Woodlawn Historic and Archeological District
Also known as: DHR file # 48-26
Why it's listed
Woodlawn is an 899-acre plantation on the north bank of the Rappahannock River in King George County, Virginia. Its main house began about 1790 as a small 1 1/2-story dwelling, now the kitchen wing. Around 1841 Richard H. Turner enlarged it into a two-story, five-bay Georgian-form house with a Greek Revival interior and porch. In 1934 a Colonial Revival sunroom wing and a two-story pedimented portico were added, and a 1982 rehabilitation kept that exterior. Nearby are a detached kitchen, a slaves' quarter and a smokehouse from the first half of the nineteenth century, plus a barn and implement shed. The district was recognized for its long-stable boundaries and land uses, its link to the Turner family, and its place in the river-based plantation economy. Its architecture reflects several building periods. Seven archaeological sites, including five Native American sites, add evidence of prehistoric and plantation-era settlement.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is among the oldest plantations in the county and has kept essentially its late eighteenth-century boundaries and land uses. It is tied to the Turner family and the river-based plantation economy. The main house shows Georgian form with Greek Revival and Colonial Revival changes, and the seven archaeological sites, five of them Native American, add information on prehistoric and plantation-era life.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90002012, listed January 3, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Between VA 625 and the Rappahannock R., E of US 301, Port Conway |
|---|---|
| County | King George County |
| Listed | January 3, 1991 |
| Reference number | 90002012 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Richard Turner (original c. 1790 portion, per secondary sources); Richard H. Turner (c. 1841 enlargement) |
| Architectural style | Mixed: Georgian, Greek Revival, Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Prehistoric, Historic - Aboriginal, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Agriculture, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The plantation house was rehabilitated in 1982 and remains a single dwelling; fields and woodlands remain in agricultural and wooded use. |
| Acreage | 899 |
| Coordinates | 38.17931, -77.16770 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90002012.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15964627
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.