During the 18th century, the city of Fredericksburg was described as “a considerable town of trade, furnishing the country around.”[1] As such, it was deemed a rather important town and was the site of one of two schools for enslaved children established in Virginia during the Colonial period. The school was located somewhere downtown, likely … Continue reading Stories that Demand to be Told: Fielding Lewis and the Bray School for Educating Enslaved Children
Fielding Lewis
More Than Meets the Eye: What Their Portraits Say About the Lewis Family
On walls of the Historic Kenmore’s drawing room hang two large portraits of a man and a woman. The man is an older gentleman in a serene outdoor setting, looking quite dignified and sober in a brownish knee-length jacket, knee breeches and long waistcoat. His eyes rest on the portrait viewer, one hand on moss-covered … Continue reading More Than Meets the Eye: What Their Portraits Say About the Lewis Family
Where Are the Human Remains?: Fielding and Betty Lewis
You might remember the discovery of Richard III’s grave under a Leicester parking lot back in 2012 and how shocking it was that a former King of England’s gravesite had been lost. For archaeologists, missing gravesites aren’t that uncommon. When put into perspective, it’s not surprising that we can’t locate the graves of many famous … Continue reading Where Are the Human Remains?: Fielding and Betty Lewis
Fielding and Betty Lewis Married 270 Years Ago Today
Fielding and Betty Washington Lewis were married on this date in 1750 and would have celebrated their 270th wedding anniversary this year. In honor of their anniversary, we've taken some creative liberty and have created a fictional newspaper announcement of their nuptials. At the time of their wedding, Betty Washington was sixteen years old, almost … Continue reading Fielding and Betty Lewis Married 270 Years Ago Today
All That’s Fit to Buy: Shopping in the 18th Century
It seems we are all pre-occupied with the subject of groceries lately – how we’re going to get them, which store has what, which items are hard to find at the moment. The current shopping situation is an alien one to us in our modern world of on-line ordering and nearly instant delivery. The stress … Continue reading All That’s Fit to Buy: Shopping in the 18th Century
Summer Vacation, 18th Century Style
Despite issues of poor roads, lack of transportation, financial considerations and simply an absence of places to go, colonial Virginians fancied a summer vacation just as much as we do today. In fact, getting out of the city, or away from hot, steamy climates and hordes of mosquitoes in the summer months was actually necessary … Continue reading Summer Vacation, 18th Century Style
Lecture – Credit and Coinage: The Economy in Colonial Virginia [Video]
On Tuesday, May 8, 2018, Cash Arehart, Site Supervisor of the Capitol Building at Colonial Williamsburg presented a lecture titled “Credit and Coinage: The Economy of Colonial Virginia.” Using Kenmore's Fielding Lewis as an example, he discussed currency, credit, the tobacco economy, and the Transatlantic trade and how they all converged to make Col. Lewis … Continue reading Lecture – Credit and Coinage: The Economy in Colonial Virginia [Video]
George’s Hometown: Kenmore
As George Washington’s Ferry Farm prepares to celebrate the reconstruction of the Washington house, we traveled around George’s hometown – Fredericksburg, Virginia – to visit a few places important in the transformation of George from boy to man. Fredericksburg remained important to George Washington throughout his life. It was the home of Mary Ball Washington, … Continue reading George’s Hometown: Kenmore
Meet the Lewis Family: John and Fielding Jr.
Fielding Lewis was married twice. He and Catharine Washington, his first wife, had three children: John, Frances and Warner. Both Warner and Frances died leaving John as the sole heir from this first marriage. After Catharine’s death, Fielding married Betty Washington, and not quite a year later Fielding Lewis Jr. was born in 1751. Although … Continue reading Meet the Lewis Family: John and Fielding Jr.
The Man on the Ceiling: Neoclassical Decorating at Kenmore
As with many things at Historic Kenmore, the reasoning behind the choices Fielding and Betty Lewis made for their masterpiece of a house remain a mystery to us. Why are Aesop’s Fables the subject of the decorative plaster overmantel in the Dining Room? Why is there an old-fashioned paneled wall in the Chamber? Why did … Continue reading The Man on the Ceiling: Neoclassical Decorating at Kenmore
Lives & Legacies 