Woodlawn Plantation is a historic home located in Fairfax County, Virginia

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...

, and was originally a part of Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon (plantation)

Mount Vernon, located near Alexandria, Virginia, was the plantation home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. The mansion is built of wood in neoclassical Georgian architectural style, and the estate is located on the banks of the Potomac River.Mount Vernon was designated...

, George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

's historic plantation estate.

Eleanor "Nelly" Parke Custis

Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis

Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis , known as Nelly, was the granddaughter of Martha Washington and the step-granddaughter of George Washington.-Childhood:Nelly was the daughter of John Parke Custis and Eleanor Calvert Custis...

 was Martha Washington

Martha Washington

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...

's granddaughter and had been raised on the Mount Vernon estate as a part of the First Family. In 1799, George Washington gave his step-granddaughter, Eleanor (Nelly) Parke Custis, and his nephew Major Lawrence Lewis 2000 acres (809.4 ha) of land as a wedding present. The President asked the distinguished architect Dr. William Thornton

William Thornton

Dr. William Thornton was a British-American physician, inventor, painter and architect who designed the United States Capitol, an authentic polymath...

, architect of the U.S. Capitol, to design a home for the young newlywed couple.

Construction of the Woodlawn house began in 1800 and was finished in 1805. The main Woodlawn house is located on a hill, overlooking Mount Vernon, and the Mount Vernon home is visible from the Woodlawn house. Today, 126 acres containing the original house and surrounding gardens are all that remain of the original plantation. The remainder of the property was sold for development over the years. The Woodlawn Plantation is owned and operated as a museum by the National Trust for Historic Preservation

National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...

, part of the National Trust Community Investment Corporation

National Trust Community Investment Corporation

The National Trust Community Investment Corporation is a private, for-profit subsidiary of the American National Trust for Historic Preservation, founded in 2000. NTCIC is a tax credit syndicator...

, and is open to the public throughout the year, with many special events occurring from April-October.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1970 and designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 in 1998.

On the premises of the Woodlawn Plantation is also the site of the Loren Pope Residence, a Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...

 designed house.

The address is 9000 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, Virginia

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...

. Laurie Ossman serves as the director of Woodlawn and of the Pope-Leighy house. Susan Hellman is the Deputy Director.