Ash
Grove
Tysons Corner, Virginia
#NC-06105-HM - Notecards
Evidence
suggests that Ash Grove was built on the stone and brick foundation
of a log house. This hunting lodge was used by Thomas, sixth Lord
Fairfax, for whom Fairfax County is named. Ownership of the 5,568
acre site transferred to William in 1740, then to Bryan, and to
Thomas, ninth Lord Fairfax, in 1788.
Ash
Grove, begun about 1790, was one room deep, 3 stories high including
the finished garret. The property was a gift to Henry, son of
Thomas. Henry was killed in the Mexican War and his widow sold
the 241 acre site to James Sherman.
Having
relocated from Locke, New York, Sherman became prominent as a
farmer, mill owner and school teacher. Ash Grove remained the
Sherman family seat from 1850 until 1997. Wilson and Lee Sherman
sold the property to a developer who proffered the historic core
of the site to the Fairfax County Park Authority. The stewardship
tradition of the Fairfax and Sherman families continues.
Text
© 1998 Terry White, Drawing © 1998 Bill Harrah
.
. . HISTORIC HOMES . . . (Click on an image to
see the actual notecard size)