Chopawamsic

Chopawamsic was an historic plantation estate on Chopawamsic Creek in Stafford County, Virginia. It became associated with the Mason family after George Mason II sold his father's Accokeek plantation and moved to land along the creek. He named the property Chopawamsic, a term described as meaning "Isolated Lodge" in an Algonquian language. The estate comprised more than 2,000 acres and included a substantial sandstone manor, agricultural land, and the associated activities of a large eighteenth-century Virginia plantation. The estate's economy combined crop production and livestock husbandry. George Mason II planted an orchard and cultivated tobacco while also raising sheep and cattle. These activities depended on the forced labor of enslaved people. His 1715 will named 21 enslaved individuals, providing documentary evidence of slavery at the property. The plantation should therefore be understood not only as a Mason family residence and agricultural holding, but also as a site shaped by the exploitation and coercion of enslaved laborers. George Mason III expanded the family's landholdings across Stafford, Fauquier, Prince William, and Fairfax counties. Much of that wider property was leased to small farmers, with rents commonly paid in tobacco. Other Mason income came from fishing and from operating a ferry across the Occoquan River. Although George Mason III later moved his family to Charles County, Maryland, Chopawamsic remained an occasional residence. After his death in 1735, his widow, Ann Thomson Mason, selected the estate as her dower property and managed Mason family interests from there for the rest of her life. The site also had an important connection to the Mason family’s political and legal history. George Mason IV, later recognized as an American founding figure, spent part of his early adolescence and began his early education at Chopawamsic. He lived there until age 24, when he moved to the area that is now Fairfax County. Several members of the extended Mason family were born at the estate, including Thomson Mason, Stevens Thomson Mason, John Thomson Mason, Ann Thomson Mason Chichester, and Westwood Thomson Mason. Thomson Mason and his family also resided at Chopawamsic, where many of his children were born. The plantation’s large sandstone manor did not survive the American Civil War. The historic estate landscape was further transformed in 1942, when much of the land along Chopawamsic Creek that had once belonged to the plantation was acquired by the United States Department of Defense for the creation of Marine Corps Base Quantico. Chopawamsic is therefore best treated as a historic plantation and estate name rather than as a contemporary commercial brand. No current commercial products, corporate owner, public listing, or operating market is identified in the available reference material.

Chopawamsic developed as a Mason family plantation on Chopawamsic Creek in Stafford County, Virginia, during the eighteenth century. Following the death of George Mason I, his eldest son, George Mason II, sold the family's Accokeek plantation and relocated to property along Chopawamsic Creek. He called the new estate Chopawamsic, a name identified in the historical record as meaning "Isolated Lodge" in an Algonquian language. The estate covered more than 2,000 acres. George Mason II constructed a manor house from locally available sandstone and established an agricultural operation that included an orchard, tobacco cultivation, sheep, and cattle. The plantation's production relied on enslaved labor. His will of 1715 listed 21 enslaved people by name, documenting the presence of an enslaved community connected to the estate and the central role of slavery in its operation. George Mason III inherited and enlarged the family's regional interests. His holdings extended across Stafford, Fauquier, Prince William, and Fairfax counties. Rather than personally operating every parcel, he leased many properties as small farms, receiving rent in tobacco. He also derived income from fishing and from a ferry across the Occoquan River. After marrying Ann Thomson in 1721, George Mason III moved his household to Charles County, Maryland, but Chopawamsic continued to serve as an occasional residence. George Mason III died in 1735. His widow, Ann Thomson Mason, selected Chopawamsic as her dower and administered Mason family affairs from the estate for the remainder of her life. The plantation consequently remained an important family residence and administrative center. George Mason IV, who later became known for his role in early American political history, spent his early adolescence at Chopawamsic and began his early education there. He remained at the property until age 24, before moving to what is now Fairfax County. Chopawamsic was also a birthplace and residence for members of the wider Mason family. Thomson Mason, son of George Mason III and brother of George Mason IV, was born there in 1733. Thomson Mason's children Stevens Thomson Mason, John Thomson Mason, Ann Thomson Mason Chichester, and Westwood Thomson Mason were also born at Chopawamsic according to the referenced account. Thomson Mason and his family lived at the estate as well as at Raspberry Plain in Loudoun County. The plantation's sandstone manor was destroyed or otherwise failed to survive the American Civil War. The surrounding landscape underwent another major change in 1942, when the United States Department of Defense took over much of the area along Chopawamsic Creek that had formerly formed part of the estate. The land was incorporated into the development of Marine Corps Base Quantico. The surviving historical significance of Chopawamsic therefore lies in its association with the Mason family, the region's plantation economy, the history of enslavement in colonial and early national Virginia, and the later military transformation of the site.

• 1942

  Former estate land becomes part of Quantico

  [1]Chopawamsic (plantation)en.wikipedia.org

  Much of the land along Chopawamsic Creek formerly associated with the plantation was taken over by the United States Department of Defense for the creation of Marine Corps Base Quantico.

• 1760

  Stevens Thomson Mason is born at Chopawamsic

  [1]Chopawamsic (plantation)en.wikipedia.org

  Stevens Thomson Mason, son of Thomson Mason, was born at the plantation.

• 1735

  Ann Thomson Mason selects Chopawamsic as her dower

  [1]Chopawamsic (plantation)en.wikipedia.org

  Following George Mason III's death, Ann Thomson Mason chose Chopawamsic as her dower property and managed Mason family interests from the estate.

• 1721

  George Mason III marries Ann Thomson

  [1]Chopawamsic (plantation)en.wikipedia.org

  After his marriage to Ann Thomson, George Mason III moved his family to Charles County, Maryland, while Chopawamsic remained an occasional family residence.

• 1715

  Mason will documents enslaved people at Chopawamsic

  [1]Chopawamsic (plantation)en.wikipedia.org

  George Mason II's will listed 21 enslaved people by name, recording the presence of enslaved labor at the plantation.

• George Mason II establishes the Chopawamsic estate

  [1]Chopawamsic (plantation)en.wikipedia.org

  After selling the Accokeek plantation inherited from his father, George Mason II moved to property on Chopawamsic Creek and named the new plantation Chopawamsic.

1. 1Chopawamsic (plantation)en.wikipedia.org