STORY OF THE People

Menokin is rich with stories, some clearly legible across the landscape, others perhaps more hidden – all interwoven and complex in their own right.

Menokin is a National Historic Landmark because of the patriotic actions of Francis Lightfoot Lee. His story is, therefore, where we begin our narrative of Menokin. Menokin’s chronology of persons on the land stretches back in time to the American Indians who first inhabited Menokin, on to English settlement and the contemporaries of Lee and his family, the people who were enslaved here, and forward through the proceeding centuries into the current era.

The Rappahannock

The Rappahannock’s connection with Menokin dates back centuries: archaeological surveys have shown fifteen sites, which contain a mixture of small American Indian habitations related to middle and Late Woodland and Protohistoric period occupations.

The Rappahannock Tribe is an important aspect of the Menokin’s history and significance, and the tribal center is located only 23 miles from the house today, making Menokin a valuable resource for integrating the community and maintaining heritage links to its own history.

The Arrival of the English

At English Contact, the Menokin region was the territory of the very large Rappahannock tribe. Over the following 50 years the Rappahannock tribe lost their land, freedom to move seasonally, and access to the Chesapeake and waterways.

Tussles between Indians and whites began in 1648, when the Virginia General Assembly authorised the patenting of land between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers. The effect of this encroachment was gradual but devastating, as most of the new freeholders had set about clearing and cultivating their lands, and they cared little about harmonious coexistence with the natives.

The Origin of Menokin’s Name

This area along Cat Point Creek (also called Rappahannock Creek) was home to the Rappahannock Indian Tribe. In 1608, Capt. John Smith recorded fourteen Rappahannock towns on the north side of the River and its tributaries.

The general plantation site was referred to as “Menokin” by the Rappahannock and Francis Lightfoot Lee kept the name for his home. The language spoken by the Indians was entirely oral and this is why the name Menokin appears in documents with a dozen distinct spellings.

We gratefully acknowledge the Rappahannock Tribe whose ancestral homelands we now gather and act as stewards of today. It is their words, their name, MENOKIN, we still carry as a reminder of their spirit, and still holds meaning to the sacred ground we preserve. The conservation easement we hold on 325 of the remaining 500 acres, was made in perpetuity to protect this cultural landscape.

Rebecca Tayloe Lee (1753 – 1797)

While no portrait of Rebecca Lee exists, the legacy of Menokin is equally hers. Her marriage to Francis Lee bonded two powerful colonial families. A fact not overlooked by her father, John Tayloe II, “…for and in Consideration of the Natural love and affection which he bears to the said Rebecca Lee Hath…Doth give grant and alien and Confirm unto the said Rebecca Lee and her heirs All that tract or  parcel of land Commonly known by the name of Menokin Containing by Estimation one thousand acres…

…Also the following Twenty Negro Slaves (to wit) Old Will. James. Aaron. Harry. Ben. Little Will. Old Winny. Old Nan Cate. Dinah. Young Cate. Abraham. Charles. Sarah. Milly. Eve. Venus. Poress. George. and Criss. Together with their increase since the twenty fourth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty nine it  being the day on which the said Rebecca was possessed with the said Land and slaves…”  [Deed of gift, October 5, 1778] 

Menokin’s Rescuers

On July 4, 1995, a small gathering of local advocates who had just started the Menokin Foundation were at the site to officially accept ownership of the remains of this house and the surrounding 500 acres from Edgar Omohundro. 

The gathering included Tayloe Murphy, attorney and state legislator, and his wife Helen, an active leader in the preservation and conservation movement in Virginia; Richmond County attorney Tuck Taliaferro, and retired Exxon executive Martin King and his wife Tish.

Edgar Omohundro was the last surviving sibling of a large family that had owned Menokin since 1935.  He wanted to do something about his place before he died and approached Mr. Murphy, Mr. Taliaferro, and Mr. King about it. 

Department of Historic Resources Architectural Historian, Calder Loth, was an instrumental advisor to these grass roots volunteers and their efforts to save Menokin.   

As Mr. Murphy accepted the position of Secretary of Natural Resources under  Gov. Mark Warner, and Mr. Taliaferro was appointed to the position of Circuit Court Judge,  Martin King, retired Exxon Executive who lived just a few miles from Menokin, took this place on with gusto during the first 10 years of the Foundation’s existence. 

Upon Mr. King’s untimely death in 2004, Helen Murphy stepped into the leadership role as President.  Her husband Tayloe Murphy, now retired from his position as Secretary of Natural Resources, would become Foundation President in 2010.  Calder Loth remains active as an Honorary Trustee.