Strawberry Vale Manor

Strawberry Vale Manor was a historic residence in what later became Tysons Corner, Virginia, in the United States. The house was built around 1780 on land situated approximately 200 yards, or 180 metres, from present-day Virginia State Route 123, just west of the Capital Beltway. Although it is represented here within a brand-style encyclopedia structure, Strawberry Vale Manor was not a commercial consumer brand or operating company. It was a named historic property whose significance derives from its ownership history, domestic use, and later educational function. Before 1811, the property was owned by John C. Scott. In 1811, Scott transferred it to Theodorick Lee, the younger brother of former Congressman Richard Bland Lee. After selling their Sully estate in 1811 to Francis Lightfoot Lee, Richard Bland Lee and Elizabeth Collins Lee spent a short period in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1812, they purchased Strawberry Vale from Theodorick Lee. The sale reportedly produced an $8,000 profit for Theodorick Lee. Richard Bland and Elizabeth Collins Lee occupied the property until 1814, when it was transferred to the Gantt family. Under Ann Beale Wilson Gantt, Strawberry Vale operated as a seminary. That educational use continued until the institution closed at the beginning of the American Civil War. The available reference material does not identify the seminary's curriculum, enrollment, or later institutional history, so those details are not included here. The manor did not survive the postwar transformation of the surrounding area. It was demolished in 1958 to make way for the Capital Beltway, the highway encircling Washington, D.C. The site's history therefore illustrates the transition of a rural Virginia estate into land affected by twentieth-century metropolitan expansion and highway construction. No current operating entity, product line, corporate owner, website, or listed security is associated with Strawberry Vale Manor.

Strawberry Vale Manor was constructed around 1780 in the area that later became Tysons Corner, Virginia. At the time of its existence, the property formed part of a regional landscape of private estates and rural residences near what is now the Washington metropolitan area. Its location was described as being roughly 200 yards from Virginia State Highway 123 and west of the route later occupied by the Capital Beltway. The documented ownership record begins with John C. Scott, who held the residence before 1811. In that year, he transferred the property to Theodorick Lee. Lee was the younger brother of Richard Bland Lee, a former member of Congress. The property subsequently became connected with Richard Bland Lee and Elizabeth Collins Lee after they sold their Sully estate to Francis Lightfoot Lee in 1811 and spent a brief period in Alexandria. In 1812, Richard Bland Lee and Elizabeth Collins Lee purchased Strawberry Vale from Theodorick Lee. The transaction reportedly gave Theodorick Lee an $8,000 profit. The Lees remained at Strawberry Vale for approximately two years, until the property was transferred to the Gantt family in 1814. The available historical account does not specify the precise terms of that transfer or the property's uses during every intervening period. Ann Beale Wilson Gantt later operated Strawberry Vale as a seminary. This educational role gave the property a function beyond private residence, although the surviving reference material does not provide detailed information about the seminary's staff, pupils, academic program, or buildings. The seminary closed at the beginning of the American Civil War, ending the known institutional phase of the property's history. Strawberry Vale Manor was ultimately overtaken by transportation infrastructure and suburban development. In 1958, the building was demolished to make way for the Capital Beltway, the highway constructed around Washington, D.C. The demolition ended the physical existence of the manor. Consequently, Strawberry Vale Manor has no present-day headquarters, operating market, product portfolio, corporate parent, or active management. Its historical identity rests on the documented house, its succession of owners, its use as a seminary, and its disappearance during the expansion of the regional highway network.

• 1958

  Demolition for the Capital Beltway

  [1]Strawberry Vale Manoren.wikipedia.org

  The manor was demolished to make way for the Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C.

• 1814

  Transfer to the Gantt family

  [1]Strawberry Vale Manoren.wikipedia.org

  The property passed to the Gantt family after the Lees' period of residence.

• 1812

  Purchase by Richard Bland and Elizabeth Collins Lee

  [1]Strawberry Vale Manoren.wikipedia.org

  Richard Bland Lee and Elizabeth Collins Lee purchased Strawberry Vale from Theodorick Lee after selling their Sully estate.

• 1811

  Transfer to Theodorick Lee

  [1]Strawberry Vale Manoren.wikipedia.org

  The property was transferred from John C. Scott to Theodorick Lee.

• 1780

  Construction of the manor

  [1]Strawberry Vale Manoren.wikipedia.org

  Strawberry Vale Manor was built around 1780 on land in what later became Tysons Corner, Virginia.

• Operation as a seminary

  [1]Strawberry Vale Manoren.wikipedia.org

  Ann Beale Wilson Gantt operated Strawberry Vale as a seminary until it closed at the beginning of the American Civil War.

A historic Virginia manor and former educational property rather than a commercial brand.

1. 1Strawberry Vale Manoren.wikipedia.org