The two lavish country estates, Morven Park and Oatlands, on either side of Leesburg, would appear at first glance to create a problem of choice.  These grand houses are white and have columned entrance ways, but their differences are far greater than their similarities. It’s worth visiting both! 

Although from the outside Morven Park may suggest Scarlet O'Hara's Tara, the opulent interior is more reminiscent of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon.  The mixture of architectural styles---the Renaissance grand hall, French drawing room and Jacobean dining room---is matched by furnishings collected from around the world by the 20th-century owners, Governor Westmoreland Davis and his wife.

The house the Davises purchased in 1903 has changed dramatically over the years.  Originally the land was farmed by Pennsylvanians who settled in the area in the late 1700s.  An unpretentious stone house was built here around 1781.  In 1808 Thomas Swann acquired the land and built a Federal-style home which he enlarged after he retired.  It was Swann who added the Greek Revival four-columned entrance portico.  Swann named his estate after the Princeton, New Jersey home of Commodore Robert F. Stockton, who was flattered by his gesture but suggested that he add "Park" to the name because of the vast acreage (roughly 2,562 acres at that time).

After inheriting his father's estate, Thomas Swann, Jr. was too involved in business and politics to spend much time at this Leesburg estate.  His position as president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad made it necessary for him to spend time in Baltimore.  He maintained Morven Park as a summer while living in Annapolis as governor of Maryland and in the Washington area as a five-term congressman. Despite the claims on his schedule, he still exerted a great deal of influence on Morven Park.  It was Thomas Swann, Jr., who embarked on the last major building program, integrating the three separate buildings into the one imposing mansion you see today.

If the exterior reflects Governor Swann, the interior reflects the taste of Governor and Mrs. Davis.  They filled the house with treasures from Europe, including the 1550 Brabant tapestries that line the great hall. Their grandeur is matched by the red velvet thrones from the Pitti Palace that sit beneath them.  The ornately carved dining room furniture is reflected in huge rococo mirrors.

The house tour at Morven Park is just the beginning.  There is a great deal more to see. The Museum of Hounds and Hunting traces fox hunting in America from George Washington's day to the present.  The Winmill Carriage Collection was bequeathed to the estate. It provides a mini-history of transportation in the 18th century.  Names you may only have encountered in books take on fascinating form, as you examine landaus, sulkies, breaks and phaetons as well as the more easily recognized carriages, sleighs, carts, coaches and buggies in the 70-vehicle collection, which rotates exhibits.

Nature lovers will find an extensive garden.  The Marguerite G. Davis Boxwood Garden has the largest living stand of boxwoods in the United States.  Spring bushes and bulbs add color and in the summer months roses, dahlias and crepe myrtle bloom.

Morven Park is open April through October from NOON to 5:00 P.M. weekdays and 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on weekends.  It is open weekends only in November.  There are special December hours; call (703) 777-2414 for details.   Admission is charged.

Oatlands traces its lineage back to Virginia's early days. The land was purchased by the Carter family from Lord Fairfax as part of the 11,357-acre Goose Creek Tract.  George Carter, drew close to 5,000 acres in a lottery held by his father for his ten surviving children.  In 1804, Carter built a post-colonial country house on his estate.  George Carter married a 39-year old widow, Elizabeth Grayson Lewis, when he was 60.  He died after only nine short years of wedded life.

Elizabeth and their two sons briefly abandoned Oatlands at the start of  the Civil War.  The boys served in the Confederate army and the house served as a billet for Confederate troops.  After the war the Carter family had difficulty maintaining the house.  They took in boarders for a time but eventually were forced to sell the family home and 60 acres.

The Greek Classical Revival house has a three-story pavilion flanked by two-story wings.  In a break with tradition, it has a staircase on each end of the house rather than one in the center. Oatlands, like Morven Park, did undergo some remodeling over the first 20 years, 1804-1829.  When the vogue for octagonal rooms caught on, a square-shaped room was converted to an eight-sided drawing room.  One of the most distinctive features of the interior design is the elaborate plasterwork done in the 1820s.

The house and garden you see today were reclaimed  by Mr. and Mrs. William Corcoran Eustis after years of neglect.  He was the grandson of the founder of the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C.  They furnished the house with American, English and French pieces. The dessert plates you'll see on the dining table once belonged to George Washington.

The Eustises restored the boxwood garden laid out by George Carter, reclaiming and expanding to create what is now considered one of Virginia's finest gardens.  Mrs. Eustis, in describing the garden, said it was noted for "mystery, variety and the unexpected."  It is the only garden in the country to use boxwood for the pleached, or tunnel, walk.  The wisteria walk is a springtime delight.  Specialty areas include a rosarium and an herb garden.

Oatlands is open April through late December, Tuesday through Saturday and federal holiday Mondays from 10:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. and Sunday from 1:00 to 4:30 P.M.  Admission is charged.

Directions:  From I-95 in the Fredericksburg area, take Route 17 northwest until it merges with Route 29/15.  Turn right on Route 29/15 and continue north.  Once you are beyond Warrenton, Route 29/15 divides.  Take Route 15 north toward Leesburg.  Oatlands is off Route 15 on the right just before Leesburg; Morven Park is off Route 15 on the left just past Leesburg.  From the Washington Beltway I-495/95, take Route 7 west to Leesburg, then Route 15 south toward Warrenton.  Oatlands is on Route 15, six miles south of Leesburg.