Oatlands begins…
In 1798 a young bachelor named George Carter inherited 3,408 acres of prime Loudoun County, Virginia farmland. Carter was a descendant of one of Virginia’s first families. Oatlands based its plantation economy on wheat production, and eventually Carter branched out to grow other small grains; raise sheep for their wool; and build a mill complex on nearby Goose Creek. The success of Oatlands depended upon a slave economy; by 1860, the enslaved community at Oatlands numbered 133 men, women, and children.
Read more about the Carter era >
In 1903 prominent Washingtonians, William Corcoran Eustis, and his wife Edith Morton Eustis purchased Oatlands as their country home. William was a grandson of Washington philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran, and Edith was the eldest daughter of Vice President Levi P. Morton. Following Edith’s passing in 1964, the family donated the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1965. Oatlands is a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation given by the National Park Service.
Find out more about Oatlands at these sites:
National Gallery of Art
Read the new blog about Archives and Preservation:
Historic Structures
Preservation Projects
Nature & Conservation
The great spangled fritillary is a frequent flyer in the formal gardens. 
From big to small, we’ve got ‘em all! These praying mantis hatchlings feed on flies and other tiny fellow insects. Did you know they are the only insect able to turn their head 180 degrees? 
Uh-oh! One of our fence posts fell out of place, but when staff went to replace the beam, they found a female eastern Hercules beetle! Nocturnal, or crepuscular, these beetles come out at night or are active at dawn or dusk. 
This lovely lady is an eastern box turtle. If you help a turtle cross a road, always take them in the direction they are facing- these are animals that move with a purpose. Turtles have an innate compass that tells them exactly where they need to go. 
The mottled colors of the grey tree frog are meant to act as camouflage, but against the boxwoods, this guy stands out!
