Belle Isle State Park is located in

Lancaster County, Virginia Lancaster County is a county located on the Northern Neck in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 10,919. Its county seat is Lancaster. Located on the Northern Neck near the mouth of the Rappahannock Riv ...

, on the Rappahannock River. It sits between Deep Creek and Morattico Creek and is currently under public ownership. The park has an area of and has facilities for camping, fishing, boating and picnics. As of 2015, the yearly visitation was 44,502. The park is a peninsula surrounded by

Tidewater Tidewater may refer to: * Tidewater (region), a geographic area of southeast Virginia, southern Maryland, and northeast North Carolina. ** Tidewater accent, an accent of American English associated with the Tidewater region of Virginia * Tidewater ...

coastal marsh A tidal marsh (also known as a type of "tidal wetland") is a marsh found along rivers, coasts and estuaries which floods and drains by the tidal movement of the adjacent estuary, sea or ocean. Tidal marshes are commonly zoned into lower marshes ( ...

es. Wildlife observed includes blue herons, osprey, hawks, bald eagles, white-tailed deer and various reptiles and amphibians. It is near the unincorporated towns of Litwalton,

Morattico Morattico is an unincorporated former post office town along the Rappahannock River in Lancaster County, Virginia, United States. It sits across Mulberry Creek from Belle Isle State Park. "Morattico" is an anglicized version of "Moraughtacund", ...

and Somers.

History

The park and

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Hano ...

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

were operated in the 19th century as a

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

. The property was acquired in 1692 by John Bertrand. Belle Isle mansion was built around 1760 by Raleigh Downman and restored in the 1940s. The architect for the restoration was

Thomas Tileston Waterman Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, the first director of the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

br>
Some of the interior rooms and paneling can be seen today at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware

The house, which is surrounded by the park but still privately owned, was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1971. Bel Air, a colonial revival house on the grounds designed by Waterman, can be rented for overnight stays. In addition, there is a cottage that can also be rented.

Attractions

The park has a campground with RV lots, tent sites, and trailer rentals. A boat launch and rental boats are also available in the park. The trail system includes a mix of hiking-only and multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

References

External links

General Park Information

More Park Info

Bio of Thomas Waterman
{{authority control Parks in Lancaster County, Virginia State parks of Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Plantation houses in Virginia Georgian architecture in Virginia Houses in Lancaster County, Virginia Houses completed in 1760 National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster County, Virginia