Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, Virginia, unites a thirty-one-acre public garden with the preserved Green Spring estate, whose history reaches from an eighteen-century plantation to a modern public landscape. The property grew from land recorded in 1706 and was established by John Moss in 1777; he farmed tobacco, corn, and wheat, hosted early Methodist gatherings, served in the Continental Army, and in 1795 granted delayed manumission to fourteen enslaved people. Later owners included Hannah O'Brien and Fountain Beattie. After 1941, Michael and Belinda Straight transformed the estate with Beatrix Farrand and Walter Macomber, creating a Colonial Revival garden and house ensemble now recognized for its historic architecture, landscape, and public horticultural use.

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Alexandria, Virginia · USA