John Tyler's Sherwood Forest
John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States, named his plantation Sherwood Forest, after the other place of the same name made famous by Robin Hood lore. Today his Sherwood Forest is a museum to the man and his Presidency and is also known as John Tyler House. It is located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia on State Route 5, a scenic byway which runs between the Richmond and Williamsburg. The house is located about a mile and a half from the river.
John Tyler purchased the plantation in 1842 from Collier Minge, his cousin and a local planter. By then had it been reduced to 1,600 acres. Tyler lived there after leaving the White House in 1845. Tyler renamed the plantation Sherwood Forest in 1842. He chose the name because he said it was fitting since he had been "outlawed" by the Whig party. He was drawn to the plantation because it was near his birthplace at Greenway Plantation. Tyler retired there when he left the White House in 1845 and spent the rest of his life there with his second wife Julia and some of his children. (He had eight with his first wife Letitia, and seven with his second wife.)
When the Civil War began in 1861, Tyler backed Virginia's secession, after being unsuccessful in his efforts at a peace conference. He died in January 1862. Later that spring, the house was occupied by Union soldiers during General George McClellan's Peninsula Campaign of 1862 and again during Ulysses Grant's Overland Campaign in 1864. McClellan insured that no harm came to the house, but in 1864 an Ohio regiment vandalized it as a punishment for Tyler's support of the Confederacy. They set fire to the house, but the fire was quickly extinguished by a loyal slave and little damage was done to the house.
Owners of the house who started restoring it in the mid-20th century started removing some home-made storm windows. They then discovered from old records that Tyler had built them himself, so they kept them. The house is over 300 feet long and contains long, skinny ballroom, known as a "hyphen" that Tyler had added to the house to accommodate the style of dancing popular then.
The house has remained in the Tyler family since it was purchased by John Tyler in 1842. The house is currently owned by Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the only one of John Tyler's grandsons who is still living. Harrison is the son of Lyon Gardiner Tyler. He had a series of mini-strokes starting in 2012 and has now been diagnosed with dementia. He lives in a Virginia nursing home and his son William oversees the Sherwood Forest Plantation. It is open to the public for tours.
According to the website of the house, it is inhabited by the spirit of the "Gray Lady." The site claims that one can hear her rocking in her chair in the Grey Room and that for over 100 years, almost every person who has lived at Sherwood has had an encounter with the "Gray Lady."
A pet cemetery is located on the property, where Tyler family pets were buried, most notably, John Tyler's horse, the General. The horse's epitaph reads:
"Here lies the bones of my old horse General
who served his master faithfully,
for twenty one years,
and never made a blunder,
would that his master could say the same!"
A Livejournal friend coercedbynutmeg has commented in a previous entry about this attraction that self-guided tours of the grounds are available for $10 and that John Tyler's unused burial plot is in the yard. He died in Richmond during the Civil War and union forces were between Richmond and the plantation, so they couldn't move his body for burial at its intended location.
Here is more information about Sherwood Forest:
Website: http://www.sherwoodforest.org/
Address: 14501 John Tyler Memorial Highway
Charles City, VA 23030
Hours of Operation: Tours are available by appointment. Reservations may be made by calling 804-829-5377
John Tyler purchased the plantation in 1842 from Collier Minge, his cousin and a local planter. By then had it been reduced to 1,600 acres. Tyler lived there after leaving the White House in 1845. Tyler renamed the plantation Sherwood Forest in 1842. He chose the name because he said it was fitting since he had been "outlawed" by the Whig party. He was drawn to the plantation because it was near his birthplace at Greenway Plantation. Tyler retired there when he left the White House in 1845 and spent the rest of his life there with his second wife Julia and some of his children. (He had eight with his first wife Letitia, and seven with his second wife.)
When the Civil War began in 1861, Tyler backed Virginia's secession, after being unsuccessful in his efforts at a peace conference. He died in January 1862. Later that spring, the house was occupied by Union soldiers during General George McClellan's Peninsula Campaign of 1862 and again during Ulysses Grant's Overland Campaign in 1864. McClellan insured that no harm came to the house, but in 1864 an Ohio regiment vandalized it as a punishment for Tyler's support of the Confederacy. They set fire to the house, but the fire was quickly extinguished by a loyal slave and little damage was done to the house.
Owners of the house who started restoring it in the mid-20th century started removing some home-made storm windows. They then discovered from old records that Tyler had built them himself, so they kept them. The house is over 300 feet long and contains long, skinny ballroom, known as a "hyphen" that Tyler had added to the house to accommodate the style of dancing popular then.
The house has remained in the Tyler family since it was purchased by John Tyler in 1842. The house is currently owned by Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the only one of John Tyler's grandsons who is still living. Harrison is the son of Lyon Gardiner Tyler. He had a series of mini-strokes starting in 2012 and has now been diagnosed with dementia. He lives in a Virginia nursing home and his son William oversees the Sherwood Forest Plantation. It is open to the public for tours.
According to the website of the house, it is inhabited by the spirit of the "Gray Lady." The site claims that one can hear her rocking in her chair in the Grey Room and that for over 100 years, almost every person who has lived at Sherwood has had an encounter with the "Gray Lady."
A pet cemetery is located on the property, where Tyler family pets were buried, most notably, John Tyler's horse, the General. The horse's epitaph reads:
"Here lies the bones of my old horse General
who served his master faithfully,
for twenty one years,
and never made a blunder,
would that his master could say the same!"
A Livejournal friend coercedbynutmeg has commented in a previous entry about this attraction that self-guided tours of the grounds are available for $10 and that John Tyler's unused burial plot is in the yard. He died in Richmond during the Civil War and union forces were between Richmond and the plantation, so they couldn't move his body for burial at its intended location.
Here is more information about Sherwood Forest:
Website: http://www.sherwoodforest.org/
Address: 14501 John Tyler Memorial Highway
Charles City, VA 23030
Hours of Operation: Tours are available by appointment. Reservations may be made by calling 804-829-5377