There is not much information to be found on the web about the history of The Park Gate House and what you can find is mostly incomplete and/or inaccurate. Owner, Thomas Russell, has done extensive research into the historic landmark he owns and has provided his own brief history on this quaint home.
The Park Gate house was built around 1738 by George Brent on the 7500 acre portion of the Brentowne Tract granted by King James II in 1686. It is an English Tidewater style home, very common in England and replicated by colonists in mostly Maryland and the Virginia side of the Potomac river. The house originally had four rooms down below, four rooms up above, a large front porch and a large back porch. Each room had its own fireplace, the only closet was under the stairwell, no bathrooms and no kitchen. The separate structure to the rear of the house served as the cooking kitchen house.
The house served as the residence and office for the individual managing the 7500 acre estate which was cleared of trees and planted with a single cash crop – tobacco. The 7500 acres were divided into 100 acre parcels and offered to colonists to land lease for 99 years at the annual lease cost of 530 lbs of tobacco. The estate was initially extremely profitable. The tobacco eventually drained the soil of nitrogen and by the onset of the revolutionary war, the crop would no longer grow. Without the ability to grow the gold leaf, the value of the estate waned and parcels began to be sold off.
Following the revolutionary war, the house and 1500 acres were purchased from the Brents by Thomas Jesse Lee, the eldest son of our founding father Richard Henry Lee. In 1790, Thomas Lee and his new wife, Mildred Washington, the eldest daughter of John Augustine Washington and the niece of the then sitting President, George Washington, moved into the house. It is said that Uncle George could make the 33 mile ride from Mount Vernon to his niece’s house at Park Gate in a single day and did so on his way to Culpeper. Both Thomas and Mildred are buried in the cemetery on the property.
Thomas Russell – January 2023
Other Site’s History on The Park Gate House
Foremost among Prince William County’s historic dwellings is Park Gate, a picturesque colonial plantation house. Loss of county records precludes establishing a precise construction date, however, architectural form and details suggest a mid-18th-century origin. With its engaged front porch, steep gable roof, and hall/parlor plan, the house is representative of a vernacular house type once spread through the Potomac River valley in both Virginia and Maryland.
Among Park Gate’s early owners was Col. Thomas Lee, son of Richard Henry Lee, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Col. Lee was married to Mildred Washington, niece of George Washington. Following her death in childbirth, Thomas Lee married Eliza Ashton Brent, daughter of Daniel Carroll Brent. The interior was remodeled around 1830 when original woodwork was replaced with Greek Revival trim. Despite these changes, the excellently maintained house preserves an aura of great age.
Park Gate is a historic home located near Nokesville, Prince William County, Virginia. It was built about 1750, and is a 1+1⁄2-story, three-bay, Tidewater Style frame dwelling. It has a steep gable roof and exterior end chimneys and measures 36 feet by 30 feet. The front facade features a 12 feet deep full width front porch. Colonel Thomas Lee, eldest son of Richard Henry Lee, signer of the Declaration of Independence, resided at Park Gate from about 1790 to 1805.[3]
Park Gate is a historic home in Prince William County, Virginia, located near Nokesville. Built around 1750, the home in known particularly for being a well-preserved example of Tidewater-style architecture of the time. Additionally, the oldest son of Richard Henry Lee, Colonel Thomas Lee, lived at Park Gate from around 1790 until 1805. On September 20th, 1988, it was designated on the Virginia Landmark Register, and on April 3rd, 1987, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Initial speculation about Park Gate suggested that the home was likely built sometime around 1750. As recent as the late 1980s, though, speculation has arisen mainly for two new theories arguing for an earlier date of construction for the property. One line of thinking argues for a construction date of at least before 1694, drawing on inferences from letters exchanged around that time regarding property deeds. A second track of thought argues for a construction date of 1650, with the argument being largely based on similarities in architectural style when compared to Susquehanna House from St. Mary’s County.
Regardless of when the house was built, we do know for a fact that Colonel Thomas Lee, the oldest son of Richard Henry Lee, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, lived at Park Gate from about 1790 until 1805. On September 20th, 1988, Park Gate was designated on the Virginia Landmark Register, and on April 3rd, 1987, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
