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Oatlands

Historic House and Gardens

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Remembering the Enslaved of Oatlands

Descendants of the enslaved people of Oatlands gathered in front of the Smokehouse on April 11, 2015 to cut the ribbon marking the inception of the Reclaim Your Story exhibit

If you are looking for a place where you and your family can learn and discuss more about our American history and the impact of slavery, we invite you to visit Oatlands Historic House and Gardens. Oatlands has been a cultural hub in Loudoun County through its historical association with powerful names like Carter, Corcoran, Eustis, Roosevelt and more. Some of the most impactful people are those whose names are forgotten—but whose presence is evident if you take a closer look.

We encourage you to visit and take an Enslaved Tour, part of our ongoing initiative dedicated to sharing the stories the enslaved African American community was denied to tell.By 1860, the Carters were the largest slave owners in Loudoun County. They owned 133 enslaved men, women and children. These men, women and children were responsible for building an agricultural enterprise that gave Carter great success. Just one visible example of the enslaved community’s labor is the brick that make up a great deal of our landscape. The brick structures that were built by enslaved labor include the historic mansion, the Dairy/Bachelors Cottage, the Smokehouse and the Carter Barn—the hub of all plantation business.

Today, the one-story Smokehouse where the enslaved stored and preserved meat products is where we preserve and give light to the Reclaim Your Story exhibit, a project funded by the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation with support from the JPB Foundation.

On April 11, 2015, Oatlands partnered with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudoun (UUCL) and the Loudoun Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee to dedicate two Civil War Trails markers focusing on the enslaved at Oatlands. It was a chance for the descendants to share stories and fill in some of the faded names of their family tree. And has turned into an enlightening annual reunion at Oatlands. Sadly, this reunion was cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On October 1, 2017, Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall, Oatlands and others discussed Loudoun County’s complex American history as it relates to enslavement and the Civil War.

We ask guests to consider the skill and effort a person would have had to go through in making the red bricks that have lasted over 200 years. When you touch the walls of the brick buildings, you are touching the same brick that was handled by an enslaved person. An enslaved person dug the clay meant to make thousands of bricks. An enslaved person stacked the bricks to construct the mansion, the Smoke House the garden buildings, two barns and the large grain mill on Goose Creek. When you touch one of these bricks at Oatlands, you are touching a piece of our collective American history!

Commodore Charles Morris

Once the United States won its independence, it lost the protection of the British Royal Navy. The fledgling country had to take on the task of protecting its own ships and interests at sea. A strong Naval force was essential in protecting independence and establishing strategic allies. One instrumental figure in the natal stages of the U.S. Navy, was Commodore Charles Morris. Morris was William Eustis’ maternal great-grandfather.

Photo of Commodore Charles Morris by Southworth & Hawes, circa 1850

Born in Woodstock, Connecticut, in 1784, Morris joined the Navy at the age of 15, during the Quasi-War with France. His Naval career spanned 57 years and marked many key points in U.S. Navy military history. In 1804, Morris is said to have been at Stephen Decatur’s side during the fabled burning of the captured Philadelphia in Tripoli Harbor.

During the War of 1812, he was second in command to Isaac Hull when the USS Constitution defeated HMS Guerriere.

Once promoted to commodore, Morris served twice in the South Atlantic, flying his flag in the frigate Constellation in 1819-1820, and ship of the line Delaware in 1841-44. He served in many key posts, including Navy Commissioner between 1823-1827, Chief of the Bureau of Construction Equipment and Repairs from 1844-1847. He died in Washington D.C. on January 27, 1856.

Charles Morris portrait
Portrait of Commodore Charles Morris, as seen in the dining room of the Oatlands mansion

Today, the Morris name is remembered through ships, such as the USS Morris and USS Commodore Morris, as well as the Charles Morris Court within the Washington Navy Yard.

The Oatlands Connection Explained

In 1835, his daughter Louise elopes and marries William Wilson Corcoran, a philanthropist and banker who co-founded Riggs Bank. Louise and William had three children, of which only one survived into adulthood. This child is Louise Morris Corcoran, who later marries George Eustis Jr.
Louise and George had two sons and one daughter. One of their sons, William Corcoran Eustis, married Edith Livingston Morton and together they modernized the Oatlands mansion.

Morton Eustis in World War II

Morton Eustis in his WWII uniform

As the United States felt the toll of another world war, Morton Eustis left the comforts of home to serve his country. Receiving his Army Air Corps commission in 1942, he was stationed in North Africa doing primarily desk work. However, Morton continued to push for combat roles, knowing that at age 36, he had very much surpassed the 28-year mark typically admitted into the infantry. What drove Morton to strive for combat?

Morton came from a well-connected family. His grandfather was former Vice President Levi P. Morton of New York. His father, William Corcoran Eustis, served as personal secretary to General Pershing during World War I. One would think he had all the connections necessary to keep him out of harms way, but Morton chose to join the fray. Under George Patton’s 2nd Armored Division, known as, “Hell on Wheels”, Morton got his wish.

From the front of a tank, no doubt, Morton’s memories of pleasant times spent in the Virginia countryside at Oatlands grew more precious. In his letters home, he recounts swimming in the pool and playing the organ at the old abandoned church. In one letter, he paints a vivid picture of fitting 162 men into a space the size of the drawing room at Oatlands!
June 6, 1944 marks the D-Day invasion, when over 156,000 American, British, and Canadian troops executed a critical turning point for the war. After participating in the Sicilian campaign, Morton was sent to England for cross-channel training—one week after D-Day—and was immediately thrown in to defend the Cotentin Peninsula.

Morton’s Silver Star

Morton participated in the liberation of Avranches in July of 1944. As the Division progressed, they made their way to Domfront, France where, on August 13, 1944, Morton was killed by enemy fire. In his pocket, a casual photograph of the President, with the inscription on the back that read, “From his old friend Franklin Roosevelt.”

Among his commendations, Morton Eustis is the recipient of a Silver Star medal and a Purple Heart. Today, a memorial stands near where Morton fell while leading his platoon between St. Mars and Domfront, France. This tribute to the French resistance has a plaque that reads, “To American Lt. Eustis. Killed in the liberty of the people.” Morton was buried in Normandy and there is a cenotaph in his memory at Oak Hill Cemetery, in Washington D.C. that reads, “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.”

A Foxcroft Tradition at Oatlands

It’s no surprise that when Edith Eustis settled in at Oatlands and the time came to decide on the education of her young daughters, she embraced the pioneering teaching ethics of Charlotte Haxall Noland and the Foxcroft School, in nearby Middleburg, Virginia.

Edith was the daughter of Vice President Levi Parsons Morton—who served under 23rd President Benjamin Harrison. Her mother was the beloved Second Lady of the United States, Anna Livingston Morton. Mrs. Morton handled the entertaining duties of the administration, due to First Lady Caroline Harrison’s poor health and eventual death. Edith was raised with a great emphasis on education. She was an accomplished musician, playing a variety instruments, spoke several languages, and was a woman of society.

Babs (pictured; back left) followed her sister’s footsteps attending Foxcroft School and playing on the basketball team

Miss Noland, an acquaintance of the family, was an avid athlete, attending the Sargent School of Physical Education at Harvard and Oxford University. In 1914, she founded Foxcroft School. Foxcroft was—and continues to be—a boarding school for girls that embraces sports as part of the curriculum. Noland strongly believed in the importance of athletic activity and chose the Latin phrase, “mens sana in corpore sano,” meaning, “a healthy mind in a healthy body” as the school’s motto.

Miss Noland appears in letters written to Margaret while she was a Foxcroft student. The Oatlands archives has a picture of Babs Eustis photographed with her basketball team; a sport Miss Noland introduced to the girls at Foxcroft.

Like Oatlands Historic House and Gardens, Foxcroft School continues to stand as a pillar of the Loudoun County community.

Answering the Call to Volunteer

Now, more than ever, we rely on the care and compassion of medical professionals and essential workers. Citizens are banding together (separately!) to support these individuals by sewing masks, donating blood, and sending donations. It puts us in mind of our Margaret…

When the United States entered World War II, millions of Americans served their country by performing both civilian and military jobs left vacant by those fighting on the front lines. One such woman answering the call was Mrs. Margaret Eustis Finley, whose family owned Oatlands as their country estate from 1903-1964.

No stranger to volunteerism, Margaret and her siblings were taught early to give back to their communities, and beyond. Margaret’s own mother, Edith Morton Eustis, served as president of the first Ambulance Red Cross Equipment Society of New York in the late 1890’s, and even gave French lessons to American soldiers in World War I. It was only natural that Margaret followed the example set by her mother.

Margaret (who became Mrs. Finley in 1931) began volunteering with the D.C. chapter of the American Red Cross in 1939, eventually flexing her leadership ability as a member of its board of directors. As the United States entered the second World War, Mrs. Finley led the Camp and Hospital Service of the American Red Cross District chapter. This role encompassed Fort Belvoir, Bolling Field, Fort Washington and some outlying camps in Virginia.

Mrs. Margaret Eustis Finley is pictured wearing the uniform of the volunteer outdoor service of the Red Cross.
Mrs. Margaret Eustis Finley is pictured wearing the uniform of the volunteer outdoor service of the Red Cross.

After the war, Finley continued serving at the District’s Red Cross headquarters in various capacities, such as chairman of the blood donor recruitment committee. Balancing this and other projects, such as her involvement with the National Gallery of Art with her husband David E. Finley, who served as its first director.

Having lived her life with an altruistic spirit, Mrs. Finley received several accolades. Among them, in 1952, she was the first woman to receive the “Citizen of the Month” award from the D.C. Department of the American Legion. Following her death in 1977, she was the recipient of the Mabel Boardman Award, the highest honor given by the D.C. chapter of the American Red Cross.

Her legacy continues to inspire the visitors of Oatlands Historic House and Gardens and we look forward to sharing more.

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