Ravensworth was the largest colonial landgrant in Fairfax County – 24,112 acres (37.7 square miles), about one-half the area of nearby Washington, DC. The land was repeatedly carved into smaller and …

The story of Ravensworth starts with William Fitzhugh, who bought the Ravensworth landgrant as a speculative investment in 1685. He is commonly referred to as William Fitzhugh (the Immigrant) to …

William Fitzhugh (of Chatham) built Ravensworth Mansion circa 1796. In his mid-50s and successful in both business and politics, the new home in the country was said to be a retreat away from the social …

Few historically significant landmarks survive today within and near Ravensworth’s original borders. A few more are remembered by historical signs placed near their former locations.

William Fitzhugh (the Immigrant) in his lifetime amassed 54,000 acres in several land holdings including Ravensworth. He established his residence and seat of operations on the Potomac River, first at …

The Ravensworth landgrant boundary is based on the companion map to Beth Mitchell’s Beginning at a White Oak: Patents and Northern Neck Grants of Fairfax County, Virginia.

During the era of Protestant control in England (1649 to 1660), when King Charles II was in exile, he granted to six loyal supporters the rights to all land in the North American colonies lying bet…

The story of the land traces this step-by-step dissolving of Ravensworth into progressively smaller pieces from 1685 to the late 19th century. Ravensworth was itself parcelled out of the vast 5.2 million …

Honeymooned at Ravensworth Mansion, where Mary and their children sheltered briefly with Anna Maria Fitzhugh at start of the Civil War. Their five living children inherited 8350 Ravensworth acres in …

I am indebted to the contributions of the many historians and researchers who have documented and generously shared their findings about Ravensworth. Every effort is made to respect creative …