James Monroe Family Home Site

James Monroe Family Home Site, also known as James Monroe's Birthplace, is a historic archaeological site located near Oak Grove and Colonial Beach, Westmoreland County, Virginia. The site includes the ruins of the Monroe Family Home and birthplace of President James Monroe, which were uncovered in 1976 by a team from the College of William & Mary. Monroe spent his entire youth working the farm until he left for his education at William & Mary, following which he served in the Continental Army. The archaeological team uncovered a house foundation measuring 20 feet by 58 feet. The known 1845 etchings of the birth home indicate a small four room, rough cut wooden farm house with few outbuildings on a 500-acre farm filled with wetlands.[3]

James Monroe Family Home Site
Obelisk at the James Monroe Family Home Site, October 2010
Location4460 James Monroe Highway, Colonial Beach, Virginia
Coordinates38°14′31″N 76°59′27″W
Area74.8 acres (30.3 ha)
Built1758 (1758)
Built byGrigg, Milton
Architectural styleBeaux Arts
NRHP reference No.79003095, 08000285 (Boundary Increase)[1]
VLR No.096-0046
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 24, 1979, April 10, 2008 (Boundary Increase)
Designated VLRDecember 21, 1976, December 5, 2007[2]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, with a boundary increase in 2008.[1] Construction started in 2017 to build a replica of the Monroe home on the site and to create a walking path that highlights James Monroe's accomplishments; construction was projected to take two years, but is still ongoing in 2020.[4]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. "The James Monroe Memorial Foundation: James Monroe Birthplace". The James Monroe Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
  4. "James Monroe Birthplace at Colonial Beach". Retrieved June 28, 2020.


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