Oatlands
A monumental mansion with outbuildings and gardens

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was known to summer at Oatlands, the home of the Eustis family. Begun in 1804 and embellished over the next two decades, this monumental mansion, along with its numerous outbuildings and extensive gardens, form one of the nation's most elaborate Federal estates.

George Carter, one of the scions of prominent Tidewater families who migrated to Northern Virginia after the Revolution, developed the complex. A miller's residence, brick manufactory, blacksmith shop, store, school, and church soon followed the building of the main house as Oatlands quickly grew into a 3,000-acre working plantation. Other structures built by Carter include the stone and brick staircases and walls in the gardens, a smoke house, a brick greenhouse with a hot-water heating system, and a granary. He also constructed ingenious connecting terraces, which, by sheltering the area from wind, extended the growing season to supply food for the plantation, and he also designed Oatlands’ gardens.

Oatlands fared well during the Civil War compared to many other plantations, but after the war George Carter II and his wife Kate Carter, beset by mounting debts and numerous dependents, began operating Oatlands as a summer boarding house, a country retreat for affluent Washingtonians. This didn't produce the income needed to sustain a great home like Oatlands, and in 1897 they were forced to sell.

Oatlands was briefly owned by the founder of the Washington Post Stilson Hutchins, who never lived on the property. In 1903 Oatlands was sold to William Corcoran Eustis, grandson of banker and philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran and his wife, Edith, who restored Oatlands to its former splendor.  Although Mr. Eustis died in 1921, Mrs. Eustis remained at Oatlands until her death in 1964.

Oatlands Historic District includes 300 acres on either side of Route 15, Oatlands mansion, Mountain Gap School, and the Church of our Savior.