George Mason at Pohick Church

George Mason (1725-1792), principal author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Virginia’s first state constitution, lived nearby at Gunston Hall. As a member of the local parish vestry from 1749 to 1785, he was entrusted with broad ecclesiastical and civil responsibilities in the community. Mason served four terms as churchwarden and, after the death of building contractor Daniel French in 1771, he supervised the construction of the new Pohick Church, completed here in 1774. As a member of the House of Delegates, representative to public assemblies, and private citizen, Mason pursued measures that promoted individual rights, religious freedom, and the separation of church and state.