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Oatlands’ Garden and Grounds OPEN daily 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The visitor center will be closed January and February.
Grounds open daily, Tours available by booking online 24 hours prior.
Questions: 703-727-0670

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Oatlands

Historic House and Gardens

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          Oatlands is open daily
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          Guided Tours must be purchased 24 hours in advance.

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New Year Cake

Enjoy this recipe for New Year Cake found in the Carter family cook book. Unlike recipes we are familiar with today, every single step of making a cake is not written down. It may have been assumed that the cook knew the basic steps for making a cake or the basic directions for cake-baking appear on another page.

This page of the cook book contains many variations of cakes that each list the ingredients and amounts needed as well as any special techniques such as dissolving the sugar in warm water as specified in this recipe. All of the variations are all similarly short.

Carter New Year Cake Recipe

September 2022 Newsletter

Get in the know! Read the newest version of Oatlands’ newsletter to find out about all the new opportunities coming up at Oatlands! https://conta.cc/3x04PzN

August 2022 Newsletter

Get in the know! Read the newest version of Oatlands’ newsletter to find out about all the new opportunities coming up at Oatlands! https://conta.cc/3dsy86Z

Juneteenth

Juneteenth

Oatlands joins the nation in celebrating Juneteenth, the effective end of legal slavery in the United States. Oatlands is dedicated to preserving the history of the former enslaved at Oatlands including their possible living and work places and all available documentation. Your support of Oatlands helps us continue to research, share and preserve important history of the formerly enslaved and their descendants.

Visit Oatlands to see how we are preserving and interpreting the enslaved history, sign up for the Enslavement at Oatlands tour, which is guided by an experienced docent, and check out more information on our website section devoted to the Enslaved, Reclaim Your Story.

Daughter of the Gilded Age – Edith Eustis

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Experience the Gilded Age at Oatlands!

This special Afternoon Tea will be held in the Drawing room at Oatlands’ Mansion, a room decorated in the style of Edith Eustis.

Enjoy a delicious menu, including champagne, and enjoy costumed interpreters who will make the event seem that much more authentic.

See a special exhibit of vintage clothing in the Carriage House.


Daughter of the Guilded Age

Edith Eustis’ early years

Edith Livingston Morton was born into a family of wealth and social prominence in 1874.  She was well educated and expected to marry, have a family and take her place in society.  Her mother raised her five daughters not only to enjoy and lead society, but also to “be responsible ….”

Anna Livingston Reade Street Morton with daughters including Edith shown holding a doll.

Levi_Morton

Edith’s father, Levi Parsons Morton, was wealthy and powerful. He was Vice-President of the United States and then Governor of New York during the Gilded Age.

Levi Parsons Morton, ca. 1876

The Gilded Age refers to the period after the Civil War to roughly the year 1900. The term was purportedly coined to refer to a metaphorical thin layer of gold that covered a society with many problems. It may also refer to the accumulation of immense wealth by a handful of families. The Morton family’s Rhinebeck, New York residence, Ellerslie, is where Edith spent part of her early years.

Ellerslie, Rhinebeck, N.Y.

Edith was educated in New York and France (1881-1885) when her father served as U.S. Minister to France.

Edith Morton is shown here at age 16 in 1890 with her diploma.

The opulence of the Gilded Age is the world that a young Edith Morton entered as she came out into society toward the turn of the 20th century.

Edith was accomplished in social skills but she also had interests of her own. She was described as a “brilliant pianist” in a Washington Post article. She wrote an article entitled “Why Should Girls Have Nothing to do?” for the journal Charities, and she later wrote a novel, Marion Manning.

Edith in 1895 at age 21.

Edith married William Corcoran Eustis on April 30, 1900 at Grace Church in New York City.

The Eustises lived at the Corcoran mansion on Lafayette Square across from the White House.  There she carried out her social duties as a respected Washington Hostess.  These social gatherings might be a tea or party at her house or being a guest of the French Ambassador and Mrs. Jusserand to honor the Russian Ambassador.

New York Times excerpt, 1900

Mansion 1904
Mansion 1904

In 1904 Edith and William Eustis purchased the run-down Oatlands Mansion and acres of land to use as a country home and horse property.

Edith wanted to restore the original home, not re-work it to suit any trendy fashions. She updated the overgrown walled garden to reflect a European pleasure garden while maintaining most of the original infrastructure of the garden. Read more about the garden.

Oatlands Mansion, 1904

STEM Field Trip – Strawberries!

Educating children about farming and plant growth is our passion. Our strawberry field trip combines plant science with local history at Oatlands Historic Mansion and Gardens. Bring your class to our strawberry fields at Oatlands for a hands-on agricultural and history experience. The field trip is perfect for all ages and will be taught to the grade level SOLs.

Your field trip may include a combination of the following elements:

Strawberry Field Trip Child

Strawberry Classroom (20 minutes) As the bus arrives at Oatlands, you will get a hardy farm greeting from your field trip guide. In the strawberry classroom, students will learns about: the Life Cycle of the Strawberry, weather patterns and plant nutrients.

Strawberry Field Trip Children

Strawberry Picking Experience (20 minutes) Students will be led into the strawberry field and shown how to pick a strawberry looking for ripeness, firmness and color. Students will also see first-hand the many stages of plant growth. Each field trip participant will pick their own pint of strawberries to take home and enjoy!

Oatlands Greenhouse (20 minutes) The greenhouse at Oatlands was built in 1810 and is the second oldest greenhouse in the country. Students will explore how the greenhouse was built, how it works and learn how strawberries were grown in it during the Civil War.

Garden Dependencies

Oatlands Gardens (20 minutes) Students will explore the beautiful historic gardens and enjoy the challenge of a scavenger hunt while discovering the many plant varieties.

To schedule your field trip, please complete the field trip schedule form at www.wegmeyerfarms.com. All questions can be sent to our Field Trip Coordinator via email at wegmeyerfarms@yahoo.com.

Learn more about educational programs at Oatlands >

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Spring 2022 Newsletter

Get in the know! Read the newest version of Oatlands’ newsletter to find out about all the new opportunities coming up at Oatlands! https://conta.cc/3KVcHqW

New Board Members

Oatlands welcomes two new Board members: Elizabeth Coppersmith and Katy Reed. They are a valuable addition Oatlands and we are excited to have their involvement as Oatlands continues to fill our mission and offer opportunities for recreation and education to Loudoun County and beyond.

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V I S I T   O A T L A N D S

Garden & Grounds open 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily. Purchase tickets here.

Guided Tours by appointment.

Last tour at 3:00 p.m.

20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane
Leesburg, VA 20175
Tel: 703-727-0670

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