John Tyler, tenth president of the United States, was born at Greenway in Charles City County on March 29, 1790. Amid a cluster of outbuildings, the dormered residence is typical of the many lesser plantation houses erected in Virginia during the second half of the 18th century. It was built around 1776 for Tyler’s father, Judge John Tyler, governor of Virginia 1808-11, who is buried here. The future president lived at Greenway until his marriage to Letitia Christian. He returned in 1821 and made Greenway his home during his own tenure as governor in 1825-27. Tyler sold Greenway in 1829 and eventually purchased nearby Sherwood Forest, where he lived until his death. The unpretentious but formally proportioned dwelling has survived without significant alteration. The interior preserves original woodwork, including imposing paneled chimneypieces. The Greenway complex is one of the many landmarks along Virginia’s historic Route 5.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia