George C. Marshall's Dodona Manor facts for kids
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Dodona Manor
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Dodona Manor in 2018
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 Location in Northern Virginia
Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 312 East Market St., Leesburg, Virginia |
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| Area | 3.88 acres (1.57 ha) |
| Built | 1807, 1820s, 1850s |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Restored | 1995–2005 |
| Restored by | Oak Grove Restoration Co. |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000972 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 19, 1996 |
| Designated NHL | June 19, 1996 |
Dodona Manor is a special house in Leesburg, Virginia. It used to be the home of General George C. Marshall (1880–1959). He was a very important leader during and after World War II. Today, Dodona Manor is a National Historic Landmark and a historic house museum.
The George C. Marshall International Center owns the house. They have made it look just like it did in the 1950s when General Marshall lived there. This house is important because it was the home of a man who was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during World War II. He also served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. He even led the American Red Cross.
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Dodona Manor: A Special Home
General Marshall and his wife, Katherine, bought Dodona Manor in 1941. They paid $16,000 for it. They lived there until General Marshall passed away in 1959. There's a fun story that Katherine paid the owners $10 to hold the house. Then she threw the "for sale" sign into the bushes! She wanted to make sure no one else could buy it.
This house was the only home General Marshall ever owned. It was a quiet place where he thought about big world problems. After he died, Katherine moved away. She gave the house and its land to her daughter, Molly Winn, in 1960.
Saving Dodona Manor
In the early 1990s, Molly Winn wanted to sell the house. Some people in Leesburg worried it might be torn down. So, they formed a group called the George C. Marshall Home Preservation Fund. This group later became the George C. Marshall International Center. They bought Dodona Manor for $2.3 million.
The house needed a lot of work. Over $4.5 million was spent to fix it up. Much of this money came from European countries. These countries had been helped by the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan was a program General Marshall created to help Europe rebuild after World War II.
Dodona Manor opened as a museum on Veterans Day in 2005. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1996. This means it is a very important historical place in the United States.
The History of the House's Name
The house was called Dodona Manor even before the Marshalls bought it. The name comes from a place in ancient Greece called Dodona. In ancient Dodona, priests and priestesses listened to the rustling leaves of oak trees. They believed the sounds were messages from the gods.
There are many oak trees around Dodona Manor. So, the name seemed perfect for the house.
Changes Over Time
Dodona Manor is an old house. It had a two-story building in the early 1800s. Over the years, different owners added to it and changed it. For example, in the 1820s, a new part was added in the Federal style.
The house was even a school for girls for a short time in the 1860s. When the Marshalls bought it, they made some changes too. They added a stone court and changed the wooden porch to a stronger brick one.
Amazing Collections Inside
Dodona Manor is special because most of the things inside belonged to the Marshalls. Over 90% of the furniture and items were used by them! These items were given to the museum by Mrs. Marshall's family.
Experts carefully planned how to fix and display everything. They even made sure the floors and walls looked just like they did when the Marshalls lived there.
Famous Art and Gifts
You can see copies of art given to the Marshalls. One is a copy of a painting by Sir Winston Churchill. He was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. He painted View of Tinherir in Morocco and gave it to the Marshalls in 1953.
Another copy is Evening by a Russian artist. This painting was a gift to General Marshall from Vyacheslav Molotov. He was the foreign minister of the Soviet Union. It was a thank you for Marshall's work during World War II.
Dodona Manor also has an original black and white painting by Soong Mei-ling. She was the wife of the president of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek. She and the Marshalls became good friends. Madame Chiang even visited Dodona Manor several times.
Other Chinese art pieces are also in the house. These include paintings given as gifts to Katherine Marshall.
Personal Treasures
For Christmas in 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent a print of his own watercolor painting to Mrs. Marshall. It shows Mount Eisenhower in Canada. Both the painting and a handwritten note are on display.
You can also see General Marshall's favorite red La-Z-Boy chair. It's next to his old General Electric radio and TV. He loved to listen to his favorite baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. He also watched TV shows like I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke.
His library room has many special items. These include small statues of a Chinese wedding. Madame Chiang Kai-shek gave them to him. There's also a portrait of Colonel Robert E. Lee. General Marshall admired Lee and George Washington as brilliant military leaders. You can see many portraits of them throughout the house.
Guest Rooms and Habits
Madame Chiang was a guest at Dodona Manor many times. The original main bedroom was changed into a guest room for her. General and Katherine Marshall used two smaller guest bedrooms. These rooms were connected by a Jack and Jill bathroom.
They liked having separate bedrooms. George was a military man who woke up early. Katherine liked to sleep late and have breakfast in bed. Madame Chiang often brought her own servants, who stayed in the grandchildren's nursery.
The Beautiful Grounds
The land around Dodona Manor has also been restored. It looks just like it did in the 1950s. There's a big vegetable garden. General Marshall found gardening relaxing, especially after stressful days as Army Chief of Staff.
Katherine loved growing roses. A restored rose garden now shows the types of roses she grew. General Marshall himself was known for being a big fan of using mulch in gardening.
See also
