Considered one of the finest existing colonial dwellings in America, Gunston Hall is more than just a house and manicured grounds. It was here that George Mason (1725–1792) lived for 33 years with his wife, Ann, and their nine surviving children. It was at Gunston Hall that Mason was faced with choosing between patriotism for the burgeoning United States or loyalty to the British crown. He chose to become one of the foremost voices for liberty through his writings.
He frequently put pen to paper to help shape America’s foundation at his Gunston Hall plantation in Virginia—just eight miles from the Potomac River and around 10 miles southwest of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. In fact, Washington mentions their visits in diary entries preserved in the National Archives.
