manner which their own conduct will admit; allay all jealousies
as to the object of your journey; satisfy them of its
innocence; make them acquainted with the position, extent,
character, peaceable, and commercial intercourse with them;
confer with them on the points most convenient as mutual
emporiums and the articles of most desirable interchange for
them and us. If a few of their influential chiefs, within
practicable distance wish to visit us, arrange such a visit
with them, and furnish them with authority to call on our
officers on their entering the United States, to have them
conveyed to this place at the public expense. If any of them
should wish to have some of their people brought up with us and
use such arts as may be useful to them, we will receive,
instruct, and take care of them."
The fact that so little trouble was had by the party is due to the skill
which Clark used in handling the Indians. We will not go into the
details of the expedition, for everyone knows what a wonderful, rich
territory was gained for the United States by that expedition.
Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, fifty-five miles south of Washington and about the same
distance north of Richmond, Virginia, on Route 1, rightly claims to be
one of the most historic cities in the United States. Visitors who make
a tour of the Valley of Virginia and the Skyline Drive may want to begin
their trip here, for it serves as a hub for long or short visits to
neighboring places of interest. From Fredericksburg one may drive to
Culpeper, Sperryville and Panorama and enter the Skyline Drive at that
point, or he may wish to go from Fredericksburg to Warrenton and thence
to the Skyline Drive. Another excellent route is by way of Orange and
Stanardsville and on to Swift Run Gap, the Southern entrance to the
Drive at the present time.
[Illustration: "KENMORE", THE HOME OF FIELDING LEWIS AND BETTY
WASHINGTON LEWIS, FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA]
A splendid trip from this old city is to "Wakefield," the birthplace of
George Washington, in Westmoreland County, and from there to "Stratford
Hall," the ancestral home of the Lee family and the birthplace of
General Lee, both in Westmoreland County. About two miles from
Fredericksburg on this route is "Ferry Farm" where George Washington
spent a part of his boyhood.
In the city itself there are shrines to famous folks of an earlier
period. The home of Mary Washington, mother of the first President, is
open to the public. "Kenmore," former home of Betty Washington Lewis and
Colonel Fielding Lewis is well cared for by an association. Both these
homes have good examples of eighteenth century furnishings. The Rising
Sun Tavern was the scene years ago of the Victory Ball after the
surrender at Yorktown; it was host to most of the famous men of Virginia
and neighboring States for years. In the Masonic Lodge are a number of
relics of Washington's time and an original Gilbert Stuart portrait of
the General. General Hugh Mercer, a noted physician of the Revolution
had his apothecary shop in Fredericksburg and the visitor may see it
upon request. Mary Washington's will is on record at the courthouse
here.
On Charles Street in Fredericksburg, Virginia, stands a shrine to the
memory of James Monroe, who served his country in more public offices
than any other American in the history of the United States. This quaint
story-and-a-half brick building, which he occupied from 1786 to 1788,
was the only private law office in which Monroe practiced his
profession. It was built in 1758 and stands in its original state, even
to the woodwork and mantles of the interior. Only the old brick floor
and plastering had to be restored. This was accomplished in 1928, when
the building was opened to the public as the first shrine to the memory
of the fifth President. At that time there was placed in it the largest
number of Monroe possessions in existence, handed down for five
generations in straight line to his descendants, who made the shrine
possible.
[Illustration: JAMES MONROE'S LAW OFFICE]
James Monroe brought his bride, the former Elizabeth Kortright of New
York, to Fredericksburg, and in the little shrine are hallowed
intimate possessions of hers as well as those of her distinguished
husband; a wedding slipper, a dainty French fan; two handsome court
gowns, one of silver brocaded on white satin, the other of cream colored
taffeta, richly embroidered with dahlias in natural colors; her bonnet
and veil in which she welcomed Lafayette on his return to the States in
1824; her lorgnette, which must have added to the reputation she had for
dignity; her Astor piano and her silver service marked "J. M."
Of Monroe's personal possessions there are many. Here too is his court
dress with its rare old lace, cut-steel buttons and knee breeches, worn
at Napoleon's court; the quaint huge umbrella presented him by the City
of Boston on the occasion of Lafayette's return, with its original
covering, whale-bone ribs and ivory handle, all contributing to its
weight of seven and one-half pounds; his mahogany brass-bound dispatch
box in which his Louisiana Purchase papers were carried; his
silver-mounted duelling pistols, recalling that Monroe came near
fighting a duel with Alexander Hamilton; and other articles too numerous
to mention, including interesting historical letters by and to James
Monroe from the outstanding men of his day.
Perhaps the outstanding exhibit in the Law Office shrine, however, is
the desk on which Monroe signed the message to Congress which formed the
basis for the famous Monroe Doctrine. Mahogany, high, brass-bound, this
handsome desk forms a part of the furniture bought by the Monroes in
France, brought by them to this country in 1798, and now finally shown
in the little museum dedicated to their memory. The Monroes, being the
first to move into the rebuilt White House after the original one had
been burned by the British in the War of 1812, and being confronted with
empty rooms, took with them this lovely furniture. Still later, on
leaving the White House, the beloved possessions again went with them,
and it is to this fact that the happy privilege of the public to see
these things today can be attributed.
More than a hundred years later, a successor of Mrs. Monroe was to
express her patriotism and interest in historical accuracy through
cataloguing and making inventories of the furnishings of the White
House. This lady, Mrs. Herbert Hoover, in searching the records, learned
of the Monroe furniture and of its ultimate resting place in the Monroe
shrine, and asked permission to copy it at Government expense, the
copies to be placed in the White House. Permission was gladly given and
today there is a "Monroe Room" in the White House, furnished with the
reproductions of this historic furniture. The originals, however, remain
in the little museum in Fredericksburg, relics of active, public years
spent by a great statesman on two continents.
The Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park was
established in 1927. Quoting from a booklet which may be secured from
the park headquarters we find:
"This park was established ... to commemorate six major battles
fought during the great sectional conflict between 1861 and
1865--the two Battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville,
Salem Church, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House--and to
preserve for historical purposes the remains of earthworks,
roads, and other sites of importance on these battlefields...."
At the Battle of Chancellorsville General Stonewall Jackson, famous
Confederate commander, was mortally wounded. A simple shaft marks the
place and a wild flower preserve is located near it.
"While the fundamental purpose of the park is historical
education, its program is by no means confined to this
limitation. It offers important recreational and educational
features aside from critical military history. The Jackson
Memorial Wild Flower Preserve ... affords excellent instruction
in botany.... The deep woodlands of the area threaded with foot
trails leading along the old trenches are a delight to lovers
of the outdoors...."
Kenmore--1752
Kenmore, the home of Fielding Lewis and Betty Washington Lewis (George
Washington's only sister), is an outstanding example of the architecture
of Colonial Virginia. It is also intimately connected with the stirring
history of Colonial times and with the life of George Washington.
Augustine Washington, about 1739, moved from Hunting Creek to Ferry
Farm, across the river from Fredericksburg, with his second wife, Mary
Ball, and their five children--George, Betty, Samuel, John Augustine,
and Charles--for the sake of community life and the religious and
educational advantages it offered. Here the children grew up and
received their education--Betty at a "Dame School," George under the
tutelage of Parson Marye. Betty and George were especially intimate
companions because of their nearness of age and their similarity in
personality and character.
When Betty was sixteen, and a "mannerly young maid," her cousin Fielding
Lewis came seeking her hand in marriage. Lewis had come up from
Gloucester three years previously with his wife and son. Mrs. Lewis died
in 1749. Shortly thereafter, Fielding started courting young Betty. They
were married in 1750, the bride being given away by her brother George,
and for a time they lived on a plantation adjoining Ferry Farm. In 1752
Lewis bought 861 acres of land, adjacent to Fredericksburg, the survey
being made by George Washington, who had been appointed government
surveyor in 1748. On this land, with its fine view of the countryside,
Lewis built Kenmore (called Millbrook at the time) in accordance with a
promise he had made to his bride.
As time went on, Fielding Lewis became closely associated with the
political life of Virginia. He was a member of the House of Burgesses
for many years. He also served in the French and Indian War and was
Colonel of the Spotsylvania County Militia. It is said that the
resolution endorsing Patrick Henry in his resistance to the tyranny of
Governor Dunmore, passed by the Committee of 600 in the Rising Sun
Tavern in Fredericksburg, was written by him in the Great Room of his
home, Kenmore, a paper which for all intents and purposes was a
declaration of independence.
Colonel Lewis was best known for the part he played in the War of
Independence. In 1776 he became Chairman of the Virginia Committee of
Safety. Previously, in 1775, the Virginia Assembly had passed an
ordinance providing for a "Manufactory of Small Arms in Fredericksburg,
Virginia." Five commissioners were appointed to undertake this project,
but Colonel Lewis and Charles Dick were the only two who took an active
part in the work. They were allotted L2,500 with which to secure land,
buildings and equipment. Soon thereafter they were at work
manufacturing arms. The first L2,500 were quickly spent, and Lewis and
Dick were obliged to draw from their own funds to carry on. Lewis
advanced an additional L7,000 and borrowed L30,000 to L40,000 more.
Lewis also built a ship for the Virginia Navy, _The Dragon_, and
equipped three regiments. Kenmore was heavily mortgaged to meet the
costs of all these patriotic enterprises. When Lewis died in 1781,
little of the estate was left.
Thereafter, Betty Lewis tried conducting a small boarding school at
Kenmore, but again money had to be raised and piece after piece of the
land was sold to obtain it. Finally, in 1796, the mansion and its
contents were sold and Betty Lewis went to live with her daughter. She
died the next year.
After many vicissitudes in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,
Kenmore was saved for posterity, in 1922, through the great enthusiasm
and hard work of a group of women who later formed the Kenmore
Association. Through the efforts of this association, the exterior and
the interiors of Kenmore were expertly restored to their original
charming appearance and it has been furnished with original pieces of
the period, many of which have an actual connection with the family.
Who the architect of Kenmore was, is unknown. It is very probable that
Fielding Lewis himself had much to do with the planning of it, making
use of books on English architecture. The mansion is typical of the
formal architecture of Tidewater Virginia in the mid-eighteenth century.
Flanked on each side by smaller service buildings, both of which are
identical in size and appearance, the group is symmetrical around the
central entrance. The exteriors present a picture of fine restraint and
dignity. Four uniformly placed chimneys in the end walls serve eight
fireplaces. The windows are well proportioned in relation to the main
walls. The walls, of brick laid in Flemish bond, or brickwork pattern,
are two feet thick--unusually heavy construction for a house of even
this size.
The principal rooms, of stately proportions, are remarkable for their
design and ornament. The richly modelled ceilings, cornices, and
overmantels are outstanding examples of ornamental plater-work--quite
unsurpassed by anything of its kind in America. It has always been said
and never contradicted that these ornamental features were planned by
George Washington himself.
To the right, as one enters the Reception Hall, tinted in pastel
blue-gray, is the well designed main stairway, a noteworthy feature of
which is the delicately carved lotus leaf ornament. In back is the
prized grandfather clock which originally belonged to Mary Washington.
Passing through the arched doorway at the rear of the Hall, one enters
the Great Room. For the magnificent ceiling of this room, Colonel Lewis
employed the same French decorator whom Washington had employed for the
ornamental ceilings at Mount Vernon. The design motif includes four
horns of plenty. Tradition has it that the overmantel in the Great Room
was done at a later time than the other decorations by two Hessian
soldiers captured at the Battle of Trenton. The design, an adaptation of
AEsop's fable of the fox, the crow, and the piece of cheese, is supposed
to have been suggested by George Washington at the request of his
sister; this particular fable being chosen to teach his nephews to
beware of flattery. The rich red of the brocade draperies contrasts with
the light green of the walls and the white of the ceiling and mantel. A
crystal chandelier of old Waterford glass forms a sparkling accent in
the middle of the room. The floor is covered almost entirely with an
early eighteenth century Oushak rug. The furniture in this room as well
as elsewhere generally is American of Chippendale design. Of particular
note are two portraits of Fielding, and two of Betty Lewis--all four by
Wollaston.
The ceiling of the Library has the four seasons for its decorative motif
and the overmantel is a design of fruits and flowers. The walls, like
those of the Great Room, are tinted a soft green.
"The Swan and Crown" of the Washington crest is carved in the woodwork
under the mantel in the Dining Room. The walls are a deep blue-green,
the woodwork a lighter matching shade. Draperies are a soft green
brocade. The service building on the Dining Room side of the House
contains the kitchen.
On the second floor are the master bedrooms and guest room where General
Lafayette and many another distinguished visitor stayed. These
eighteenth century rooms, so well treated and furnished, serve as
timeless models of good taste in bedrooms.
Next to Mount Vernon, George Washington was most interested in Kenmore.
He had taken a keen interest from the beginning in the building of the
House and the landscaping of the grounds. After the War he set out
thirteen chestnut trees near the House, one for each of the original
thirteen States. One of these still lives. Mary Washington, mother of
George and Betty, lived in the cottage on the estate, not far from the
Main House; a home her son had provided for her at the beginning of the
War.
The restoration of the grounds was undertaken by the Garden Club of
Virginia in 1929 with funds obtained from the public participation in
the first "Virginia Garden Week." One feature of this work is the brick
wall around the premises, built in 1930. The sunken turf driveway is the
original driveway that used to surround a grassy circle. Handsome box
bushes, ancient and familiar features of Virginia estates, flank the
approaches to the House now as of old. The gardens, too, contain flowers
that Betty Washington must have enjoyed--bushes of lilac, mock orange,
and bridal wreath and beds of pansies, sweet william, phlox, verbena and
lilies of the valley.
Kenmore, a background of those lives who helped so importantly to mould
the destinies of our nation, vividly portrays the art and the culture of
its time.
The Mary Washington House
There stands on the corner of Charles and Lewis Streets in
Fredericksburg, Virginia, an unpretentious but charming little house.
There is no spot in America more sacred. It was the home of Mary Ball
Washington, wife of Augustine Washington, and the mother of George
Washington.
It is recorded that on Dec. 8, 1761 lots 107 and 108 upon which the Mary
Washington House stands were sold by Fielding Lewis and Betty, his wife,
with all houses, trees, woods, under-woods, profits commodities,
hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever, to Michael Robinson for
L250 and bought by George Washington Sept. 18, 1772 for L275.
After remodeling and adding to the house, George Washington moved his
mother from the Ferry Farm, which had been her home since 1739, to
Fredericksburg and it was here that she spent her last days.
[Illustration: "THE MARY WASHINGTON HOUSE", FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA]
It was here that she received the courier sent by General Washington to
tell her of the victory at Trenton. It was here that Washington came
after the Battle of Yorktown with the French and American officers and
she received him with thanksgiving after an absence of nearly seven
years. It was here he came in December, 1783, when Fredericksburg gave
the Peace Ball in his honor, and it was at that time that he made his
memorable reply to Mayor McWilliams in which he spoke of Fredericksburg
as "the place of my growing infancy."
It was here that the Marquis de LaFayette came to pay his respects to
her, who was the mother of the greatest American. She received him in
her garden, met all his fine phrases with dignity and gave him her
blessing when he bade her goodbye.
It was here, March 12, 1789, that Washington came to receive his
mother's blessing before he went on to New York to his inauguration.
This was his last farewell to his mother. She did not not live to see
him again. It was here she died Aug. 25, 1789. Town and country
assembled to do honor at her burial. Her remains lie near the
"Meditation Rock" where she requested to be buried and a stately
monument "erected by her country-women" marks her last resting place.
Except for a portion of the house at Epping Forest, where she was born,
the Mary Washington House in Fredericksburg is the only house now
standing in which Mary Washington lived.
It passed into various hands and finally in 1890 it was about to be sold
to the Chicago Exposition but through Mrs. Robert C. Beale and Mrs.
Spotswood W. Carmichael, the Association for the Preservation of
Virginia Antiquities was appealed to. Mrs. Joseph Bryan of blessed
memory was at that time President and from her own means advanced the
money to purchase it, $4,500, and the place was saved.
In 1929, through the generosity of Mr. George A. Ball of Muncie, Ind.,
the first work of restoration on the house was done. Mr. Ball also
purchased for the A. P. V. A. the adjoining house and garden for a home
for the custodian.
In 1930 the house was redecorated and refurnished by Mr. and Mrs.
Francis P. Garvan. The original colors have been restored and
contemporary fabrics used for all draperies and coverings.
The furnishings, with the exception of a few pieces that belonged to
Mary Washington, are authentic antiques loaned from the Mabel Brady
Garvan Institute of American Arts and Crafts at Yale University. The
original mantels and paneling are interesting.
The old English-type garden is especially beautiful. The boxwood she
planted still grows there, as well as the flowers of her time. The
original sun-dial still marks the sunny hours.
Rising Sun Tavern
Was built about 1760 by Charles Washington, a brother of George
Washington. It was first known as the Washington Tavern and later as the
Eagle Tavern. The following advertisement appeared in the _Virginia
Gazette_, published in Williamsburg in 1776:
"FALMOUTH, _March 25, 1776_.
"William Smith takes this method to acquaint his friends, and
the publick in general, that he intends to open tavern, on
Monday the 22nd day of April next, in the house lately occupied
by Colonel George Weedon, in the town of Fredericksburg. He has
laid in a good stock of liquors, and will use his utmost
endeavors to give general satisfaction. N.B. 'A good cook wench
wanted, on hire'."
[Illustration: "RISING SUN TAVERN", FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA]
It was the favorite meeting place of such patriots as Thomas Jefferson,
Patrick Henry, James Monroe, George Washington, General Hugh Mercer,
George Mason, John Marshall, the Lees, and other noted men, who gathered
here to protest against unjust treatment by the mother country and to
discuss the proper steps to rid the country of tyranny. It was said to
be a hot-bed of sedition and that here much of the head work of the
Revolution was done.
When the news came to Fredericksburg that the governor, Lord Dunmore,
had secretly removed twenty barrels of gunpowder from the public
magazine in Williamsburg, also the news of the battle of Lexington,
there was great excitement and indignation. Immediately six hundred
armed men from the town and surrounding country, at the call of Patrick
Henry, assembled in Fredericksburg and offered their services to defend
their country. More than one hundred men were dispatched to Richmond and
Williamsburg to ascertain the condition of affairs. They were advised
there by Washington, Peyton Randolph, Edmund Pendleton and other leaders
to disband and delay action at least for a while or until general plans
of resistance could be decided upon. Returning to Fredericksburg they
called a meeting and reluctantly agreed to disperse, but before doing so
adopted resolutions bitterly denouncing Dunmore's action, and without
fear or evasion declared that the troops would preserve their liberty at
the hazard of their lives and fortune. They pledged themselves to
re-assemble at a moment's warning and by force of arms defend the laws
and rights of this or any other sister colony from unjust invasion, and
concluded with the significant words, "God save the liberties of
America."
This was on April 29, 1775, twenty-one days prior to the celebrated
Mecklenburg declaration and more than one year before the great
Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776.
It has always been said that this meeting was held at the Rising Sun
Tavern. (Reference: Quinn's _History of Fredericksburg_, Howison's
_History of Virginia_, Forces' _Archives_, quoted in _William and Mary
Quarterly_ in October, 1909.)
But in addition to giving their attention to the serious questions of
the day, could we but raise the curtain of Time we no doubt would
witness a gay scene typical of colonial days with courtly gentlemen in
powdered wigs, knee breeches, ruffled blouses, and silver-buckled
slippers, or perhaps in the rougher garb of the pioneer traveler playing
cards and partaking of the various drinks served by a venerable old
slave and his young negro assistants. It is recorded that George
Washington played cards here and "lost as usual," and that he was afraid
those Fredericksburg fellows were "too smart for him."
Here General Weedon kept the post office. This was a distributing point
for mails coming in from the far north and south on horse-back or
stage-coach. Picture the eager crowd awaiting the arrival of the slow
courier.
LaFayette and his staff of French and American officers visited the
Rising Sun Tavern Nov. 11, 1781, en route from Yorktown to
Philadelphia. In December, 1824, LaFayette again visited Fredericksburg,
and was given a ball at the Rising Sun Tavern.