Okeley Manor
Encyclopedia
Okeley Manor was an early 19th-century plantation
in Fairfax County
, Virginia
, United States
. Okeley, the residence of prominent Alexandria
physician
Richard Chichester Mason
(1793–1869), was one of the principal Mason family estates in Northern Virginia
. Mason' manor house was used as a hospital during the American Civil War
and burned to prevent the spread of smallpox
.
on 7 October 1792, Richard Chichester Mason's father Thomson
inherited a portion of the Gunston Hall
estate. Around 1817, Thomson Mason divided the property into two plantations: Dogue Run farm for his son Richard C. Mason and Hunting Creek farm
adjacent to Mount Vernon
for his elder brother Thomson Francis Mason
(1785–1838).
Mason and his family began living on Dogue Run farm sometime before 1834 in Okeley Manor, the mansion he built. Although much older than most soldiers, Mason served with the Confederate States Army
in Richmond
during the American Civil War
. He returned to Okeley Manor at age 72 to find the residence, used during the war as a hospital, had been burned to the ground to prevent the spread of smallpox
. Mason also found that "a negro and an Irishman" were in possession of the Okeley property.
By 1880, his son Beverley Randolph Mason
had recovered the land. He was living in a house he built on the hill. Beverley's descendants sold Okeley in 1916, ending Mason ownership of any of the original Gunston Hall land parcel.
The two parcels of original Mason land were used for farming in the early 20th century. After having been reassembled and years of being used for light industrial purposes, much of the land was sold by the Interior Department to Fairfax County in 1975 for park purposes. It is now part of Huntley Meadows Park
. A boardwalk was built for access to wetland areas, as well as other walk and bikeways.
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Okeley, the residence of prominent Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
Richard Chichester Mason
Richard Chichester Mason
Richard Chichester Mason was a prominent physician practicing in Alexandria, Virginia. Mason was a grandson of George Mason and his wife Ann Eilbeck.-Early life and education:...
(1793–1869), was one of the principal Mason family estates in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
. Mason' manor house was used as a hospital during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and burned to prevent the spread of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
.
History
Upon the death of Mason's grandfather George MasonGeorge Mason
George Mason IV was an American Patriot, statesman and a delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention...
on 7 October 1792, Richard Chichester Mason's father Thomson
Thomson Mason (1759–1820)
Thomson Mason was a prominent entrepreneur, planter, civil servant, and justice. Mason was the son of George Mason, an American patriot, statesman, and delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention....
inherited a portion of the Gunston Hall
Gunston Hall
Gunston Hall is an 18th-century Georgian mansion near the Potomac River in Mason Neck, Virginia, United States of America. The house was the home of the United States Founding Father George Mason. It was located at the center of a 5500 acre plantation...
estate. Around 1817, Thomson Mason divided the property into two plantations: Dogue Run farm for his son Richard C. Mason and Hunting Creek farm
Huntley (plantation)
Huntley is an early 19th-century Federal-style plantation manor in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County, Virginia., on a hill overlooking Huntley Meadows Park to the south. The estate is best known as the country residence of Thomson Francis Mason , grandson of George Mason of nearby Gunston Hall...
adjacent to Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
The name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...
for his elder brother Thomson Francis Mason
Thomson Francis Mason
Thomson Francis Mason was a prominent jurist, lawyer, councilman, judge, and the mayor of Alexandria, District of Columbia between 1827 and 1830.-Early life and education:...
(1785–1838).
Mason and his family began living on Dogue Run farm sometime before 1834 in Okeley Manor, the mansion he built. Although much older than most soldiers, Mason served with the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He returned to Okeley Manor at age 72 to find the residence, used during the war as a hospital, had been burned to the ground to prevent the spread of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. Mason also found that "a negro and an Irishman" were in possession of the Okeley property.
By 1880, his son Beverley Randolph Mason
Beverley Randolph Mason
Beverley Randolph Mason was a renowned educator and founder and principal of the Gunston Hall School for young women in Washington, D.C. Mason was a great-grandson of George Mason, author of the Virginia Bill of Rights....
had recovered the land. He was living in a house he built on the hill. Beverley's descendants sold Okeley in 1916, ending Mason ownership of any of the original Gunston Hall land parcel.
The two parcels of original Mason land were used for farming in the early 20th century. After having been reassembled and years of being used for light industrial purposes, much of the land was sold by the Interior Department to Fairfax County in 1975 for park purposes. It is now part of Huntley Meadows Park
Huntley Meadows Park
Huntley Meadows Park, the largest park operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority , is located in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County, Virginia, south of the city of Alexandria. The park features a visitor center, a beaver-created wetland with boardwalk, wildlife observation platforms, and...
. A boardwalk was built for access to wetland areas, as well as other walk and bikeways.
Events
- Beverley Randolph MasonBeverley Randolph MasonBeverley Randolph Mason was a renowned educator and founder and principal of the Gunston Hall School for young women in Washington, D.C. Mason was a great-grandson of George Mason, author of the Virginia Bill of Rights....
(1834–1910), son of Dr. Richard Chichester MasonRichard Chichester MasonRichard Chichester Mason was a prominent physician practicing in Alexandria, Virginia. Mason was a grandson of George Mason and his wife Ann Eilbeck.-Early life and education:...
and Lucy Bolling Randolph, was born at Okeley Manor on 1 September 1834. - Susan Josephine Beverley Mason (1888–1962), daughter of Beverley Randolph Mason and Elizabeth Harrison Nelson, was born at Okeley Manor on 17 January 1888.