Wilton, an impressive example of Colonial American architecture celebrated for its fully paneled interiors, was built circa 1753 for William Randolph III and his wife Anne Carter Harrison Randolph, both members of politically active families. The centerpiece of their 2,000 acre tobacco and wheat plantation, it was constructed by free and enslaved masons and carpenters. After William Randolph III died in 1761, Anne Randolph managed Wilton, took part in the Association for the Non Importation of English Goods, and offered hospitality to important revolutionaries. George Washington stayed there after attending the Second Virginia Convention in March 1775, where he heard Patrick Henry's speech ending in "Give me liberty or give me death." The Marquis de LaFayette and nine hundred troops made their headquarters at Wilton before advancing to victory at Yorktown, and the Randolphs' son Peyton Randolph served in the Continental Army as an aide-de-camp to Lafayette. When encroaching industrial development threatened the house with demolition, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of American in the Commonwealth of Virginia purchased it and had it carefully moved and restored at its current location in 1934. Wilton House Museum welcomes the public and provides educational programs and events.
