Sherwood Forest Plantation

Sherwood Forest Plantation is located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia, near State Route 5 between Richmond and Williamsburg. Constructed in 1730, it served as the home of John Tyler, the tenth U.S. president, for the last two decades of his life. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, the property was once mistakenly believed to be the only private residence owned by two unrelated presidents, though William Henry Harrison had previously owned nearby land.

Tyler purchased the plantation in 1842 and renamed it Sherwood Forest, symbolizing his self-perceived outlaw status after being expelled from the Whig party. He lived there with his second wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler, and their children, including Pearl, who was born in 1860 when Tyler was 70 and died in 1947. During the Civil War, Union soldiers occupied the house but spared it after a loyal slave extinguished an attempted arson.

The plantation has remained in Tyler's family since acquisition, now managed by Harrison Ruffin Tyler, who restored the property with his wife using historical records from over 47,000 letters. The grounds are open for self-guided tours daily except major holidays, while the house requires advance booking.

Sherwood Forest also features a pet cemetery and a grove intended as Tyler's burial site, though he was buried in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery after his death in 1862.