Local Activities

Ash Lawn-Highland is an historic house museum, 535-acre working farm, and performing arts site in Albermarle County, Virginia. President James Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe of New York, owned Ash Lawn-Highland from 1793 to 1826 and made it their official residence from 1799 to 1823. After the Monroes' death, the name of their farm was changed from "Highland" to "Ash Lawn"; today both names are used.

Ash Lawn-Highland was opened for public visitation in 1931 by philanthropists Jay Winston and Helen Lambert Johns. Upon Mr. John's death in late 1974, Mr. Johns bequeathed Ash Lawn-Highland to the College of William and Mary, both his and James Monroe's alma mater. Accepting the Johns bequest "to operate this property as a historic shrine for the education of the general public," the College initiated new programs in restoration and interpretation at Ash Lawn-Highland.

Ash Lawn-Highland continues the tradition begun by the Monroes of welcoming friends, neighbors, dignitaries, and visitors. James Monroe's "place of comfort and hospitality" is the scene of meetings, parties, picnics, a summer music festival, and a variety of educational and special events. It continues to provide an authentic view of nineteenth-century life for our many other visitors through examples of early American and Victorian architecture, decorative arts from those periods, and craft demonstrations on the grounds.

If this is your first visit to Ash Lawn-Highland, we welcome you and hope you will return often to note the progress of our restoration efforts and to participate in our special events. If you have visited before, we are grateful for your continuing interest and invite you to become one of our contributing Friends. All of us hope that each of you has an enjoyable and rewarding visit.