The George Washington Foundation's curators recently oversaw the hanging of portraits in Historic Kenmore's Drawing Room. Portraits of Fielding and Betty Lewis painted by John Wollaston as well as of John Lewis and Fielding Lewis, Jr. painted by Charles Willson Peale were returned to the room where they hung originally. In this video showing the … Continue reading Hanging Portraits in Kenmore’s Drawing Room
Historic Kenmore
Caring for Historic Kenmore: Climate Control
Editor's Note: The behind-the-scenes tour mentioned at the end of this post and on the video's end title is sold out. Today, we're linking to a behind-the-scenes video on The George Washington Foundation's YouTube channel. In the video, Heather Baldus, Collections Manager, gives us a tour of Historic Kenmore's underground heating and cooling system. This geothermal … Continue reading Caring for Historic Kenmore: Climate Control
Snow Days
This year, we've not had a particularly photographic snow at George Washington's Ferry Farm or Historic Kenmore... yet. Snow eventually will come but, until then, we're sharing some of our best snowy photos from last year and from ten years ago.
Kenmore’s New Beginning: How the Ladies of the Kenmore Association Saved the Lewis Family Home
January and the start of the year are always a time of new beginnings. Recently, while digging through archival material, I came upon an exciting collection of newspaper clippings and photographs that detailed the New Year’s purchase of Kenmore and the beginning of the old home’s transformation into a historic site to be enjoyed by … Continue reading Kenmore’s New Beginning: How the Ladies of the Kenmore Association Saved the Lewis Family Home
Photos: “Twelfth Night at Kenmore”
Today - January 6 - marks the end of Christmas or, at least, it did two centuries ago. If we lived in the days of George Washington, Betty Washington Lewis, and Fielding Lewis and moved within their social circle, we would all be preparing for the grandest celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas, which began … Continue reading Photos: “Twelfth Night at Kenmore”
Historical Holiday Cheer
In the colonial-era, the Christmas season lasted into January and concluded on Twelfth Night, a festive evening to mark the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas and celebrated much like our New Year’s Eve is today. While the entire period featured frequent banquets and balls with much food and spirits, Twelfth Night was especially … Continue reading Historical Holiday Cheer
The Whimsical Worlds of Kenmore’s “A Wee Christmas”
This year is our first-ever “A Wee Christmas -- Dollhouses and Miniatures Show” at Historic Kenmore! “A Wee Christmas” has brought together many different dollhouses, miniature scenes, and figurines loaned by friends, neighbors, and staff for visitors to Kenmore Plantation to enjoy. The highly detailed, replica dollhouse of Kenmore on display in our Crowninshield Museum … Continue reading The Whimsical Worlds of Kenmore’s “A Wee Christmas”
‘A Wee Christmas’ Display Inspired by a ‘Wee’ Kenmore
This holiday season, we’re excited to share with our visitors the many dollhouses and miniatures loaned by friends, neighbors, and staff to form our first-ever dollhouses and miniatures show that we’re calling “A Wee Christmas at Historic Kenmore”. A highly detailed, replica dollhouse of Kenmore on display in our Crowninshield Museum served as the inspiration … Continue reading ‘A Wee Christmas’ Display Inspired by a ‘Wee’ Kenmore
A Kenmore Christmas
Historic Kenmore is decorated for the holidays, portraying what it may have looked like during the Christmas season of 1775. At that time, the Lewis family would have just moved into Kenmore a couple of months earlier, and it would have been their first Christmas in the new house. It was a time of some … Continue reading A Kenmore Christmas
Lives & Legacies 