Cedar Hill has a very interesting history. Frederick Bailey was born a slave in February of 1818. At 8 years old, he went to live with relatives of his owner. There he learned to read and write. At 15 he was sent back to his owner to become another field hand. Frederick taught willing slaves what he had learned while away. He got beat for his efforts. He tried more than once to escape, and finally managed to do so by donning a sailor's uniform and pretending to be someone else.

Cedar Hill Early Years

Frederick Bailey changed his name to Frederick Douglass to avoid being captured and returned to his owner. Soon, he became a great orator. He was so good that people started to doubt his story of being a former slave. To prove them wrong, Douglass wrote an auto-biography of his earlier life, giving details of his birth place, real name and owner's name. Fearing capture because of this book, Douglass fled to England where some sympathizers bought his freedom a few years later. Douglass then returned to the U.S., continued speaking, and became a great abolitionist. 

Douglass purchased Cedar Hill in 1877, and moved in a year later. Over the years, Douglass added rooms to Cedar Hill, until he had converted it into a spectacular mansion filled with 21-rooms. Years after his death in 1895, his wife Helen set out to preserve this stately home. She died in 1903 and left Cedar Hill to the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association. They got the government involved and the home became a part of the National Park Service on September 5, 1962.

Tours

Cedar Hill has undergone numerous renovations since it was completed in 1859. The house is filled with objects once owned by the Douglass family. Many of the artifacts in the home can be viewed on the Cedar Hill online exhibit pages. Visitors are always welcome. Tours are the only way to see Cedar Hill. For standard tours you don't need to make reservations, but doing so (at least a day in advance) ensures you and your group will get to tour the home at the time of your visit . Each tour has room for up to ten people. The fee for this tour is $1.50 per person on a reserved tour.

Any available space in a Cedar Hill tour can be taken for free by the general public, first come - first served. Larger tours can be scheduled, but must be done at least one week prior to the tour date. Fees are $1.50 per reserved ticket. Schools who wish to visit Cedar Hill pay $5.00 for the whole group. Check the website, or call to find out tour hours.

Do you want more information on this area of northern Virginia? Our website has a lot of great information on places to visit as well as area to buy a home in northern Virginia. Keep checking back for more information.

Are you looking for someone trustworthy to handle the sale of you home? Call me at 703-462-0700 or email us at DarrenRobertsonHomes@gmail.com.