{"nrhp_refnum":"73002337","name":"Belvoir Mansion Ruins and the Fairfax Grave","other_names":["Belvoir"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"SE of intersection of 23rd St. and Belvoir Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fort Belvoir","county":"Fairfax (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":38.67955741050005,"lon":-77.129150073335,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Historic - Non-Aboriginal"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Archaeological site of Belvoir, an 18th-century brick plantation mansion ruin and the adjacent Fairfax family grave site, on the grounds of Fort Belvoir, Fairfax County, Virginia. The house was built by Colonel William Fairfax between 1736 and 1741.","why_significant":"Belvoir was for decades the seat of one of Virginia's most distinguished families and was closely tied to George Washington, who visited it and wrote about it often. Marriages and friendships formed there connected the Fairfax, Washington and Carlyle families. The site also holds archaeological potential in its outbuildings, and the grave memorial marks William Fairfax, his wife and two sons.","narrative":"Belvoir was a brick plantation mansion on the Potomac River, built by Colonel William Fairfax between 1736 and 1741 and now preserved as ruins at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County. Fairfax served as land agent for his cousin Lord Thomas Fairfax, Collector of Customs for the South Potomac, and President of the Virginia Council. The house was the family seat for thirty-two years and linked to George Washington, who began his surveying experience from Belvoir in 1748 and described it as one of the most beautiful estates on the river. It was rented after George William Fairfax left for England in 1773, burned in 1783, and was further damaged in the 1814 Battle of Belvoir. Excavation has exposed brick foundations and drains at the main house and three outbuildings. Nearby, a stone memorial within an iron fence marks the graves of William Fairfax and his wife, with inscriptions for two sons killed in colonial wars. Plans call for a public park.","period_of_significance":"18th Century","architect_builder":"Colonel William Fairfax (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Site is under archeological excavation; brick foundations and drains exposed at the main house and three buildings. Plans call for a public park to protect the ruins. The grave site is in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.938977-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/6804/41680480/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/73002337.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73002337/6dd28be10f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73002337/6dd28be10f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":null,"credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belvoir,_Accotink,_Fairfax_County,_VA_HABS_VA,30-ACO.V,1-_(sheet_0_of_1).tif\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belvoir,_Accotink,_Fairfax_County,_VA_HABS_VA,30-ACO.V,1-_(sheet_0_of_1).tif"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680480","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belvoir_(plantation)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q816286"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/fairfax/belvoir-mansion-ruins-and-the-fairfax-grave-73002337/"}