Woodlawn - Sandy

From Tappahannock: Take Rt. 360 West for 8.5 miles. at Millers Tavern turn right on Rt. 620. Proceed 1.9 miles to Woodlawn-Sandy From St. Paul's Church: Take Rt. 360 East, 1.9 miles to Millers Tavern. Left on Rt. 620 1.9 miles to Woodlawn-Sandy.

The house, thought to have been built by members of the Wood family of Woodville, is a late-eighteenth century sister house of neighboring Cherry Walk. Characteristic of Elizabethan tythe-barn construction, it is a frame, three-bay with dormered gambrel roof and a large chimney at each eave end over a high English basement. It was acquired by Captain P. A. Sandy in 1859 and passed through his granddaughter to Carl Lauther, Jr., from whom the current owners purchased it in 1990.
Known locally as "The Circus House," it was the headquarters of a traveling circus with sideshow in the 1940s. Today, a resident ghost playfully tunes the CD or radio to country music and turns the water on and off. The owners have extensive collections of porcelain, stoneware, baskets, Toby jugs, glass and furniture. Of particular interest are the 18th and 19th century hyacinth vases. The period plantings and the charming kitchen dependency are sheltered by an enormous weeping willow. Open for the first time to Historic Garden Week visitors.