Corotoman

John Carter acquired land on the Rappahannock River southwest of here in 1642 and established Corotoman. A prosperous tobacco planter, Carter served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and on the governor’s Council. His son Robert “King” Carter inherited Corotoman in 1690. As Speaker of the House of Burgesses, treasurer of the colony, and agent of the Northern Neck Proprietary, Robert Carter became the wealthiest and most powerful planter in Virginia. He eventually owned at least 295,000 acres, here and elsewhere, and more than 700 enslaved African Americans. At Corotoman he built an elaborate mansion ca. 1725, but fire destroyed the house in 1729.

Department of Historic Resources, 2026