Sherwood Forest Plantation
Sherwood Forest Plantation is a historic site on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. The main house, built in 1730, is best known as the home of John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States, for the last 20 years of his life. Tyler bought the land in 1842 and renamed it Sherwood Forest. He retired there after leaving the White House in 1845 and lived there with his wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler, and their children until his death in 1862.
The plantation lies along State Route 5, about 1.5 miles from the James River, between Richmond and Williamsburg. The house is about 301 feet long and features a long ballroom built for dancing, known at the time as the Virginia reel.
The Tylers used the property to grow tobacco and other crops and owned many enslaved people—records show between 54 and 70 in 1842. Julia Gardiner Tyler defended slavery in a published letter in 1853.
During the Civil War, Union troops occupied the house in 1862 and again in 1864. In 1864, an Ohio regiment tried to burn it, but a slave helped extinguish the fire, causing only minor damage.
The property includes a pet cemetery for the Tyler family’s animals, including John Tyler’s horse, The General. Tyler died in Richmond and was buried at Hollywood Cemetery, not at Sherwood Forest, despite his wish to be laid to rest there.
Today, the house is open to the public by appointment for tours, and the grounds are open daily for self-guided tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sherwood Forest is designated a National Historic Landmark (1961) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:17 (CET).