MANNSFIELD
East of Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County
Built c. 1770s; destroyed by shelling 1863
Photograph: Virginia Historical Society
Mannsfield was obliterated by artillery fire during the Civil War; only one of its dependencies is clearly visible in photographs.
It was one of the largest and most formal of the mansions built in colonial Virginia. Stylistically, the house was of a Palladian
type known in the colonies from sources like James Gibbs's Book of Architecture that were published in England early in the
century. Mannsfield was a showpiece of Mid-Georgian features: each long facade had a central pavilion and pediment to
give emphasis to the center; the house was flanked by quadrant passageways leading to a pair of advanced dependencies.
Those features, and the unusual stonework, are found also at Mount Airy (Richmond County, extant). The measurements
of the main house at Mannsfield, 69 by 51 feet, were almost exactly those of Mount Airy. Mann Page III, the builder of
Mannsfield, was married to Mary Tayloe of Mount Airy.
Next: Greenway Court
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