After three decades of public service, Patrick Henry retired in 1794 to Red Hill plantation in Charlotte County, which he regarded as "one of the garden spots of the world." He purchased the 700-acre estate and simple story-and-half house in 1794 and over the next five years he expanded the modest plantation to 2,965 acres. While living at Red Hill, Henry declined numerous posts in the national government, including chief justice, secretary of state, U.S. senator, and ambassadorships to France and Spain. Persuaded by George Washington to stand for election to the Virginia legislature, Henry delivered his last public oration at Charlotte Courthouse on March 4, 1799. He died at 63 on June 6, 1799 from an intestinal blockage and was buried a few days later near his garden. The marble slab over Patrick Henry's grave bears the simple inscription, "His fame his best epitaph." Ownership of Red Hill remained with the family until 1944 when Henry's great-granddaughter passed away. At that time, the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation was formed to purchase Red Hill and preserve the last home of the great patriot. In 1978, Red Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1986 Congress declared it the Patrick Henry National Memorial.