Woodlawn 1803-1840 (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this trailside historical marker:

Woodlawn
1803-1840

"A most beautiful site for a Gentleman's seat..."
George Washington, December 1793

Washington presented 2000 acres of his Mount Vernon estate to his nephew Major Lawrence Lewis and Eleanor "Nelly" Parke Custis. Martha Washington's granddaughter, following their February 22, 1799 wedding. Built atop Grey's Hill on a site selected by the first President. Woodlawn was completed in 1805.

In addition to the Dr. William Thornton-designed house and existing outbuildings, the landscape included "a large brick barn, farm house, corn houses, sheds," and Washington's grist mill and distillery complex. Dwellings for the enslaved people, located in several places on the plantation, were described as "composed of rough logs, piled above each other, with the seams smeared with clay."

[Captions:]
The Washington Family by Edward Savage, ca. 1789-98.
Featured is Eleanor Parke Custis between her grandparents. The young George Washington Parke Custis, on the left, would also build a grand house, Arlington. The enslaved man, who may represent Christopher Sheels, was included to denote the Washingtons as Virginia gentry.

Woodlawn by John Robert Murray, 1825.
This riverfront view depicts Major Lawrence Lewis with visiting General Lafayette. Lafayette's son stands with Eleanor Custis Lewis and her daughter, Angela.

Marker Erected by National Endowment for the Humanities, and Education Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.