A lot of people don’t realize how many 20th century artifacts we excavate at George Washington’s Ferry Farm. Up until the 1990s, families lived and farmed on the property, leaving tens of thousands of artifacts behind. Some of our favorite modern artifacts are the toys we recover, whether marbles, plastic army and cowboy figurines, doll … Continue reading Playing Around: 20th Century Die-Cast Toys Excavated at Ferry Farm
20th century
The Unlikely Curator: What a Rodent’s Nest Reveals about Historic Kenmore
Rodents are usually seen as one of a museum’s greatest enemies. They damage valuable artifacts and buildings, leave a mess wherever they go, and frighten unsuspecting visitors. Like most museums, Historic Kenmore does its best to make sure no pests make their home in the 18th century plantation house. But, before it became a museum … Continue reading The Unlikely Curator: What a Rodent’s Nest Reveals about Historic Kenmore
‘Now With No Morphine!’: A Look at Patent Medicine Bottles Donated to Ferry Farm
Recently, George Washington’s Ferry Farm received a generous donation of bottles from the Mary Ball Washington Museum and Library. For the most part they date from the late 19th to early 20th century and therefore have no connection to the Washingtons. However, our Archaeology Department can certainly use them for a type collection. A type … Continue reading ‘Now With No Morphine!’: A Look at Patent Medicine Bottles Donated to Ferry Farm
Glass Guns: A Late 19th/Early 20th Century Phenomenon
Recently, archaeologists at George Washington’s Ferry Farm came across an odd glass fragment in our collection. We poured over it, passing it from person to person trying to figure out what it was. Then came the ‘ah-ha’ moment: it was a gun barrel. That’s odd, right? Turns out it isn’t. This story starts in the … Continue reading Glass Guns: A Late 19th/Early 20th Century Phenomenon
“A Silly Bauble”: Ferry Farm’s Sputnik Moment
EDITOR'S NOTE: Sixty years ago today, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, Earth's first artificial satellite, into orbit. It was an event with consequences, both great and small, that spanned the globe, even reaching Ferry Farm, once the boyhood home of George Washington, in Virginia. Today, we reshare this blog post about Ferry Farm's Sputnik moment. … Continue reading “A Silly Bauble”: Ferry Farm’s Sputnik Moment
The Surveyor’s Shed at Ferry Farm
It isn’t known when the myths about the small white building called the Surveyor’s Shed at George Washington’s Ferry Farm began, or why it was believed by so many that the structure existed during George Washington’s childhood. It was long-held myth was that Augustine Washington taught his son, George, how to survey in this building … Continue reading The Surveyor’s Shed at Ferry Farm
“I wonder if this was mine?”: Robert Bailey’s Ferry Farm
We have a unique situation here at the Ferry Farm Archaeology Lab. One of our volunteers, who has spent hundreds of hours washing, sorting and labeling excavated artifacts, is oddly enough, also partially responsible for creating some of those artifacts in the first place! Robert Bailey, his father Ray, mother Peggy and older brother Ray … Continue reading “I wonder if this was mine?”: Robert Bailey’s Ferry Farm
“A Silly Bauble”: Ferry Farm’s Sputnik Moment
Sputniks and mutniks, flying through the air, Sputniks and mutniks, flying everywhere, It's so ironic. Are they atomic? Those funny missiles have got me scared. -Lyrics from “Sputniks and Mutniks” by Ray Anderson and the Home Folks (1958) “Beep, Beep, Beep…” went the sinister telemetry signals from the Earth’s first artificial satellite. Launched by the … Continue reading “A Silly Bauble”: Ferry Farm’s Sputnik Moment
Kenmore’s Famed Gingerbread
Historic Kenmore was associated with gingerbread for decades. Many people’s first memories of Kenmore involve the square of gingerbread and a cup of tea that used to be served at the end of every tour. The dessert welcomed visitors to the world of colonial Fredericksburg, it comforted soldiers on their way to war in Europe … Continue reading Kenmore’s Famed Gingerbread
Being Part of the Story: Collecting Oral Histories about Ferry Farm and Kenmore
Have you ever seen ads for museums inviting you to “be part of the story”? Well, at George Washington’s Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore, many people are part of the story and have been for a long time. Those who have played an integral part in the ownership, history, preservation, and work of the properties … Continue reading Being Part of the Story: Collecting Oral Histories about Ferry Farm and Kenmore
Lives & Legacies 