The estate has 1,200 acres and was home to two governors: Thomas Swann, a governor of Maryland in the 19th century, and Virginia's reform governor Westmoreland Davis. Thirteen years after his death in 1942, Mrs. Davis established the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation as a memorial to her husband and the estate was opened to the public in 1967.
The mansion, a focal point of the estate, evolved from a fieldstone farmhouse in 1781 to its present turn-of-the-century appearance. It actually has three structures moved together. Morven Park has something of interest for almost everyone, but for those who are interested in country sports, horses or Virginia history, it's a true treasure.