Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/09/1969
NRHP Listing Date 10/15/1966
NHL Listing Date 10/09/1960
DHR's Board of Historic Resources Easement
NRHP Reference Number 66000829
Thomas Fairfax, sixth Baron Fairfax of Cameron (1693-1781), was the proprietor of a five-million-acre grant of northern Virginia lands inherited from his mother, daughter of Lord Culpeper. Fairfax set up residence at Greenway Court in 1752 in order to manage this vast holdings firsthand. He lived in what was a hunting lodge, replaced in 1828 by the present brick farmhouse. Of the original Clarke County complex, only the modest stone land office (pictured above), porter’s lodge, and a plank “powder house” remain, all probably dating from the 1760s. George Washington, who began his career as a surveyor for Lord Fairfax, was a frequent visitor at Greenway Court. While the three earliest buildings are significant survivors of Fairfax’s establishment, the grounds likely hold a rich store of archaeological data relating to what is the region’s premier colonial site. The surrounding scenic cultural landscape has been listed as the Greenway Rural Historic District.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: January 31, 2022
