Sully Historic Site
Sully Historic Site is a preserved Federal-period plantation estate and public historic park in Chantilly, Virginia.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Sully Historic Site is a historic estate and public park in Chantilly, Fairfax County, Virginia. The property is recognized both as a Virginia landmark and as a nationally registered historic place. It preserves the principal house and associated buildings of Sully, an estate established by Richard Bland Lee, a member of the Lee family of Virginia and a United States congressman. The site is operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority, with interpretation centered particularly on the estate's late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century history. The land has a much longer human history than the surviving plantation buildings. Before English settlement, the area was associated with Indigenous peoples, including the Doeg, an Algonquian-speaking group whose presence in Northern Virginia is documented during the seventeenth century. English settlement and land grants followed periods of conflict in the 1660s, although the surviving record does not provide a complete account of the transition in ownership. The Lee family acquired the property in 1725. After Henry Lee II died in 1787, the land was divided between his sons Richard Bland Lee and Theodorick Lee. Richard received the northern portion, where he had already been managing the property. He selected the name Sully before leaving Virginia for Congress in 1789, and construction of the principal house began in 1794. The estate's agricultural program changed substantially under Richard's management. Rather than relying predominantly on tobacco, he expanded wheat, corn, rye, orchards, and livestock production, using crop rotation and other practices intended to reduce soil exhaustion. A dairy was added around 1801–1802, and the estate also included a kitchen and laundry building, agricultural facilities, and quarters associated with enslaved labor. Financial pressures forced Richard Bland Lee to sell Sully in 1811 to his second cousin Francis Lightfoot Lee II. The estate remained in Lee family hands until 1838, but its condition and management became unstable after Francis Lightfoot Lee II experienced serious health problems and entered institutional care. Administrators appointed to oversee the property were criticized for weak management, and members of the Lee family attempted to protect their interests while the estate's operations deteriorated. In 1838, ownership passed to merchant William Swartwort. From 1838 onward, Sully was used by a succession of private owners as a residence, a working farm, or both. The federal government acquired the property in 1958 as part of land associated with the construction of Dulles Airport. Former owners, Lee descendants, and local supporters immediately organized efforts to prevent the historic buildings from being lost. Eddie Wagstaff, a neighboring supporter who later endowed the Sully Foundation, was among those involved. In 1959, legislation signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower secured the site's preservation as a national historic site. The Fairfax County Park Authority agreed to operate Sully as a county historical park. It later acquired additional acreage, bringing the property to approximately 120 acres. The site's principal interpretive period is 1787–1838, corresponding to the ownership of Richard Bland Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee II. The main house is furnished with Federal-period antiques and the grounds include preserved or reconstructed support buildings. Important features include the early nineteenth-century stone dairy, the kitchen and laundry, a relocated log schoolhouse, and a replica enslaved-worker cabin built from documentary and archaeological evidence. Sully functions today as a public heritage destination focused on architecture, agricultural history, the Lee family, enslaved labor, and the wider history of Northern Virginia.
History
Sully's history begins before the surviving house and outbuildings. The land in what is now Northern Virginia was associated with Indigenous communities, including the Doeg, an Algonquian-speaking people encountered by English colonists. Conflict between English settlers and the Doeg occurred during the 1660s, followed by the expansion of English landholding. The documentary record between that transition and the property's later colonial patents is incomplete. The Lee family obtained the property in 1725 through Henry Lee I. Ownership passed within the family to Henry Lee II, whose death in 1787 led to a division of the land between his sons Richard Bland Lee and Theodorick Lee. Richard received the northern and more agriculturally favorable portion. He had been involved in managing the property since approximately 1781 and chose the name Sully before beginning his congressional career. Richard Bland Lee's principal house was begun in 1794. His period of ownership marked a shift away from intensive dependence on tobacco. He promoted wheat, corn, rye, orchards, and livestock, using crop rotation and other practices that helped limit the soil depletion associated with tobacco cultivation. Peach and apple orchards also supplied fruit for distilled spirits. A dairy was built around 1801–1802, while the kitchen and laundry building formed part of the estate's early architectural complex. These operations depended on enslaved labor, an essential part of the site's historical interpretation. After Lee was elected to Congress in 1789, his brother Theodorick helped oversee planting, harvests, tenants, and construction. Richard's financial position later deteriorated because he incurred substantial debts while attempting to assist his brothers Henry Lee III and Charles Lee. In 1811, he sold Sully for $18,000 to Francis Lightfoot Lee II, a second cousin and member of another branch of the Lee family. Francis Lightfoot Lee II initially managed the estate successfully. His wife, Jane Fitzgerald Lee, was credited with helping maintain a productive agricultural system, and the property reportedly generated annual profits. Her death in 1816 during childbirth was followed by a major decline in the family's circumstances. Francis Lightfoot Lee II suffered a serious breakdown or stroke in 1820 and was eventually placed in the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1825. The estate was then administered on behalf of his family. Richard Henry Lee II and later Colonel W. C. B. Butler were appointed to manage its affairs, but both administrations were viewed as unsatisfactory. Records describe waste, lost debts, and alleged embezzlement by managers. Colonel George Washington Hunter assumed control in 1830, and the family continued trying to protect the property and the interests of the Lee children. In 1834, Jane Elizabeth Lee married Henry Tazewell Harrison at Sully; Harrison subsequently represented family interests and replaced Hunter in 1836. After a failed prospective sale involving a purchaser arrested in England, Sully was finally sold in 1838 to merchant William Swartwort. The post-Lee period included a succession of private owners, including the Swartwort, Haight, Barlow, Shear, Miller, Poston, Thurston, and Nolting families or ownership interests. Sully served variously as a home and working farm. Its preservation crisis emerged in 1958, when the federal government acquired the property in connection with the development of Dulles Airport. Preservationists, Lee descendants, former owners, and neighbors organized to save the historic buildings. Eddie Wagstaff was a notable local supporter and later endowed the Sully Foundation. The campaign achieved a major legal success in 1959, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation securing Sully's status as a national historic site. The Fairfax County Park Authority agreed to operate it as a county historical park and eventually expanded the site to approximately 120 acres. The recognized period of significance is primarily 1787–1838, the years associated with Richard Bland Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee II. Today, Sully is interpreted as a complex historic landscape rather than simply a preserved residence. The principal house is furnished with Federal-period antiques. The kitchen and laundry building retains its large double fireplace and central chimney. The stone dairy, built around 1801–1802, has thick walls designed to keep milk cool and distinctive small stones pressed into its mortar joints. A log schoolhouse relocated from Antioch Farm in 1963 demonstrates regional educational history. A replica enslaved-worker cabin, completed in 2001 using historical records and archaeological evidence, supports interpretation of the people whose labor sustained the estate. Together, these resources connect architecture, agriculture, family history, slavery, preservation, and public memory.
- 2001
Replica enslaved-worker cabin is constructed
[1]A replica cabin was built using historical documentation and archaeological findings to interpret enslaved life at the estate.
- 1963
Log schoolhouse is relocated to Sully
[1]A log schoolhouse from Antioch Farm in Haymarket, Virginia, was moved to the site for preservation.
- 1960
Historic American Buildings Survey documentation
[1]Historic American Buildings Survey drawings documented the main estate buildings, including the kitchen and dairy.
- 1959
Preservation status is secured
[1]President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation making Sully a national historic site.
- 1958
Federal government acquires the property
[1]The federal government acquired Sully as part of land associated with Dulles Airport construction.
- 1838
Sully leaves Lee family ownership
[1]After a period of administrative difficulties, the estate was sold to merchant William Swartwort.
- 1811
Richard Bland Lee sells Sully
[1]Lee sold the estate to Francis Lightfoot Lee II for $18,000 to address financial obligations.
- 1801
Stone dairy is built
[1]A stone dairy was constructed to support the estate's agricultural and dairy operations.
- 1794
Construction of the main house begins
[1]Richard Bland Lee's principal house at Sully was begun, establishing the core of the surviving Federal-period estate.
- 1789
Richard Bland Lee enters Congress
[1]After his election to the United States Congress, Lee relied more heavily on family members to supervise estate operations.
Products and positioning
A publicly operated historic estate and educational heritage destination preserving a Federal-period Virginia plantation landscape and interpreting the lives, labor, architecture, agriculture, and social history connected with Sully.
Historic house · 1794
Sully main house
The principal Federal-period residence begun for Richard Bland Lee in 1794. It is the central interpretive building and is furnished with antiques intended to represent the estate during its late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century period of significance.
Agricultural outbuilding · 1801
Stone dairy
Built around 1801–1802, the dairy used thick stone walls to help keep milk cool. Its unusual masonry, featuring small stones pressed into mortar joints, is a distinctive surviving feature of the property.
Domestic outbuilding · 1794
Kitchen and laundry
Constructed at approximately the same time as the main house, this building is divided by a large double fireplace. One fireplace served the kitchen and the other served the laundry, both sharing a central chimney.
Educational historic structure · 1963
Log schoolhouse
Originally located at Antioch Farm in Haymarket, Virginia, the log schoolhouse was relocated to Sully in 1963. It broadens the site's interpretation beyond the Lee residence and agricultural buildings.
Interpretive reconstruction · 2001
Enslaved-worker cabin replica
Completed in 2001, this replica represents housing associated with enslaved labor at the estate. Its location and construction were informed by historical records and archaeological evidence.
Marketing campaigns
- 1958Campaign to save Sully
Fairfax County · Virginia · United States
After federal acquisition of the property for land associated with Dulles Airport construction, former owners, Lee descendants, neighbors, and other supporters organized to preserve the estate.
Outcome. The campaign led to federal preservation legislation the following year. Eddie Wagstaff became an important supporter and later endowed the Sully Foundation.
Brand decisions
1959
Sully is preserved as a public historic siteStrategyBackground
The federal acquisition of Sully for Dulles Airport-related development created a threat to the historic property.
Action taken
Federal legislation signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower established preservation protection, while the Fairfax County Park Authority agreed to operate the property as a historical park.
Aftermath
Sully became a publicly interpreted historic landscape and was later expanded to approximately 120 acres.
1811
Richard Bland Lee decides to sell SullyOtherBackground
Lee accumulated heavy debts while attempting to assist his brothers Henry Lee III and Charles Lee.
Action taken
He sold Sully to Francis Lightfoot Lee II for $18,000.
Aftermath
The estate remained in the Lee family until 1838, under increasingly difficult financial and administrative circumstances.
Sale price. $18,000 (1811)
Sources1 sources
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