Woodlawn History Center (Photo: Beth V./SERC)

We’re pleased to announce that the Woodlawn History Center is available to rent for weddings, personal social events for adults, fundraising galas for non-profits, and private corporate and non-profit receptions. Experience local history as you explore the 1735, 1841, and 1970s wings of the house or step outside onto the back patio to take in the picturesque landscape of rolling fields and forests.

Woodlawn House—the oldest building in the Smithsonian collection still in its original setting—embodies the lives and goals of two families: the Sellmans (1729-1917) who built it, and the Kirkpatrick-Howats (1917-2008) who maintained its historic character. The labor and skills of enslaved people built the original, central portion, and added the larger section in 1841. Their labor also produced the wealth necessary for the construction and operation of Woodlawn House until emancipation in 1865. The house and surrounding lot provided the headquarters of a 360-acre tobacco plantation and postbellum farm. It was later used as a summer retreat; land use shifted from field agriculture to livestock husbandry, and many exotic trees were planted which, like the house, are part of the Smithsonian’s immense and varied collection. In 2010, the Kirkpatrick-Howats transferred the property to SERC, which rehabilitated the building and opened it as Woodlawn History Center in 2022. Woodlawn’s exhibit tells the story of all the groups of people who have lived, worked, and died on what is now SERC’s campus. Much of the local history displayed here parallels a broader national story.

Hosting your event here helps us to continue our important work of leading research and education on coastal ecosystems to inform real world decisions for wise policies, best business practices, and resilient communities. You will also be helping to protect and advance SERC as a greenspace for public use, and to support our public engagement programs, which directly involve the community in environmental and archaeological research.

Learn more about Woodlawn History Center

All private events at Woodlawn must take place between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tents are recommended for outdoor spaces.

We cannot accommodate youth events.

Rental Fee

Woodlawn History Center outdoor space (Photo: Beth V./SERC)

Woodlawn History Center back patio (Photo: Beth V./SERC)

Woodlawn History Center interior space (Photo: Beth V./SERC)

Woodlawn History Center interior space (Photo: Beth V./SERC)

Woodlawn History Center back patio (Photo: Beth V./SERC)

Woodlawn History Center interior space (Photo: Beth V./SERC)