Greenway Court, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Greenway Court was the estate
and hunting lodge of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
(1693-1781) in what is now Clarke County
, Virginia
, United States
. The surviving remnants of the complex — a later replacement brick house and Fairfax’s stone land office — are a National Historic Landmark
(1960) and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(1966).
, from 1751 until his death in 1781. Also housed on the estate were Fairfax's approximately 200 black slaves. Fairfax was the only English peer residing in the Colonies and was proprietor of a 5 million acres (20,234.3 km²) land grant (the "Northern Neck
Proprietary
" or "Fairfax Grant
"). He had employed a teenaged George Washington
as a surveyor.
.jpg)
Greenway Court is approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) south of White Post
on VA 658.
A visit to this estate is the subject of "A Night at Greenway Court
," an 1896 short story by Willa Cather
.
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
and hunting lodge of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was the son of Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and of Catherine, daughter of Thomas Culpeper, 2nd Baron Culpeper of Thoresway....
(1693-1781) in what is now Clarke County
Clarke County, Virginia
Clarke County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 14,034. Its county seat is Berryville.-History:Clarke County was established in 1836 by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron who built a home, Greenway Court, on part of his 5 million acre property,...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The surviving remnants of the complex — a later replacement brick house and Fairfax’s stone land office — are a 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...
(1960) and are 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...
(1966).
The site
A lifelong bachelor, Lord Fairfax resided at the lodge with his nephew, Thomas Bryan MartinThomas Bryan Martin
Colonel Thomas Bryan Martin was an early American jurist, legislator, and prominent landowner.-Biography:Martin was born in England to Denny Martin and his wife, Frances Fairfax , sister of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron , and arrived in Virginia from England in 1751...
, from 1751 until his death in 1781. Also housed on the estate were Fairfax's approximately 200 black slaves. Fairfax was the only English peer residing in the Colonies and was proprietor of a 5 million acres (20,234.3 km²) land grant (the "Northern Neck
Northern Neck
The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This peninsula is bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the south. It encompasses the following Virginia counties: Lancaster,...
Proprietary
Proprietary colony
A proprietary colony was a colony in which one or more individuals, usually land owners, remaining subject to their parent state's sanctions, retained rights that are today regarded as the privilege of the state, and in all cases eventually became so....
" or "Fairfax Grant
Fairfax proprietary
The Northern Neck Proprietary — also called the Northern Neck land grant, Fairfax Proprietary, or Fairfax Grant — was a land grant first contrived by the exiled British King Charles II in 1649 and encompassing all the lands bounded by the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers in colonial Virginia...
"). He had employed a teenaged 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...
as a surveyor.
White Post, Virginia
White Post is an unincorporated town in Clarke County, Virginia, USA. White Post is located at the crossroads of White Post and Berrys Ferry Roads off Lord Fairfax Highway White Post is an unincorporated town in Clarke County, Virginia, USA. White Post is located at the crossroads of White Post and...
on VA 658.
A visit to this estate is the subject of "A Night at Greenway Court
A Night at Greenway Court
A Night at Greenway Court is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Nebraska Literary Magazine in June 1896. Four years later a revised version was published in the Library.-Plot summary:...
," an 1896 short story by Willa Cather
Willa Cather
Willa Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I...
.
Unincorporated community
Greenway Court is used as a name to describe an unincorporated community in which the former estate is located.External links
- Greenway Court, Clarke County, one photo at Virginia DHR
- Greenway Court, Estate Office, State Route 658 vicinity, White Post vicinity, Clarke County, VA: 7 photos, 2 data pages and supplemental material; Greenway Court, Powder House: 6 photos, 4 drawings, 2 data pages and supplemental material; Greenway Court, Outbuilding: 4 photos; and Greenway Court: Unprocessed notes available; at Historic American Building Survey
- Greenway Court