Managers of the circa-1800s Oatlands plantation near Leesburg have sued the National Trust for Historic Preservation for withholding at least $3.5 million in funds to maintain and preserve the decaying mansion and grounds.
The 360-acre former wheat plantation is owned by the National Trust and operated by a nonprofit, Oatlands Inc., through a co-stewardship agreement, with the trust managing a $9 million endowment established by the Eustis family, the last private owners of the property.
The suit seeks damages of $3.7 million from the National Trust for breach of contract and seeks the removal of the trust as trustee of the endowment. It was originally filed earlier this month in Loudoun County courts then transferred to U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
Oatlands Inc. accuses the trust of denying access for four years to money set aside to keep the site in “pristine condition,” as well as blocking an agreement to put Oatlands into a conservation easement, which would have protected it against development in perpetuity. The suit also accuses the trust of demanding the deed on the purchase of adjacent property, blocking Oatlands’ ability to borrow money against the deed.
“On its current course, the National Trust will soon have to decide between taking over all responsibility to care for Oatlands, or finding a way to pass off its responsibility,” said Caleb Schutz, CEO of Oatlands Inc. “In either case the Loudoun County community will lose its voice, and it may lose this important historic site altogether. In the absence of a conservation easement, there is nothing to prevent the property from being sold.”
In a statement, the National Trust said it has worked with Oatlands Inc. for more than four decades but became concerned over the past year that managers were “not fully meeting its responsibility to properly support and manage this National Historic Landmark.”
“We have communicated these concerns to the leadership of Oatlands Inc. consistently and provided specific steps to address these issues collaboratively. However, Oatlands Inc. has chosen to file a lawsuit rather than work with us in the best interests of this important historic place,” the statement said. “We remain devoted to its preservation and interpretation for the benefit of the public, and we are deeply saddened that Oatlands Inc. has chosen this course of action. We urge Oatlands Inc. to work with us as partners, not opposing litigants, for the benefit of this wonderful historic property.”
Schutz said Oatlands board members have met with National Trust officials many times over the past few years, but before a meeting scheduled earlier this year, the trust sent a 10-page legal document that included requiring Oatlands managers to sign an agreement not to file suit against the trust. In prior meetings, the trust would listen to Oatlands’ concerns and requests, but nothing would come of it, Schutz said.
“We’d been working on it as a negotiation for three years, then my board got involved,” he said. “It really doesn’t make any sense.”
Plantation history
Oatlands features a Greek Revival mansion built in 1804, a restored propagation greenhouse dating to 1810 and a four-acre English terraced garden. The plantation also serves as a venue for weddings, social events and corporate meetings and is open for tours.
In 2015, Oatlands launched “Telling Our Stories,” a project to research the heritage of the enslaved population of the plantation and connect descendants to their ancestors. Work continues building the “Enslaved Community Database,” an effort to uncover the name of every slave ever associated with Oatlands.
Schutz said the Oatlands board includes descendants of slaves and slave owners, working together to make the site “a safe place for discussions of race relations.”
“We’re trying to use the past to inform a better future,” he said. “People love Oatlands for different reasons; people have weddings here, start their lives here, learn history here. It would be a lot to lose."
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