Towlston Grange
Towlston Grange is an eighteenth-century plantation house and historic estate in Great Falls, Virginia, associated with the Fairfax family and George Washington.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Towlston Grange is an eighteenth-century historic estate in Great Falls, Fairfax County, Virginia. It was established on land along Difficult Run acquired by William Fairfax, a member of the prominent Fairfax family and a cousin of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, whose name was given to Fairfax County. William Fairfax called the property Towlston Grange and developed it as part of a much larger agricultural estate known as Towlston Manor. The property became especially associated with William Fairfax's son George William Fairfax and, later, his younger son Bryan Fairfax. George William Fairfax and his wife, Sally Fairfax, made Towlston Grange their home after marrying in 1759. Bryan Fairfax lived there from 1768 until 1790, and the house was likely built in 1766 or shortly afterward while Bryan and his family were in England. The surviving descriptions portray a relatively modest one-and-a-half-story, clapboarded house built in an English tradition, accompanied by agricultural outbuildings and a large surrounding tract. Towlston Grange is notable for its connections to George and Martha Washington. On March 4, 1767, they visited the estate to act as godparents for Bryan Fairfax's son Ferdinando. Washington's diaries, correspondence, and Fairfax family tradition also record repeated social visits to the house. The estate was part of a plantation economy that depended on enslaved labor. An 1782 Virginia census recorded one dwelling, ten outbuildings, six white residents, and eighteen enslaved people at Towlston Grange, while much of the broader Towlston Manor acreage was leased to farmers. The historical record therefore includes both the property's architectural and social importance and its place within slavery-era Virginia. In 1790 Bryan Fairfax moved to Mount Eagle, a larger residence near Alexandria, and sold Towlston Grange to George Washington for £82.10. The transfer ended the Fairfax family's direct residential association with the house, although Bryan Fairfax remained an important figure in regional history and later inherited the title of eighth Lord Fairfax of Cameron. The Smith family controlled the property from 1801 to 1933. George and Kerenhappoch Smith acquired the Towlston tract in 1801. After their deaths, the land was divided, with Samuel and Elizabeth Offutt Smith receiving the house tract in 1811. Temple and Sarah Oliver Smith later inherited the house lot, which subsequently passed to their daughter Sarah Smith Shelley. In 1914 Shelley conveyed the property to her nephew Alfred L. Leigh. Leigh sold the house to C. J. S. Durham in 1933. Jack and Ethel Durham purchased and restored Towlston Grange during the 1930s. Their preservation interests extended beyond the house: Jack Durham chaired the Fairfax County History Commission, while the couple supported the creation of Great Falls National Park, advocated restoration of the Patowmack Canal, and promoted preservation of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal right-of-way. In 1963 genealogist and researcher Mildred H. Richie prepared a detailed study of the property and its ownership history for Leigh and Durham. The study, titled "Towlston, Fairfax County," is archived in the Virginia Room of the Fairfax Library. Towlston Grange is remembered today primarily as a historic residence and cultural landscape rather than as a commercial brand.
History
Towlston Grange developed from land acquired by William Fairfax along Difficult Run in what is now Great Falls, Virginia. Fairfax, a cousin of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, assembled several thousand acres and named the property Towlston Grange. The estate formed part of the larger Towlston Manor tract, an agricultural property that included leased farmland and plantation facilities. The house became a residence of the Fairfax family in the colonial period. William Fairfax's eldest son, George William Fairfax, and his wife, Sally Fairfax, settled there after their marriage in 1759. Bryan Fairfax, another of William Fairfax's sons, later became the principal resident associated with the property. The house appears to have been constructed in 1766 or shortly thereafter, while Bryan and his family were in England. By 1768, Bryan's correspondence used the Towlston address, indicating that the house had become his established home. George and Martha Washington maintained a close friendship with Bryan Fairfax and visited Towlston Grange repeatedly. Their best-documented visit occurred on March 4, 1767, when they traveled there to serve as godparents for Bryan Fairfax's third son, Ferdinando. Washington's diaries and letters, together with later Fairfax family recollections, describe Towlston as a setting for frequent social visits. The house's historical importance consequently rests not only on its architecture but also on its place within the social networks of colonial Virginia. The estate was sustained by plantation agriculture and enslaved labor. A Virginia census from 1782 recorded a single dwelling, ten outbuildings, six white inhabitants, and eighteen enslaved people at Towlston Grange. The broader Towlston Manor estate covered thousands of acres, much of which was leased to tenant farmers. William Fairfax's will, which gave Bryan the house and approximately 5,500 acres of Towlston Manor, also listed enslaved people as part of the bequest. These records document the property's role in the institution of slavery and are an essential part of its historical interpretation. In 1790 Bryan Fairfax left Towlston Grange for Mount Eagle, a larger house he built near Alexandria. He sold Towlston Grange to George Washington for £82.10. Bryan later inherited the title of eighth Lord Fairfax of Cameron after the death of his cousin Robert Fairfax in 1793. The sale marked a transition from Fairfax family residence to a property held by subsequent owners. George and Kerenhappoch Smith purchased the Towlston tract in 1801. Following their deaths, the estate was partitioned in 1811, and Samuel and Elizabeth Offutt Smith received the house tract. In 1842 Temple and Sarah Oliver Smith inherited the house lot. After Sarah's death, ownership passed to her daughter Sarah Smith Shelley, who conveyed the property in 1914 to her nephew Alfred L. Leigh. Leigh sold the house to C. J. S. Durham in 1933. Jack and Ethel Durham purchased and restored the property in the 1930s. They were active in local historic preservation and civic efforts. Jack served as chairman of the Fairfax County History Commission, while Ethel helped found Langley Cooperative School in McLean. Together they supported the creation of Great Falls National Park, the restoration of the Patowmack Canal, and preservation of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal corridor as a national park. A 1918 photograph published through the Washington, D.C., Evening Star showed the house before restoration as a one-and-a-half-story clapboarded building in an English architectural tradition. In 1963 Mildred H. Richie was commissioned to research the property's ownership and family history. Her study, "Towlston, Fairfax County," traces the estate from the early eighteenth century through 1933 and is held in the Virginia Room of the Fairfax Library. Towlston Grange is therefore best understood as a historic Virginia estate whose significance combines colonial architecture, Fairfax family history, Washington associations, plantation and slavery history, and twentieth-century preservation work.
- 1963
A detailed historical study is commissioned
[1]Mildred H. Richie prepared a study tracing Towlston's ownership and history from 1719 to 1933.
- 1933
The Durhams acquire the house
[1]Alfred L. Leigh sold the property to C. J. S. Durham; Jack and Ethel Durham subsequently owned and restored the house.
- 1914
Sarah Smith Shelley transfers the property
[1]Sarah Smith Shelley conveyed Towlston Grange to her nephew Alfred L. Leigh.
- 1801
The Smith family acquires Towlston
[1]George and Kerenhappoch Smith purchased the tract containing Towlston Grange.
- 1790
Bryan Fairfax leaves and sells the estate
[1]Bryan Fairfax moved to Mount Eagle and sold Towlston Grange to George Washington for £82.10.
- 1782
Virginia census records the plantation household
[1]The census listed one dwelling, ten outbuildings, six white residents, and eighteen enslaved people at Towlston Grange.
- 1768
Bryan Fairfax begins his documented residence
[1]Bryan Fairfax lived at Towlston Grange from 1768, and correspondence from that year used the property as his address.
- 1767
George and Martha Washington visit as godparents
[1]On March 4, George and Martha Washington visited Towlston Grange for the christening of Bryan Fairfax's son Ferdinando.
- 1766
The house is built or completed
[1]The Towlston Grange house was reportedly built in 1766 or shortly afterward while Bryan Fairfax and his family were in England.
- 1759
George William Fairfax and Sally Fairfax settle at Towlston Grange
[1]After their marriage, George William Fairfax and Sally Fairfax made Towlston Grange their residence.
Products and positioning
Historic plantation house, estate, and heritage property
Sources1 sources
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