Sherwood Forest

Sherwood Forest. Home of President John Tyler. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, this land was inhabited by the Weanoc Indians, a tribe of the Powhatan Confederacy. The English settled the area in the 17th century, cultivated tobacco and subdivided the land into tracts. A small, late 18th-century Tidewater farmhouse situated on this tract became the core of Sherwood Forest. Minge family owners enlarged the house in the 1820s., President John Tyler purchased the house and 900-acre plantation, called Walnut Grove, or The Grove, from Collier Minge in 1842. He amassed surrounding tracts and further enlarged the house to its present 300-foot length. In a nod to his status as an "outlaw" from the Whig party, he renamed the residence Sherwood Forest. President Tyler resided here with his second wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler, of New York, and their children from 1845 until his death in 1862. Sherwood Forest has been home to the President's descendants ever since., Approximately 80 people were enslaved here, the majority of whom planted and harvested wheat and corn, which sustained the Tylers as their main source of income. Julia Tyler embellished the residence in the Greek Revival style and designed twenty-five acres of manicured grounds according to the principles of Andrew Jackson Downing. Visitors today stroll among centuries-old trees, terraced lawn, and evidence of formal gardens. Dependencies original to the property include a smokehouse, privy, dairy and tobacco curing shed. The residence is furnished with Tyler heirlooms, antiques, and family portraits., Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of John and Julia Tyler, and his wife Frances restored the property in the mid-1970s with the goal of preserving and sharing family history. Their vision, dedication, and generous support of Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, provides public access to this historic site in perpetuity.