Who We Are

Moncure Conway House is the primary focus of the Moncure Conway Foundation's strategic planning. We want the house, grounds and environs preserved in perpetuity and recognized and interpreted for their nationally-significant history.

In cooperation with the current private owners, Norman and Lenetta Schools, we intend to raise sufficient funds to purchase the home and grounds, and interpret them as a house museum presenting the various themes of its history. Amazingly, Slavery and Emancipation; Confederate history; and Union military history, as well as the formative years of Moncure Daniel Conway's life, all form parts of the Moncure Conway House tapestry and story. To those can be added the rich commercial, social, and cultural history reflected in the lives of its inhabitants and neighbors in the Federal, Antebellum, and Civil War and Reconstruction periods of American history. Moncure Conway House (see below for details) is already historically recognized by the United States and Virginia. We further plan to nominate it for National Landmark status. Efforts to preserve and develop the historic site have been recognized by Federal and State officials and by Stafford County Government and its Historical Commission.

When secured, preserved and ready, we intend to offer it to the United States National Park Service for inclusion in the Fredericksburg Spotsylvania National Military Park or as a separate National Historic Site. As such, the Moncure Conway Foundation will then become a permanent "Friends of" organization, similar to those found with numerous other national historic sites.

The basic mission of the Moncure Conway Foundation is to:

• preserve and interpret the historical, cultural and natural significance of the Moncure Conway House and grounds;
• promote understanding of the life and legacy of Moncure Daniel Conway;
• preserve and promote the history of Falmouth and Stafford County with regard to the various historical dimensions reflected in Moncure Conway House and grounds' occupancy; and
• achieve this mission through perpetual stewardship, education, interpretation, research, community outreach, and fundraising.

Moncure Daniel Conway and the Moncure Conway House have been recognized by state and federal organizations for their contributions to the historical and architectural heritages of Stafford County, Virginia and the Nation. The Moncure Conway house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been recognized by the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, a program of the National Park Service, with one of their markers. The Commonwealth of Virginia issued a Certificate of Recognition for Moncure Daniel Conway commemorating the historical marker placement near his home. The House and grounds and nearby sites also form a portion of the Trail to Freedom Driving Tour, which follows the path to freedom followed by over 12,000 escaped slaves in 1862 and 1863.

This website seeks to provide you with the necessary content to understand the history and context of Moncure Daniel Conway's America. Despite his subsequent status as the most prominent Southern abolitionist, literary figure, and internationally renowned humanitarian and peace activist, Conway drew his character, attitudes, and principles from his roots in this small place in southern America.

Please join or donate to the Moncure Conway Foundation today. Funds received from memberships and donations go towards an creating an endowment fund to secure, preserve and interpret the Moncure Conway House and grounds, as well as to develop educational programs and preservation activities in Falmouth, Stafford County, and the wider Rappahannock Region.