Lorton in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Out of Retirement
George Mason's Gunston Hall
In the summer of 1787, representatives assembled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from twelve of the thirteen states to improve the Articles of Confederating. This meeting ultimately became known as the Constitutional Convention. Virginians asked George Mason to attend because he was "a man of the first order of wisdom among those who acted on the theatre of the revolution, of expressive mind, profound judgment, cogent in argument."
But George was happiest "in retirement" at Gunston Hall, raising his children and overseeing the plantation. Going to the convention meant traveling hundreds of miles on poor roads and being away from home for several months.
Erected by George Mason's Gunston Hall.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Government & Politics. A significant historical year for this entry is 1787.
Location. 38° 39.926′ N, 77° 9.665′ W. Marker is in Lorton, Virginia, in Fairfax County. It can be reached from Gunston Road (Virginia Route 242) 0.8 miles east of Springfield Drive, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address:
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Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: This "temple" (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Considerable Force (about 500 feet away); Resources within Themselves (about 600 feet away); Organizing Nature (about 600 feet away); What Lies Beneath (approx. 0.2 miles away); Shiloh Baptist Church (approx. half a mile away); This is Pohick Bay! (approx. 0.7 miles away); Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map
Credits. This page was last revised on May 8, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 8, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 192 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 8, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
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