedom of the press, tolerance of religion, and other freedoms. Many of his works and writings inspired the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Bill of Rights, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In addition to it being the home of Gunston Hall, the mansion is known as a classic example of Georgian architecture. More famously, however, the mansion boasts one of the finest examples of ornamental interiors in the nation. Due to the home’s connection with Founding Father George Mason as well as its acclaimed architecture significance, Gunston Hall is a U.S. National Landmark and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Backstory and Context:
In the mid-17th century, George Mason’s great-grandfather immigrated from England to present-day Stafford, Virginia, and from their arrival to Virginia, the Mason family held essential political and economic roles. By the time George Mason was born in 1725, the family was one of the largest local landowners in Fairfax County. As such, certain public obligations fell upon George and, between 1747-1748, he was named to the Fairfax County Court, took a position among the county militia, served as vestryman in the Truro Parish, and he sought a seat in the House of Burgesses (a seat he later won in 1758).

Following the marriage to his wife, Ann, in 1750, George’s prominence and wealth only grew, and probably around 1755, George Mason began building Gunston Hall. Together, George and Ann planned the home and garden along the Potomac, near George Washington’s own plantation. A carpenter and indentured servant from England, William Buckland, designed and built the mansion as well as its world-renowned interior. In addition to the mansion and its gardens, Gunston Hall also featured outbuildings, slave quarters, a schoolhouse, kitchens, and four large plantations.

After Mason’s death (1792) and the selling of the home in 1830, Gunston Hall fell into disarray, marked by neglect and modest restoration. It wasn’t until 1912 that Louis Hertle bought the property and, with his wife, undertook extensive restoration. In 1949, Hertle willed the property to the Commonwealth of Virginia as a museum that the National Society of Colonial Dames would run.