About

Wilton House was headquarters for the Marquis de Lafayette after the Battle of Richmond in 1781. Built for William Randolph III, the Wilton House stood as a symbol of Randolph, family power for over 100 years. The Georgian-style mansion was the seat of a 2,000 acre plantation, powered by tobacco and enslaved labor. In 1959, mired in the debt of her ancestors, Catherine Randolph sold off the remains of the plantation and dilapidated house. Wilton saw a series of successive owners over the next 73 years. In 1932, after surviving two wars and several bankruptcies, Wilton was dismantled and moved 15 miles upriver where it was reassembled and opened as the Wilton House Museum.