Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House Land Acknowledgement

Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House acknowledges that the land on which these two properties and Arcadia Farm sit was originally the traditional homeland of the Doeg people, one of three separate tribes of indigenous peoples who inhabited the area around the Potomac River along with the Patawomeck and the Piscataway. We remember and pay honor to the Doeg people and all indigenous ancestors who were brutally killed or forcefully removed from their homelands by European colonists. We pay respects to the Piscataway and Patawomeck communities of the past, present, and future as they continue to live upon and steward their traditional, unceded homelands.

Additionally, as a site of enslavement, we acknowledge the people of West & West-Central African descent who were enslaved by European colonists and forced to live and labor at Woodlawn and the surrounding areas when the lands were plantations overseen by members of the Custis and Washington families, among others. We remember and pay honor to these African-descended peoples of the past, present, and future.

In offering this land acknowledgement, Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House recognizes this is just one step in the process of robust and authentic truth-telling and accountability. As part of this work, we will be partnering with Black and Indigenous descendant communities to better promote justice, equity, and a full, honest representation of our site’s history.