Daily ledgers, journals, cash account books, letters, invoices – these are the kinds of documents an 18th-century plantation owner and businessman needed to manage his land and property successfully. Tracking everyday expenses and the purchasing of items that couldn’t be produced on one’s farm was a necessary routine in daily life. Dry good items such … Continue reading Ledger Book Zero
George Washington
Video: Building George’s House – The Foundation Stones: Dressing the Stone
Master Stonemason Ray Cannetti dresses a stone that will be part of the foundation of an interpretive replica of George Washington's boyhood home being constructed at Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Watch Part 1: "Splitting the Stone" here. The George Washington Foundation is undertaking a multi-year venture to build this interpretive replica of the Washington house on … Continue reading Video: Building George’s House – The Foundation Stones: Dressing the Stone
Meet the Archaeologists: Field School Edition
Each summer. students from the University of South Florida attend a field school at George Washington's Ferry Farm to learn practical aspects of archaeological excavations. This is what they said about their experience. On weekdays, see Ferry Farm’s archaeologists at work on the excavation site from now through mid-June.
Meet the Archaeologists
Each summer, archaeologists from across the United States come to George Washington's Ferry Farm for about two months of excavations on and around the site of Washington's boyhood home. These are their stories. On weekdays, see Ferry Farm's archaeologists at work on the excavation site from now through mid-June.
Building George’s House: The Foundation Stones – Splitting the Stone
Master Stonemason Ray Cannetti and his crew split large sandstone boulders into smaller pieces that will then be dressed into foundation stones for an interpretive replica of George Washington's boyhood home soon to be constructed at Ferry Farm. The George Washington Foundation has begun a multi-year venture to building this interpretive replica of the Washington house … Continue reading Building George’s House: The Foundation Stones – Splitting the Stone
‘Not Having Been Wett All Over at Once, for 28 Years Past’: Bathing in Early America
Editor’s Note: Looking back in time, people’s personal hygiene, fashion choices, medical treatments, and more sometimes look, at the very least, bizarre, if not outright disgusting. When confronted with these weird or gross practices, our first reaction can be to dismiss our ancestors as primitive, ignorant, or just silly. Before such judgments, however, we should … Continue reading ‘Not Having Been Wett All Over at Once, for 28 Years Past’: Bathing in Early America
George Toasts George?
At George Washington’s Ferry Farm we’ve just wrapped up a ceramic mending project. We explain how and why we undertake these mending projects in this post. Our most recent effort focused on Westerwald stonewares owned by the Washington family. Stoneware is a high-fired, non-porous ceramic that is excellent for producing storage containers and drinking vessels. But … Continue reading George Toasts George?
Christmas in Fredericksburg with George Washington, 1769
Six-year-old George Washington and his family moved to the land we call Ferry Farm late in 1738, perhaps even in time to mark Christmas in their new home. If so, it was the first of many. George lived at Ferry Farm into young adulthood. Interestingly, the best documented Christmas he spent in Fredericksburg was actually … Continue reading Christmas in Fredericksburg with George Washington, 1769
Lives & Legacies 