Greenway Court, Virginia facts for kids
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Greenway Court
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Early-19th-century engraving
of the main house at Greenway Court |
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 Location in Northern Virginia
Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1 mi. S of White Post on VA 658, White Post, Virginia |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1748 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000829 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | October 9, 1960 |
Greenway Court is a very old and important country estate located near White Post in Clarke County, Virginia. It was once the main home of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who was the only British noble (a person with a special title like "Lord") to ever live in one of the American colonies. This place was the center of his huge land empire in the 1700s. Today, you can still see a brick house built later and Lord Fairfax's old stone office building. Because of its history, Greenway Court was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
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What is Greenway Court?
Greenway Court is found at the end of a long private road, south of the small village of White Post. While the property today is about 5 acres (2.0 ha) (which is about the size of five football fields), in the 1700s, it was at the heart of a massive land area that covered over 5 million acres (20,000 km2)!
What You Can See Today
The main building you see at Greenway Court now is a brick farmhouse built in 1828. The original house, where Lord Fairfax lived, was taken down around 1834. However, some very old buildings from Lord Fairfax's time are still standing. One important building is the Land Office. This is a stone building with a sloped roof, built around 1762. It was where all the important papers about Lord Fairfax's land were kept. There's also an old wooden smokehouse from the 1700s.
The Story of Greenway Court
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Greenway Court was the center of what was called the "Northern Neck Proprietary" or "Fairfax Grant." This was a huge area of land that Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, inherited from his mother's family. They had owned the rights to this land since 1673.
Lord Fairfax and His Land
Lord Fairfax planned the Greenway Court estate in 1747. He wanted it to be a much bigger place than it ended up being. The first main house was made of timber and had a unique roof and brick chimneys. It was first meant for the person who managed the land. However, Lord Fairfax himself moved into it with his nephew, Thomas Bryan Martin, and lived there until he passed away in 1781.
George Washington's Connection
Lord Fairfax owned a vast amount of land. He hired a young man named George Washington to work as a surveyor on his properties. A surveyor is someone who measures and maps out land. This was an important job that helped George Washington learn a lot about the land and the area.
What Happened to the Original House?
After Lord Fairfax died, the original main house at Greenway Court was left empty. Its roof eventually collapsed in 1834, and the building was then taken down.
The estate is also famous because it was the setting for a short story called "A Night at Greenway Court." This story was written in 1896 by a well-known author named Willa Cather.
