~ Donation of lands surrounds the historic home of Francis Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence~
RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the permanent preservation of 172 acres at Menokin, a National Historic Landmark, in Richmond County. Menokin is the home of Francis “Lightfoot” Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and his wife, Rebecca Tayloe.
“When I challenged Virginians to preserve an additional 400,000 acres of open space by 2010, the goal was to preserve not only our pristine landscapes, but also our historic sites,” Governor Kaine said. “With its rich history and beautiful setting, Menokin clearly meets both of these goals. It is truly a gem worthy of protection and we are all richer thanks to the vision and generosity of the Menokin Foundation.”
Menokin Foundation President Helen Turner Murphy announced the easement donation to the Department of Historic Resources. The easement will protect Menokin’s historic gardens and important archaeological resources. Kathleen S. Kilpatrick, director of the Department of Historic Resources, accepted the easement on behalf of DHR and the Commonwealth.
DHR currently holds an easement on the ruins of Menokin’s manor house. Once the heart of a thriving plantation, the house was built about 1769 along Cat Point Creek, about five miles upstream from the Rappahannock River. After the death of Lee in 1797, the plantation changed ownership several times during the 19th and 20th centuries. After the property was abandoned in 1940, it began deteriorating as it lay vacant before coming into possession of the Menokin Foundation in 1995.
“Saving Menokin has been a many-decades-long struggle. With this donation the leaders of the Menokin Foundation demonstrate once again their commitment and determination to ensure that a property so intricately connected to our nation’s founding through the life of Francis Lee will be preserved for the future,” Kilpatrick said.
The Menokin Foundation preserves and interprets the ruins of Lee’s home to educate students and visitors on the conservation of cultural and natural resources, using the Menokin ruins and its acreage of forest, wetlands and shoreline. More than half of the property is part of the Rappahannock River National Wildlife Refuge.
According to Sarah Dillard Pope, the executive director of the Menokin Foundation, “This easement now ensures that Menokin’s extensive 18th century garden terraces as well as significant archaeological features remain intact for future generations. The entire 500-acre property is now protected through state and federal conservation easement programs.”
Menokin was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1968 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. It was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in 1971.
