Postcards were a staple of vacations. Collected and sent back to friends and family so they could be part of your adventures. Many of us can remember trying to pick up postcards on the first day of vacation to get them in the mail quickly so they would arrive back home before you. Postcards were … Continue reading Wish You Were Here: Historical Documentation Through Postcards
Historic Kenmore
New Kids on the Block: The 20th-Century Houses of Kenmore Court
When you visit Historic Kenmore today, you will find a preserved city block with gardens and pathways reaching from front to back. The tranquil estate is only interrupted by two other houses along Lewis Street, hidden behind a tree line. These buildings remain the only surviving evidence of a time when Kenmore’s block was almost … Continue reading New Kids on the Block: The 20th-Century Houses of Kenmore Court
Kenmore Goes to Sea: Ship Naming in the US Navy
On July 22, 1942, Annie Fleming Smith wrote a letter. Smith was a prolific letter writer—her innumerable missives had helped raise the funds that saved Kenmore two decades earlier—so it is not surprising that she put pen to paper on that summer day. What is surprising is that the intended recipient of that letter was … Continue reading Kenmore Goes to Sea: Ship Naming in the US Navy
Lovely Linoleum and Other Historic Floor Coverings – Two Hot Takes
Linum ("Flax") and oleum ("oil") - Fashionable and Affordable As a Historic Preservation student at the University of Mary Washington, I’ve grown to appreciate almost all aspects of materiality. Over the past four years, my education has taught me to look closely at the built environment around me. Two years ago, I stumbled across a … Continue reading Lovely Linoleum and Other Historic Floor Coverings – Two Hot Takes
Pull Over!! The Virginia Highway Historical Markers of The George Washington Foundation
As you drive down the road, sometimes, there are enough signs to make your head spin. It can be tempting to just drive by these stark white cast iron road markers with black text when you see them. Even so, sometimes you can’t help but let a word or a phrase catch your eye, sparking … Continue reading Pull Over!! The Virginia Highway Historical Markers of The George Washington Foundation
Recreation and Racism: Fredericksburg’s Reception of Black Servicemen during WWII
As the United States and historic sites across the country, including the George Washington Foundation, prepare to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year, it might be easy for the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II to become an afterthought. After all, the interpretation of Historic Kenmore focuses on the Revolutionary era; … Continue reading Recreation and Racism: Fredericksburg’s Reception of Black Servicemen during WWII
The Last of Washington’s Horse Chestnut Trees?
There once stood a large horse chestnut tree on the corner of Fauquier and Charles Street in Fredericksburg. It was noted as one of the thirteen legendary Washington horse chestnut trees planted by George himself. By the 1930s, it was becoming clear that the tree needed some help, so the Daughters of the American Revolution … Continue reading The Last of Washington’s Horse Chestnut Trees?
Above Ground Archaeology – Cool Finds Revealed During Restoration
While the house at Historic Kenmore has been faithfully restored to its circa 1775 appearance, the road to that final result was a pretty dirty one. As in plaster dust, paint fumes, and all manner of dirt and debris. Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the first forays into the research for and … Continue reading Above Ground Archaeology – Cool Finds Revealed During Restoration
Slides That Saved Kenmore
On January 1, 1925, a group of well-dressed women in hats and long fur coats assembled at Kenmore to hand over the final $1,000 payment and gain full possession of the house and land. This meeting was the culmination of thirty-two months of persistent work and determination by the ladies of The Kenmore Association to … Continue reading Slides That Saved Kenmore
Bread Talk: A Slice of History in Colonial America
In 2020, many of us spent a great majority of our time at home. This gave us the opportunity to get creative and explore new hobbies. One such hobby that became a viral sensation, plastered across social media, food blogs, and television news outlets, was that of baking bread. Bread has been around in some … Continue reading Bread Talk: A Slice of History in Colonial America
Lives & Legacies 