George Washington bought this property in 1790. Although he had patiently pursued the purchase of the property, he never lived on or worked this land. Instead, he preferred to rent it, first in 1761 to tenant farmer Samuel Johnson who paid ever increasing amounts of his tobacco crop to Washington for the privilege to live there. The American Horticultural Society purchased River Farm in 1973 and maintains the display and test gardens on the 27 acre site. The 1757 main house is furnished in period and the gardens offer identified plants.
