Sherwood Forest Plantation facts for kids
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John Tyler House (Sherwood Forest)
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Sherwood Forest in 2021
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 Location in Virginia
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| Nearest city | Charles City, Virginia |
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| Area | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| Built | 1842 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000922 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | July 4, 1961 |
Sherwood Forest Plantation is a historic home located in Charles City County, Virginia. It sits near the James River. This famous house was the home of John Tyler, who was the tenth President of the United States. He lived there for the last 20 years of his life. The house is found along State Route 5, a beautiful road that connects Richmond and Williamsburg. The house is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the river. It was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
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A President's Home
It is sometimes thought that Sherwood Forest is the only private home owned by two unrelated U.S. presidents. However, this is not quite right. Another president, William Henry Harrison, owned land nearby. John Tyler, who was Harrison's Vice President and became president after Harrison's death, bought Sherwood Forest in 1842. He moved there after he finished his time as president.
Why John Tyler Chose Sherwood Forest
John Tyler renamed the plantation "Sherwood Forest" in 1842. He said the name showed that he felt like an "outlaw" because of how the Whig political party treated him. He liked the plantation because it was close to where he was born at Greenway Plantation. He retired to Sherwood Forest in 1845 after leaving the White House. He lived there for the rest of his life with his second wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler, and some of his many children. He had eight children with his first wife and seven with his second wife. His youngest child, Pearl, was born in 1860 when Tyler was 70 years old.
Sherwood Forest During the Civil War
In 1861, disagreements in the United States grew into the American Civil War. John Tyler supported Virginia's decision to leave the United States. He passed away in January 1862. Later that spring, soldiers from the Union Army stayed at the house during a military campaign in 1862. They returned again in 1864. During this time, a battle called the Battle of Wilson's Wharf happened nearby.
When an Ohio regiment of Union soldiers left the house in 1864, they tried to burn it down. This was meant as punishment for Tyler's support of the Confederacy. However, an enslaved person quickly put out the fire, and the house was not badly damaged.
Unique Features of the House
The house is famous for being very long, stretching 301 feet (91 meters). It has a long, narrow ballroom. President Tyler added this part to the house for a popular dance style of his time, which is now known as "line dancing" but was then called the "Virginia reel."
The Tyler family has owned Sherwood Forest since John Tyler bought it in 1842. Most recently, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, who was President Tyler's grandson, owned the home with his wife, Frances Payne Bouknight Tyler. They worked to restore the house and its grounds. They used information from over 47,000 letters that described how the house looked, its furniture, and the gardens. Today, you can visit the house for tours by making an appointment. The grounds are open daily for self-guided tours from 9 AM to 5 PM, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Life and Labor at the Plantation
The Sherwood Forest Plantation was used by the Tyler family to grow and process large amounts of tobacco. Like many plantations in the Southern United States at the time, the Tylers owned dozens of African American slaves. Records show that between 54 and 70 enslaved people lived and worked there from when the Tylers bought the plantation in 1842 until slavery ended in 1865. Some of the enslaved families had the last names Armistead, Hall, Black, and Short.
Julia Gardiner Tyler, who was from New York where slavery had been abolished, publicly defended slavery. In 1853, she wrote an article in the Southern Literary Messenger to respond to British noblewomen who had criticized slavery in the Southern United States. In her article, Mrs. Tyler argued that enslaved people in the South had better lives than working-class people in England at that time.
The Tyler Family Cemetery
There is a special pet cemetery on the property where Tyler family pets were, and still are, buried. One of the most famous pets buried there is John Tyler's horse, The General.
The staff at Sherwood Forest also take care of a small area where John Tyler had planned to be buried. In January 1862, while in Richmond for his work with the Confederate House of Representatives, Tyler became very ill. He passed away while making plans to return to Sherwood Forest. His wish to be buried at his home was not followed. Instead, he was buried in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery.
See also
