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Gunston Hall Review
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Gunston Hall
- Address: 10709 Gunston Rd., Mason Neck, VA | Map It
- Phone: 703/550-9220
- www.gunstonhall.org
- Category: Houses/Mansions
- Location: Mount Vernon area
Fodor's Review:
Gunston Hall Plantation, down the Potomac from Mount Vernon, was the home of another important George. Gentleman farmer George Mason was a colonel of the Fairfax militia and author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the model for the U.S. Bill of Rights, which called for freedom of the press, tolerance of religion, and other fundamental democratic principles. Mason was a framer of the Constitution but refused to sign the final document because it didn't stop the importation of slaves, adequately restrain the powers of the federal government, or include a bill of rights. Mason's objections spurred the movement for the inclusion of the Bill of Rights into the Constitution.
Mason's home was built circa 1755. The Georgian-style mansion has some of the finest hand-carved ornamented interiors in the country. It's the handiwork of the 18th-century's foremost architect, William Buckland, who also designed the Hammond-Harwood and Chase-Lloyd houses in Annapolis. Gunston Hall is built of brick, black walnut, and yellow pine. The style of the time demanded symmetry in all structures, which explains the false door set into one side of the center hallway. The house's interior, which has carved woodwork in styles from Chinese to Gothic, has been meticulously restored, with paints made from the original formulas and carefully carved replacements for the intricate mahogany medallions in the moldings. Restored outbuildings include a kitchen, dairy, laundry, and smokehouse. A schoolhouse has also been reconstructed.
The formal gardens, under excavation by a team of archaeologists, are famous for their boxwoods -- some, now 12 feet high, are thought to have been planted during George Mason's time, making them among the oldest in the country. The Potomac is visible past the expansive deer park. Also on the grounds is an active farmyard with livestock and crop species; special programs, such as history lectures and hearth-cooking demonstrations, are offered throughout the year. A tour of Gunston Hall takes at least 45 minutes; tours begin at the visitor center, which includes a museum and gift shop.
- Cost: $8
- Open: Daily 9:30-5; first tour at 10, last tour at 4:30
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