paint, banisters ties up with ropes, etc." and added that "the general aspect of the house is that of a forlorn ruin". The total value of the Wilton estate as reflected in the land tax books fell from $74,664 in 1832 to $45,066 in 1850. Wilton continued to decline. In 1833 and 1835, Robert Randolph was forced to place the plantation in trust to secure ever larger debts. Robert Randolph died in 1839, leaving a heavily indebted Wilton to his daughter, Catherine. Four years after Robert's death, his widow, Mary, married James Brook of New York. In 1846, James and Mary filed suit against the estate of their daughter, Catherine S. Randolph, to facilitate a division of the property. Wilton was divided into 744 acres belong to James and Mary, and 1,535 acres belong to Catherine. In 1859, Catherine filed a suit to sell Wilton. The suit was not settled until 1875. The depositions of the land condition indicate that soil fertility on the plantation had been reduced due to hard cultivation over the years by owners and tenants. The buildings were dilapidated and worthless. The auction was held on July 27, 1859: William C. Knight paid $49,517 for 1,237.93 acres, including the house. Catherine was the last owner of Wilton from the Randolph family. 20th century Wilton was in danger of foreclosure during the Great Depression, and then it was purchased by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1933 and was reconstructed along the banks of the James River, 15 miles west of its original location. Museum collection Wilton is Richmond's only 18th-century public plantation home, with an array of 1,400 artifacts. These 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century pieces include silver, ceramics, textiles, paintings, documents, and furniture. The museum's collection can be seen online at the National Portal to Historic Collections at the American Heritage website. References External links Wilton House Museum's official website James River Plantations, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Wilton, Wilton Road (moved to Richmond), Richmond, Independent City, VA: 26 photos and 5 data pages at Historic American Buildings Survey Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Houses completed in 1750 Georgian architecture in Virginia Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Randolph family residences Museums in Richmond, Virginia Houses in Richmond, Virginia