National Historic Landmark

Mount Airy

Warsaw, Richmond County, Virginia
Listed
October 14, 1966
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
66000845

About this property

Mount Airy, near Warsaw in Richmond County, Virginia, is the first neo-Palladian villa mid-Georgian plantation house built in the United States. It was constructed in 1764 for Colonel John Tayloe II, perhaps the richest Virginia planter of his generation, upon the burning of his family's older house. John Ariss is the attributed designer while William Buckland (architect) was the builder/architect. Tayloe's daughter, Rebecca and her husband Francis Lightfoot Lee, one of the only pair of brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence (Richard Henry Lee being the other brother) are buried on the estate, as are many other Tayloes. Before the American Civil War, Mount Airy was a prominent racing horse stud farm, as well as the headquarters of about 10-12 separate but interdependent slave plantations along the Rappahannock River (comprising some 60,000 acres). Mount Airy is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark as well as on the Virginia Landmarks Register and is still privately owned by Tayloe's descendants.

Location

Warsaw, Richmond County, Virginia
37.97096, -76.79398

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Nearby Historic Sites

Chinn House
Industrial
1.9 mi
Sabine Hall
Industrial
2 mi
Richmond County Courthouse
Industrial
2.1 mi
Menokin
Industrial
2.6 mi
Grove Mount
Industrial
3.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Mount Airy listed on the National Register?

Mount Airy was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1966.

What type of historic resource is Mount Airy?

Mount Airy is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Mount Airy a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Mount Airy has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Mount Airy?

The period of significance for Mount Airy is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Mount Airy?

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