Menokin

Menokin was started in 1769 and it was the home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The Menokin Historical Plantation is unique in that instead of a restored, perfect historical building it is an evolving work in progress. By making Menokin as a glass house, you can actually see history in 3 d. With a partially restored house, you can see the 3' wide walls, not just imagine them. You can see the bricks they formed by hand, they are not painted over. You can really appreciate how the 3 story fireplace was built without the floors in the way. The parts of stone wall that have been restored are beautiful. All of the hand carved wood pieces of the fireplaces and other parts of the house are stored or on display currently. The tour was excellent and very thorough. This is a piece of Virginia history that everyone should visit!

Astounding, beautiful site. I equate the difference between the Menokin ruin, in its preserved state, and other grand, intact houses, to the difference between a book and a movie: here, it's your imagination that counts. You find yourself filling in the visual gaps, contemplating the builders, the inhabitants and the enslaved servants, as well as the imagined intact structure, in a way that becomes emotionally real. A totally unique site that calls for repeat visits.

The blue trail was well marked by tree marks. The red trail just ended down by Cat Point creek, even though maps shows it going up to house ruins. Overall a good two mile walk.

Very friendly staff. Educational experience, beautiful scenery. Will definitely be back

Menokin was a wonderful fun step back in time! This important treasure is being lovingly restored but with glass!!! There is a lot of found materials and excavation of the Lightfoot-Lee family. As locals we know the visitor center is chuck full of information and belongings of the house and family. We were not able to see center, as it was closed. But we did get to meet Sheriff English who responded to the alarm we accidentally set off!! He was very informative and a pleasure to learn from...and he was forgiving to our mishap. Our out-of-town guest got a bit more than they were expecting in more ways than one!! We did drive down to Cat Point Creek. What a lovely peaceful place to kayak or just hike to. This is one of our favorite places to bring guests.

We took a day trip to the area and a local recommended we stop by these ruins. Its a bit off the beaten path but certainly worth the trip. I highly recommend the guided golf cart tour. Juliana (our tour guide) was engaging and educated us on the history of menokin and the area. We are looking forward to the restoration when its completed!

Great tour at 2pm via golf cart, knowledgeable guide, special 18th century preservation project with participation by the enslaveds' descendants. Non profit. Ongoing progress on unique undertaking.

Love the whole concept. We've been here before, but many years ago. To see the progress was really cool

The Trust works hard to make school visits amazing from artwork with mud, to water testing. They are knowledgeable and professional. The kids enjoyed it, and learned a lot! Than you for keeping history alive!

Historic ruins of Francis Lightfoot Lee's home. It's easy to miss off a dusty country road, but anyone with an interest in American history, historic preservation, or landscape architecture will find it interesting. There are a few signs with extra background information but not particularly interactive...mostly on your own.

Ruins of historic home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, signer of Declaration of Independence. Fell into disrepair and is now protected by a huge metal roof structure. Really impressive. Way out in the country but worth the ride.