Hope Park
Trademark
UnclaimedHope Park was an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century plantation and milling property in Fairfax County, Virginia, later preserved through its surviving historic buildings.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Hope Park was a historic plantation in Fairfax County, Virginia, located approximately five miles southwest of the former Fairfax Court House, now the independent City of Fairfax. It was established in the 1750s by Edward Payne, a Fairfax County justice and builder associated with Payne's Church. The property included agricultural land and, probably from Payne's tenure, a small grist mill on Piney Branch, reflecting the importance of local milling to inland plantations that lacked convenient access to navigable waterways. The property became particularly associated with Dr. David Stuart and his wife, Eleanor Calvert Custis. Stuart, an Alexandria physician, planter, public official, and correspondent of George Washington, purchased Hope Park in 1785, two years after marrying Eleanor, the widow of John Parke Custis and the former stepdaughter-in-law of George Washington. The Stuarts moved from Abingdon to Hope Park between 1791 and 1793. Their close relationship with George and Martha Washington made the plantation a recurring setting in Washington's correspondence and diaries, and the Washington family visited the Stuarts at both Hope Park and Abingdon. During Stuart's ownership, the plantation expanded its milling infrastructure. A second mill and an adjacent miller's house were probably built around 1800, although their exact construction dates are uncertain. The surviving Hope Park Mill later served neighboring plantations and became known by several names, including Robey's Mill and Piney Branch Mill. After Stuart's death in 1814, the estate was advertised for sale in 1815 with the mill described as being in complete repair. John H. Barnes Sr. acquired approximately 1,000 acres, including the mill and miller's house, in December 1837, and purchased the principal dwelling and the remaining plantation in February 1838. The Barnes family operated the property through the antebellum period. After Barnes Sr.'s death, the plantation was divided among inheritance properties. His son John H. Barnes Jr., known as Jack and trained as a miller, received the mill and miller's house in 1853 and lived there with his wife, Mary Fox Barnes, calling the property Huntley. The Barnes period also reflects the plantation's dependence on enslaved labor. The family was documented as owning four enslaved people in the 1840s, seven in 1850, and twelve in 1860. During the American Civil War, three of Barnes's sons enlisted in the 17th Virginia Volunteer Infantry. The Barnes women, children, and enslaved people evacuated Hope Park and Huntley during the conflict. Confederate forces used Hope Park Mill as a military post during the winter of 1861–1862, after which Union troops occupied the area and confiscated food and other property during military operations in western Fairfax County. Commercial milling resumed around the turn of the twentieth century under Frank Robey. His death in 1916 ended the mill's commercial production. The surviving mill complex, including the miller's house, a log smokehouse, spring house, and cabin, was subsequently preserved. The Hope Park Mill and Miller's House were placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1976 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Fairfax County established the Robey's Mill Historic Overlay District in 1980. The Hope Park mansion and mill were documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey. The mansion remains a private residence, while the preserved mill complex is located on Pope's Head Road in Fairfax. The historic property is therefore best understood as a cultural landscape and historic site rather than as an operating commercial brand.
History
Hope Park originated in the 1750s as a plantation established by Edward Payne in central Fairfax County, Virginia. Payne served as a justice of the Fairfax County Court from 1764 to 1785 and was involved with George Washington and George Mason through the Truro Parish vestry. He also built Payne's Church, completed in 1778. A small grist mill was probably constructed during Payne's ownership on Piney Branch, a stream running through the property. Dr. David Stuart purchased Hope Park in 1785. Stuart was an Alexandria physician and planter who also served in Virginia public life, including as a Fairfax County representative and as Virginia's member of the first Board of Commissioners of the Federal City, to which President George Washington appointed him in 1791. Stuart had married Eleanor Calvert Custis in 1783. Eleanor was the widow of John Parke Custis and therefore the daughter-in-law of Martha Washington and stepdaughter-in-law of George Washington. The couple initially lived at Abingdon, but relocated to Hope Park between 1791 and 1793. The Stuart household maintained close ties with the Washington and Custis families. George and Martha Washington visited the Stuarts at Hope Park and Abingdon, while the Stuarts were frequent guests at Mount Vernon. Hope Park also became home to members of the extended Custis family. Stuart managed financial affairs for his stepchildren and helped raise Martha Parke Custis and Elizabeth Parke Custis. Both women married at Hope Park: Martha married Thomas Peter in January 1795, and Elizabeth married Thomas Law in March 1796. The property thus functioned not only as an agricultural estate but also as an important domestic and social setting for connected Virginia and Washington families. A second mill and a miller's house were probably built during Stuart's ownership, most likely around 1800 and before the family moved to Ossian Hall in 1804. The exact dates are uncertain. By 1815, following Stuart's death in 1814, a sale notice described the mill as being in complete repair. Known as Hope Park Mill, it served neighboring plantations in central Fairfax County. John H. Barnes Sr. acquired a 1,000-acre tract containing the mill and miller's house in December 1837. He bought the main Hope Park dwelling and the remainder of the plantation in February 1838. The Barnes family first occupied the miller's house and later moved into the main dwelling. When Barnes Sr.'s estate was divided, his widow received the principal dwelling and a 194-acre tract known as the Mansion House Tract. In the 1853 settlement, his eldest son, John H. Barnes Jr., or Jack Barnes, received the mill and miller's house. Having trained as a miller, he and his wife, Mary Fox Barnes, lived there and referred to the property as Huntley. The Barnes plantation relied partly on enslaved labor. Records indicate that the family held four enslaved people in the 1840s, seven in 1850, and twelve in 1860. The Civil War disrupted the estate. In June 1861, three Barnes sons enlisted in the 17th Virginia Volunteer Infantry, also known as the Fairfax Rifles. Jack Barnes was captured two months later and experienced multiple periods of Federal imprisonment. His mother, sisters, wife, children, and enslaved people evacuated Hope Park and Huntley during the war. They returned after the Confederate victory at the First Battle of Bull Run and found the residences standing but vandalized. Confederate troops occupied Hope Park Mill as Post No. 3 during the winter of 1861–1862. They left in March 1862 as Union forces advanced through western Fairfax County. Union troops conducted foraging and resupply operations, confiscating livestock, vegetables, and other supplies from local civilians. These events form part of the documented wartime history of the plantation and its surrounding community. The mill became productive again around the beginning of the twentieth century under Frank Robey. Commercial milling ended after Robey's death in 1916. The mill, miller's house, and associated outbuildings survived and later became the focus of preservation work. The complex was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in the twentieth century. The Hope Park Mill and Miller's House were added to the Virginia Landmarks Register on November 16, 1976, and to the National Register of Historic Places on August 15, 1977. Fairfax County created the Robey's Mill Historic Overlay District in 1980. The mansion house passed through several later families, including the Newmans, Zimmermans, Mattinglys, Flints, and Warhursts. The historic mansion remains a private residence. The former Mansion House Tract was subdivided in 1976, while the mill complex and associated buildings remain preserved at 12124 Pope's Head Road. Hope Park is consequently remembered as a historic site encompassing plantation agriculture, milling, prominent family connections, enslavement, wartime occupation, and preservation history.
- 1980
Historic Overlay District created
[1]Fairfax County established the Robey's Mill Historic Overlay District to support protection of the historic complex.
- 1977
Added to the National Register of Historic Places
[1]Hope Park Mill and Miller's House were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 15.
- 1976
Historic registration and tract subdivision
[1]The Hope Park Mill and Miller's House were listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register, and the remaining Mansion House Tract was subdivided.
- 1916
Commercial milling ended
[1]Frank Robey's death brought the mill's commercial production to an end.
- 1862
Military occupation of the mill ended
[1]Confederate troops vacated Hope Park Mill in March as Union forces advanced through western Fairfax County.
- 1861
Civil War disrupted the plantation
[1]Three Barnes sons enlisted in the 17th Virginia Volunteer Infantry, and the Barnes household evacuated Hope Park during the conflict.
- 1853
Estate divided among Barnes heirs
[1]The settlement of the Barnes estate assigned the mill and miller's house to John H. Barnes Jr., who operated as a trained miller.
- 1838
Barnes family acquired the main plantation
[1]Barnes purchased the main Hope Park dwelling and the remaining plantation in February.
- 1837
Barnes family acquired the mill tract
[1]John H. Barnes Sr. purchased approximately 1,000 acres containing the mill and miller's house.
- 1815
Mill advertised for sale
[1]A sale notice described Hope Park Mill as being in complete repair.
Products and positioning
Historic plantation, mill complex, and cultural-landscape site associated with early American Virginia, the Stuart and Washington families, antebellum plantation history, Civil War activity, and local industrial heritage.
Historic agricultural estate
Hope Park plantation
The principal historic property was an agricultural plantation in central Fairfax County. It included the main dwelling, cultivated acreage, family and worker facilities, and a milling operation on Piney Branch. The plantation ceased to function as a unified agricultural enterprise after inheritance divisions, later sales, and twentieth-century subdivision.
Historic grist mill
Hope Park Mill
Hope Park Mill was a local water-powered milling facility serving the plantation and nearby properties. A second mill and miller's house were probably built around 1800. The operation resumed under Frank Robey around the turn of the twentieth century but ended commercially after his death in 1916. The surviving mill complex is preserved as a historic resource.
Historic buildings
Miller's House and associated outbuildings
The preserved complex includes the miller's house, a log smokehouse, a spring house, and a cabin. Together with the mill, these structures document the operational and domestic infrastructure of the former plantation and milling property.
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