Sherwood Forest Plantation
A historic Virginia plantation and former home of President John Tyler, now preserved as a National Historic Landmark and opened for tours by appointment.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Sherwood Forest Plantation is a historic estate on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. The property is situated along State Route 5, a scenic road connecting the Richmond and Williamsburg areas, approximately 1.5 miles from the river. Its principal house dates to about 1730 and is best known as the Virginia residence of John Tyler, the tenth president of the United States, who purchased the property in 1842 and lived there for the final two decades of his life. Tyler acquired the plantation from his cousin Collier Minge after leaving the vice presidency and before his retirement from national political life. He renamed it Sherwood Forest in 1842, explaining that the name represented his political estrangement from the Whig Party and his identification with the outlawed Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest. The estate was also attractive to him because it was close to Greenway Plantation, his birthplace. After departing the White House in 1845, Tyler made Sherwood Forest his principal home with his second wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler, and members of his large family. The site reflects both presidential history and the economic and social structures of the antebellum Virginia plantation system. The Tylers used the property to grow and process tobacco and held dozens of enslaved African Americans. Records associated with the 1842 purchase and the end of slavery in 1865 document between approximately 54 and 70 enslaved people, including people identified by the surnames Armistead, Hall, Black, and Short. This history is essential to understanding the plantation and complicates older heritage narratives that emphasized presidential domestic life while minimizing the experiences of the people who lived and worked there under bondage. Sherwood Forest was affected by the Civil War. John Tyler supported Virginia's secession and died in January 1862. Union forces occupied the house during the Peninsula Campaign in 1862 and again during the Overland Campaign in 1864. During the latter period, the nearby Battle of Wilson's Wharf formed part of the military context surrounding the property. In 1864, departing Union soldiers attempted to burn the house because of Tyler's Confederate allegiance, but the fire was extinguished by an enslaved man and caused limited damage. The property remained in the Tyler family after Tyler's death. Restoration work undertaken from the 1970s onward drew on more than 47,000 family letters and other records to reconstruct the house's furnishings, decoration, and landscape. The unusually long main house, measuring about 301 feet, includes a narrow ballroom or connecting section added by Tyler for the Virginia reel, a dance style associated with the period. The grounds also contain a Tyler family pet cemetery, including the burial place of John Tyler's horse, The General, as well as a grove where Tyler hoped to be buried. His wishes were not fulfilled; he was buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. Today, Sherwood Forest functions primarily as a preserved historic residence and heritage-tourism site rather than as a commercial consumer brand. The house is available for tours by appointment, while the grounds offer daily self-guided access during stated visiting hours, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Its significance rests on the intersection of presidential history, Virginia architecture, plantation agriculture, slavery, Civil War memory, and long-term family stewardship. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
History
The main house at Sherwood Forest Plantation was built around 1730 on a large estate in Charles City County, Virginia. The property lies along the north bank of the James River and later became part of the historic corridor served by State Route 5. Its agricultural economy included tobacco cultivation and processing, relying on enslaved labor before emancipation. In 1842, former vice president and future president John Tyler purchased the plantation from his cousin Collier Minge. Tyler renamed it Sherwood Forest, using the name to express his political alienation from the Whig Party. He also valued the estate's proximity to Greenway Plantation, where he had been born. After leaving the White House in 1845, Tyler retired to Sherwood Forest with Julia Gardiner Tyler and their children. He lived there until his death in 1862. The plantation's records document the presence of approximately 54 to 70 enslaved African Americans during the period from Tyler's acquisition of the property to emancipation in 1865. The enslaved community included people associated with the Armistead, Hall, Black, and Short surnames. Julia Gardiner Tyler publicly defended slavery in an 1853 response published in the Southern Literary Messenger, arguing that enslaved people in the South were treated better than English industrial workers. This claim is now part of the site's difficult historical legacy and illustrates the pro-slavery ideology of the period. The Civil War brought military activity to the estate. Tyler supported Virginia's secession, but died before the war's major campaigns reached their height. Union soldiers occupied Sherwood Forest during the Peninsula Campaign in 1862 and during the Overland Campaign in 1864. After the nearby fighting at Wilson's Wharf, soldiers attempted to burn the house in retaliation for Tyler's Confederate position. An enslaved man extinguished the fire before the structure suffered major damage. The house continued in Tyler family ownership. Restoration efforts beginning in the mid-1970s used family correspondence and historical records to guide work on the interiors, furnishings, and grounds. The restoration team preserved some unusual storm windows after discovering evidence that John Tyler himself had made them. The house's approximately 301-foot length and its long, narrow ballroom addition are among its notable architectural features. Sherwood Forest also includes a pet cemetery containing Tyler family animals, especially John Tyler's horse, The General. Tyler had planned a burial grove on the property, but after he died in Richmond in 1862, he was buried at Hollywood Cemetery instead. The site received National Historic Landmark designation in 1961. It remains a privately maintained historic property open for tours by appointment, with the grounds generally available for self-guided visits during published daytime hours.
- 1970
Modern restoration work begins in the 1970s
[1]Later owners began restoration and research using family records, including tens of thousands of letters.
- 1961
National Historic Landmark designation
[1]Sherwood Forest was designated a National Historic Landmark.
- 1865
Emancipation ends the plantation's documented enslaved-labor era
[1]The end of slavery marked a fundamental change in the labor and social system associated with the estate.
- 1864
House threatened with wartime destruction
[1]Union soldiers attempted to burn the house after the Overland Campaign, but the fire was extinguished with limited damage.
- 1862
John Tyler dies and Union forces occupy the property
[1]Tyler died in January, and the plantation was occupied during the Union Peninsula Campaign later that year.
- 1853
Julia Gardiner Tyler publishes a defense of slavery
[1]Julia Gardiner Tyler responded in the Southern Literary Messenger to British criticism of slavery in the American South.
- 1845
Tyler retires to Sherwood Forest
[1]After leaving the presidency, Tyler made the plantation his permanent home.
- 1842
John Tyler acquires and renames the plantation
[1]John Tyler purchased the property from his cousin Collier Minge and renamed it Sherwood Forest.
- 1730
Main plantation house constructed
[1]The principal house at the Virginia estate was built around this date.
Products and positioning
A privately preserved presidential historic site and heritage-tourism destination interpreting the Tyler family, the architecture and landscape of an antebellum Virginia plantation, and the property's enslaved-labor and Civil War histories.
Historic architecture · 1730
Main plantation house
The approximately 301-foot main house, built around 1730, is the site's central architectural and interpretive attraction. It contains a long ballroom or connecting section associated with the Virginia reel and retains features linked to Tyler's residence, including storm windows attributed to his own construction. The interiors and furnishings were restored using family letters and historical records.
Heritage tourism
Historic grounds
The plantation grounds provide the setting for self-guided visits and interpretation of the estate's landscape, agricultural history, family use, and preservation work. The property includes a grove associated with John Tyler's intended burial plans and a pet cemetery containing Tyler family animals.
Educational tourism
Historic-house tours
Sherwood Forest offers tours of the historic residence by appointment. The visitor experience centers on John Tyler's retirement home, the Tyler family's long connection to the estate, the architecture, and the property's broader histories of slavery and the Civil War.
Controversies
Criticism of plantation slavery interpretation
A newspaper article criticized an interpretive leaflet for presenting the plantation as an almost self-supporting community and for using euphemistic language for enslaved African Americans. The criticism reflects wider debates over how former plantations represent slavery, labor, and racial power.
Marketing campaigns
- 1999C-SPAN American Presidents: Life Portraits broadcast
United States
C-SPAN recorded and broadcast a John Tyler program from Sherwood Forest Plantation as part of its American Presidents: Life Portraits series.
Outcome. The broadcast expanded national public exposure to the property and its presidential history.
Brand decisions
1970
Family-led historical restorationStrategyBackground
Later Tyler family owners sought to restore the residence and grounds while preserving evidence of its nineteenth-century appearance.
Action taken
Restoration work used more than 47,000 letters and other records to guide decisions about decoration, furnishings, and landscape.
Aftermath
The property continued as a preserved historic residence and visitor site.
1842
John Tyler adopts the Sherwood Forest nameStrategyBackground
Tyler used the estate as his post-White House residence and wanted its name to convey his political break with the Whig Party.
Action taken
He renamed the plantation Sherwood Forest after purchasing it from Collier Minge.
Aftermath
The name became the enduring identity of the historic property.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/sherwood-forest-plantation · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled