James Monroe’s Oak Hill estate has historic roots. Some hope to preserve it as a Virginia park

ALDIE, Va. (AP) — The room where President James Monroe crafted part of his famed doctrine exudes a quiet, stately atmosphere.

Inside the enclosed west porch a few footsteps away, a quarried-stone floor marked by fossilized dinosaur tracks glimmers in the sunlight. Just around the corner, a portico built by enslaved African Americans looks out over rolling foothills stretching into the misty northern Virginia horizon, a captivating view untarnished by monied property developments bellying up nearby.

It’s an early morning at Oak Hill, where centuries of history are deeply rooted in Monroe’s Loudoun County estate. It’s the last home of a presidential Founding Father still in private hands, according to conservation experts.

That is, maybe, until now.

The DeLashmutt family, which has owned Oak Hill in the community of Aldie since 1948, hopes to convert its sprawling 1,240 acres (502 hectares) into a state park. A bill to that effect unanimously passed the House of Delegates last month but failed in the Senate.

The DeLashmutts, along with a nonprofit corporation, The Conservation Fund, hope Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will revive the multimillion-dollar project by including it in his proposed amendment to the budget bill ahead of the General Assembly’s veto session. The governor has until Monday to submit his revisions.

“We’ve taken good care of it,” family matriarch Gayle DeLashmutt said, gazing up at trees in the garden during a recent tour of the grounds. “And I think it’s time to let somebody else do it.”

The DeLashmutt family, which is unrelated to the Monroes, is part of a long line of Virginians who have lived in Oak Hill. Other Founding Fathers’ homes in the state — Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, George Washington's Mount Vernon and Monroe's Highland estate — are owned by educational and historical institutions that open the estates' doors to the public.

The residence at Oak Hill has a complex heritage: At the top of a split staircase leading to the entrance sits a gifted bell from the decommissioned USS Oak Hill. Inside, elegant parlors feature fireplace mantelpieces made of decadent marble, a gift from Monroe's longtime friend, the Marquis de LaFayette, to thank first lady Elizabeth Kortright Monroe for saving his wife from the guillotine. On an interior windowpane, a young man with the last name of Fairfax, a family that previously owned the house, scratched his name and the date of his graduation from the Virginia Military Institute.

Gayle DeLashmutt’s daughter, India DeLashmutt, grew up on the estate, charging about on go-carts and sledding down steep hills in the same place that Monroe hosted first lady Dolley Madison more than 100 years earlier. Her father used to tell her stories about finding arrowheads in Little River, a tributary that streams through the property.

“There’s just this span of time, and this place can really represent it,” she said.

The estate also embodies the histories of the enslaved African Americans who built and cared for the property.

There is George Williams, an enslaved carpenter who constructed the main house in Oak Hill, according to independent researcher Emily Stanfill. And Natus Berryman, who lived at Oak Hill before being forced to move to the South, said Lori Kimball, another researcher.

Opening the estate to the public full time would allow people to learn more about their stories, Kimball said.

Donna Bohanan, chair of the Black History Committee at a Loudon County genealogical library, said it would also educate the public about the Indigenous people and tenant farmers who lived on and worked the land.

“I advocate for not just focusing on the great men of history or military history because that leaves out a lot,” Bohanan said. “By telling our more inclusive stories, we can start to see the connections between all of us as members of the human race.”

Loudoun County has allocated $22 million toward the roughly $52 million needed to support the project, while The Conservation Fund and other groups have raised another nearly $25 million. The family is selling the property for $20 million. The Conservation Fund says the state won't have to pay a dime toward the project.

The legislation for such an acquisition, backed by Democratic Del. Alfonso Lopez, passed unanimously in the Virginia House last month but stalled in the state Senate. During the final days of the session, Democratic Sen. L. Louise Lucas told reporters that she thought the bill was an excellent idea but expressed concern about long-term commitments from the state, even if it has no upfront financial obligation.

“That’s a lot of park for somebody to take care of," she said. "Those are the kinds of things you have to consider when you’re working on these budgets.”

Youngkin said Wednesday he was initially resistant to the project because he was not sure the business plan was fully fleshed out. But he said he felt less uneasy after touring the estate with Republican Del. Geary Higgins, whose district includes Oak Hill.

“We had a good visit, and I’m still trying to decide what we do,” Youngkin said. “No promises, but I’m open-minded.”

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Gayle DeLashmutt poses for a portrait in the east parlor of the main house at Oak Hill in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gayle and India DeLashmutt pose for a portrait in the east parlor of the main house at Oak Hill in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A structure formerly used as a smokehouse at Oak Hill is seen Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Aldie, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The home where Joseph Jones, uncle of President James Monroe, resided at Oak Hill is seen Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Aldie, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A bench in the garden at Oak Hill is seen in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The garden at Oak Hill is seen in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The portico of the main house at Oak Hill is seen from the garden in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The garden at Oak Hill is seen through the wrought iron railing on the portico of the main house in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The lower dining room in the main house at Oak Hill, where the DeLashmutt family typically eat their meals, is seen Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Aldie, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A fossilized dinosaur track is seen in the quarried-stone floor in the west porch of the main house at Oak Hill in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A fossilized dinosaur track is seen in the quarried-stone floor in the west porch of the main house at Oak Hill in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The west porch of the main house at Oak Hill is seen in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The dining room in the main house at Oak Hill, where President James Monroe crafted part of his famed Monroe Doctrine, is seen Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Aldie, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The former bedroom of first lady Dolley Madison in the main house at Oak Hill is seen Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Aldie, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Etched writing is seen on a window of a bedroom in the main house at Oak Hill in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gayle DeLashmutt points to etching on a window that was scratched by a member of the family that previously owned Oak Hill in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Marble details on the fireplace mantelpiece in the east parlor of the main house at Oak Hill are seen Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Aldie, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The west parlor in the main house at Oak Hill is seen in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A historic chair upholstered with horse hair, a commonality for furniture during the 19th century, is seen in the east parlor of the main house at Oak Hill in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The east parlor in the main house at Oak Hill is seen in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A bell from the decommissioned USS Oak Hill is seen at the front entrance of the main house at Oak Hill, the privately owned former estate of presidential Founding Father James Monroe in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The portico of the main house at Oak Hill is seen from the garden in Aldie, Va., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish authorities detained several journalists from their homes, a media workers’ union reported Monday, in what it said was a crackdown amid escalating protests triggered by the imprisonment of the mayor of Istanbul and top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On Sunday, a court formally arrested Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending a trial on corruption charges. His detention on Wednesday sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade, deepening concerns over democracy and the rule of law.

In an apparent escalation of the government’s response to the growing protests, the Disk-Basin-Is union said at least eight reporters and photojournalists were detained in what it said was an “attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth.”

“You cannot hide the truth by silencing journalists!” the union wrote on the social media platform X, calling for their immediate release.

A total of 1,133 people have been detained since March 19, when the mayor was arrested at his home, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. As many as 123 police officers were injured in the protests, he said adding that dangerous materials such as acid, firebombs and knives were seized.

“Some circles have been exploiting the right to assemble and demonstrate, attempting to disrupt public order, incite street unrest, and attack our police,” Yerlikaya said on his social media account.

The minister said some of the detained were identified as having ties to groups listed as terrorist organizations. Others had previous criminal records, Yerlikaya said, urging the public to avoid falling for “provocations.”

The mayor’s imprisonment is widely regarded as a political move to remove a major challenger to Erdogan from the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028. Government officials strongly reject the accusations and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.

Imamoglu was jailed on suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and bid-rigging — accusations he has denied. A request for him to be imprisoned on terror-related charges was rejected although he still faces prosecution.

The Interior Ministry later announced that Imamoglu had been suspended from duty as a “temporary measure.” The municipality had previously appointed an acting mayor from its governing council.

The politician was taken to Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, as more than 1.7 million members of his opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, held a primary election, endorsing him as its presidential candidate. Millions of non-members also cast votes in a “solidarity ballot,” the party said.

Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people were also jailed pending trial, including a key aide and two district mayors from Istanbul, one of whom was replaced with a government appointee. A further 44 suspects were released under judicial control.

Imamoglu was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. Erdogan’s party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.

The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won.

The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which the CHP made significant gains against Erdogan’s governing party.

Riot police officers use anti riot rifles and pepper spray to clear protesters during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)

Riot police officers use pepper spray to clear a protester during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)

Riot police officers pepper spray a protester during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

A protester sprays fire against riot policemen during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)

Riot police officers use pepper spray to clear a protester during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)

A riot police officer kicks a protester as they clash during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Fireworks thrown by protesters explode over riot police during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Riot police officers clash with protesters during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)