Gunston Hall Stanchions

In his day, George Mason was considered a leading light among America’s founders. Gunston Hall, the home he built for his family in Virginia, was meant to be a model of contemporary design. It was also a site of enslavement and indentured servitude for many people. As the museum works to present a more complete story, they asked me to design distinctive iron stanchions for new interpretive panels to be placed around the grounds.

The stanchion design echoes architectural details of the house, as well as traditional colonial andirons. Overall, it also suggests a writing desk, as Mason was most important to the revolutionary cause through his writings.

The forged bronze rosettes that secure the panels are inspired by fine carvings on the main staircase of the house, created by an indentured artisan named William Bernard Sears.