Greenway is typical of lesser plantation houses of the late eighteenth century. It was built by Judge John Tyler, governor of Virginia and father of John Tyler, the tenth president of the United States, who was born here in 1790. Amid a cluster of outbuildings, the one-and-one-half-story frame structure with large exterior chimneys at either end sits on a brick basement, which exhibits two different types of bond (Flemish and English), probably indicating that the main portion of the house was enlarged at some point. An ell was added to the rear (c. 1800). Portions of the beaded clapboard are original. The interior contains some impressive carved woodwork, especially in the west room, which has a projecting, fully paneled chimney breast with fluted pilasters in double tiers.