Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

None

Use Restrictions

Consult repository for information

Preferred Citation

Sully Foundation Records, MSS 05-42, Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library

Acquisition Information

A small portion of this collection was donated at an unknown time. The Sully Foundation through Lee Hubbard donated the bulk of this collection in August 2010.

Processing Information

Logan Tapscott, 2016 updated by Chris Barbuschak, 2018
EAD generated by Ross Landis, 2018

Historical and Biographical Information

In October 1969, Robert E. “Eddie” Wagstaff established the Sully Foundation Ltd. to promote and support the preservation and interpretation of the Sully Historic Site, also known as Sully Plantation. Henry Lee I purchased the plantation in 1725, and gave it to his son, Richard Bland Lee, in 1794. Several families lived on the plantation until the Fairfax County Park Authority acquired the site in 1959, saving it from demolition during the construction of Dulles International Airport.

Wagstaff, who was largely instrumental in saving Sully from destruction, formed the Sully Foundation to promote the site’s educational value and to maintain, further develop, and restore the house. The Foundation sought to use Sully for educational purposes by providing tours and encouraging visitors. The organization also sought to restore and furnish the plantation and its grounds through the solicitation of financial gifts and donations of artifacts. The Foundation consisted of a directorate of six to fifteen persons of which Wagstaff named the original group. Wagstaff died only a few months after he donated his life’s savings to create the Sully Foundation in August 1970.

In 1971, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors expressed a desire to publish a manuscript on the history of Sully Plantation. The Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning appointed Robert S. Gamble to prepare a study which resulted in the 1974 publication of the book “Sully: The Biography of a House”. The Sully Foundation supported and underwrote the book’s publication and later received publication rights for it. Gamble’s book is now widely regarded as the definitive study on Sully Plantation.

In 1996, the Fairfax County Park Authority erected a plaque in front of Sully in commemoration of the Sully Foundation’s many years of service towards preserving the house.

Scope and Content

The Sully Foundation Records consist of 2.5 linear feet and span the years 1959-2009, and contains meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, financial reports, catalog records, invitations, newspaper clippings, brochures, microfilm, photographs, magazines, a galley proof, and a certificate. Subjects covered are the Sully Foundation’s efforts in preserving and promoting Sully Plantation.

Series 1: Administrative Records, 1959-2009, Boxes 1-2

This series contains meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, articles of incorporation papers, magazines, periodicals, a book, invitations, newspaper clippings, and a certificate. Meeting minutes, correspondence, and staff reports are interfiled together chronologically as was maintained by the Sully Foundation. Of particular note is a letter from 1975 signed by First Lady Betty Ford in which she declined an invitation to Sully’s restoration reception.

Series 2: Financial Records, 1970-2008, Boxes 2-3

This series contains financial statements, reports, and account books for the Sully Foundation.

Series 3: Photographs, 1967-1974, Box 3

The photographs in this series depict various scenes at Sully including Robert Gamble’s 1974 book signing for “Sully: The Biography of a House” which was attended by Mary Haight, Alex Haight, and Ben Peck; the 1967 Garden Week Candlelight tour at Sully; various women in period dress at Sully; and a street map of the Falls Church, VA area. Also included is an undated print of Sully depicted as it looked circa 1800 by Joseph Pisani.

Series 4: Catalog Records, 1962-1980, Box 4

Throughout its existence, the Sully Foundation acquired books, periodicals, and artifacts of which they maintained catalog records for. There are two duplicate sets of catalog records included in this series; one set is in a folder and another in a small box.

Series 5: “Sully: The Biography of a House”, 1974-1994, Boxes 4-5

This series contains the cover and galley proof for “Sully: The Biography of a House” by Robert S. Gamble, as well as Gamble’s author’s introduction to the 1994 edition. Also included is a microfilm reel containing the Haight-Barlow Papers which consists of genealogical papers, correspondence, miscellaneous deeds, contracts, receipts, business papers, and an account book dating from 1816-1889 from the Haight-Barlow family of Sully. Robert Gamble received permission to microfilm these papers from their owners, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon W. Barlow, Sr. of Humboldt, Kansas. The current status and location of these papers is unknown.

Related Material

Robert S. Gamble Manuscript Papers on “Sully the Biography of a House”, MSS 08-06, Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library

Separated Material

None

Index Terms

• Gamble, Robert S.
• Historic buildings -- Virginia-- Fairfax County
• Leigh, Lewis, Jr.
• Plantations -- Virginia -- Fairfax County
• Sully Foundation, Inc.
• Sully Plantation (Fairfax County, Va.)
• Wagstaff, Robert Edward "Eddie"

Adjunct Descriptive Data