Lives and Legacies

Tag: gingerbread

  • 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; the home was already the better part of 200 years old in 1945.  But the histories of Kenmore and Fredericksburg are as intricately intertwined with the Second World War as they are with the War of Independence, and the legacies of both conflicts resonate today.

    Soldiers being hosted on lawn of Kenmore

    Like many Americans, the women of the Kenmore Association sought during the war years to demonstrate pride in their nation and support for its troops. Annie Fleming Smith, then national secretary of the Association, showed her appreciation for the country’s military by opening Kenmore’s doors to thousands of service members stationed in the Fredericksburg area. The Association took them “through the mansion and served them iced tea and gingerbread.” It hosted lawn parties and entertained soldiers early in the day and late at night. Hosts told everyone in uniform “who passed over the Kenmore steps…about George Washington, and other great men, passing over these very same steps.”

    Kenmore hosted soldiers with gingerbread and iced tea.

    Smith regarded the Association’s commitment to “making our American boys feel at home in a home of the Washingtons” as Kenmore’s way of contributing “to the defense of the nation.” She also hoped that visits to Kenmore would crystalize in servicemen a commitment to the U.S. ideals of freedom and democracy.

    The commitment to helping the recently transplanted soldiers feel comfortable in town was admirable; however, there are no records of Smith or Kenmore welcoming Black servicemen, stationed along with their white counterparts at what was then A.P. Hill Military Reservation and other nearby military installations.  Smith and other members of the Kenmore Association, along with whites across Fredericksburg, the South, and the country, apparently did not see any conflict between simultaneous support for liberty, as embedded in the founding documents of the United States, and a racist social system.

    The 366th Infantry Regiment

    So how, in segregated Fredericksburg, did Black service members spend their leisure time? If the city’s white-led institutions, including Kenmore, did not welcome African Americans serving their country, Black Fredericksburgers proved happy to host the men fighting the Double V campaign—victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism and discrimination at home. Indeed, at least two Black fraternal organizations in Fredericksburg provided recreational opportunities to African American soldiers during World War II.

    The 366th Infantry Regiment choir at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, on December 17, 1943. Source: Indiana State Library

    The city’s Black Odd Fellows lodge (located at 301 Charles Street), “under auspices of the Citizens Committee of Local Negros,” hosted at least one dance for African American soldiers from A.P. Hill. This dance, held in February 1942, came shortly after white officials implicated Black servicemen stationed at A.P. Hill and Fort Belvoir in a “near-riot” that began after a Fredericksburg police officer attempted to arrest a Black soldier for public intoxication. 

    Following the altercation between the soldiers and the city’s police, during which white officers beat a Black soldier and threw a tear gas grenade, the Free Lance-Star published a letter to the editor from local NAACP leaders calling for the establishment of a Black USO—since the white USO barred Black soldiers from entering— and more leisure opportunities for African American soldiers in the city.

    Other efforts to make the city more welcoming to Black service members followed. In May of that year, a group of Black Fredericksburgers requested that “the city furnish recreational facilities, showers, soap and towels for colored troops stationed at Camp A. P. Hill.” According to the letter containing this request submitted to the City Council, “there were slightly over a hundred colored soldiers now stationed at Camp A. P. Hill and that there were no recreational facilities at Camp A. P. Hill or in the City of Fredericksburg for these colored troops.”

    Rappahannock Lodge 229 of the Independent Benevolent Protective Order Elks of the World in April 2008. The lodge was home to Fredericksburg’s Black USO in 1943 and 1944.
    Rappahannock Lodge 229 of the Independent Benevolent Protective Order Elks of the World in March 2024. 1103 Winchester Street is just a block from Historic Kenmore.
    Historic plaque at former Rappahannock Elks Lodge 229

    Eventually, the efforts of Black soldiers’ advocates succeeded: The Black USO sought by the NAACP leaders opened in June 1943 at Rappahannock Lodge 229 of the Independent Benevolent Protective Order Elks of the World (otherwise known as the African American Elks). Lodge 229 was at 1103 Winchester Street, just a block from Historic Kenmore. Across the world, USOs gave “troops somewhere to play cards, dance and socialize while taking a break from their duties.” Each USO facility was supposed to be “open to all men in uniform,” regardless of race, but in practice, centers were often segregated. Fredericksburg’s white USO opened in January 1942 at 408 Canal Street, which is today the Dorothy Hart Community Center.

    USO Club, Fredericksburg, Va
    USO Club, Fredericksburg, Va

    Although Fredericksburg’s Black USO closed the following April, reportedly because of low attendance, another Black USO was completed in Caroline County in December of 1943 and was still operating in 1945.

    USO, Caroline County
    USO, Caroline County

    However, the presence of these recreational facilities did not resolve tensions between white area residents and visiting Black service members. In the fall of 1943, while the Fredericksburg USO was open, A.P. Hill Military Reservation was home to the 366th Infantry Regiment, a Black unit. When members of the 366th chaffed against racism—for instance, by evicting the driver of a bus who instructed the soldiers to move to the back of the vehicle and finishing the drive back to A.P. Hill from Fredericksburg themselves—local whites reacted with fear. By November, the city’s white residents worried that the soldiers planned to “‘clean up the town on the first’” of December in objection to Jim Crow laws and segregation. Whites expressed relief when the unit shipped out before that date. 

    During World War II, the Kenmore Association opened its doors to white soldiers to share the stories of those Americans “who planned the principles, which is the beacon light of the world today.” Eight decades ago, the world’s democracies fought for those principles and defeated the forces of totalitarianism abroad, but racism endured at home.  While progress has been made in the United States regarding the assertion “that all men are created equal,” the struggle against inequality continues.

    Adam Nubbe

    Manager of School & Youth Programs

    Bibliography

    Fredericksburg City Council. (1942, January). Fredericksburg City Council Minutes Vol 28. Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA.

    Hall, D. (1943, November 27). Fearful Whites Relieved as 366th Leaves Virginia. Baltimore Afro-American, p. 21.

    Johnson, S. (2022, February 7). How the USO Served a Racially Segregated Military Throughout World War II. Retrieved from USO: https://www.uso.org/stories/3001-how-the-uso-served-a-racially-segregated-military-throughout-world-war-ii

    Salter, K. (2014). The Story of Black Military Officers, 1861-1948. London: Routledge.

    Smith, A. F. (1941, December 26). Letter to Mrs. Barnum. Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA.

    Smith, A. F. (1941, November 4). Letter to Mrs. Mitchell. Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA.

    Smith, A. F. (1941, November 21). Letter to Mrs. Stone. Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States of America.

    The Baltimore Afro-American. (1942, March 31). Soldier, On Furlough, Finds Vs. Prejudice Ignores War. The Baltimore Afro-American, p. 9.

    The Free Lance-Star. (1942, February 9). Dance Friday Night for Negro Soldiers. The Free Lance-Star, p. 6.

    The Free Lance-Star. (1942, January 31). Soldiers Causing Disorder Jailed. The Free Lance-Star, p. 1.

    The Free Lance-Star. (1942, January 29). Tear Gas Quells Near-Riot Here. The Free Lance-Star, p. 1.

    The Free Lance-Star. (1943, December 2). Colored USO in Caroline Completed. Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA.

    The Free Lance-Star. (1943, June 3). New Colored USO is Dedicated Here. Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA.

    The Free Lance-Star. (1944, November 14). USO Club in City To Be Withdrawn. The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA.

    The Free Lance-Star. (1944, April 29). USO Cuts $7,200 Off Budget Here. Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA.

    Woodfork Genealogy. (2025, January 27). USO Highway Number 2 Club. Retrieved from Woodfork Genealogy: https://woodforkgenealogy.com/caroline-county-virginia/uso-highway-number-2-club/

    Wyatt, P. E. (1942, February 6). Negro USO is Seen as Need for City. The Free Lance-Star, p. 4.

  • 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 save the historic property from destruction.

    The incredible work in saving Kenmore was beginning for the ladies. Undoubtedly, a house as large and old as Kenmore would require a substantial amount of money for restoration and upkeep.   Until the sale to the Kenmore Association, the house had been a residence for several different families, each leaving a unique imprint on the building.  Unfortunately, these alterations needed to be reversed to restore Kenmore to its original state when Fielding and Betty Lewis first inhabited the house around 1775.

    Kenmore exterior (west facade) before restoration, c. 1920s
    Kenmore Dining Room during the Howard residency, c. 1890s
    Kenmore Hall before restoration in 1929. Notice the plaster work on the ceiling. The ladies of the Association removed this because it was not original but the work of William Key Howard, Jr.

    By 1930, the Kenmore Association had made significant progress in restoring Kenmore. Major projects included removing the modern attached kitchen, updating wiring and plumbing, and restoring windows, brickwork, and ornamental plasterwork, all completed for $19,372.57. (Mesick, 1992) This figure did not include the ongoing refurnishing of the house, highlighting the scale of the task.

    Building report on Kenmore talking about restoration work, May 1930
    Letter from Mrs. Vivian (Emily) White Fleming, asking for donations to the Kenmore appeal, September 29, 1930

    How was the Kenmore Association able to finance this costly restoration and refurnishing? These ladies knew how to raise money. In 1927, they established a restoration fund and began soliciting contributions.  

    We previously discussed the amazing partnership between Mrs. Smith secured with the Dromedary Cake Mix Company and their boxed gingerbread.   The arrangement allowed Dromedary to produce gingerbread mixes based on Mary Washington’s recipe.  In exchange, the Kenmore Association got all the gingerbread they could serve to visitors.  The company also donated mixes to be sold by the Association and various chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for 25 cents a box.  The Association got half the money realized from these sales minus the shipping costs. 

    An 1940s-era advertisement for Dromedary gingerbread mix “made from the 200-year-old Recipe of George Washington’s Mother.”
    Mrs. Fleming and other having gingerbread, c. 1940s

    To help the various DAR chapters across the U.S. sell gingerbread, the Kenmore Association developed a visual program using the Bauch & Lomb Balopticon and trays of glass slides. Mrs. Smith worked with Mrs. Louise du Pont Crowninshield to select various photographers to assist in the project, including the well-known E.B. Thompson of Washington, D.C.  This was no inexpensive program to develop with balopticons running around $77 a piece and slides costing $1 to $3 per slide of which we have over three hundred. 

    Bausch & Lomb Balopticon Ad
    Box of glass slides created by the Kenmore Association, c. 1938

    This program featured black-and-white and colored glass slides documenting the restoration and refurnishing of Kenmore and its gardens. Its goal was twofold. First, it showed the groups the product of their previous fundraising efforts, and second, it gave them an understanding of the house, property, and its goals for the future. Groups from all over the country wrote to Mrs. Smith requesting that she send out the program, which consisted of the balopticon and a set of glass slides for their meetings.  Sometimes, Mrs. Smith would even join the program herself, presenting and answering questions about upcoming projects. 

    These glass slide presentations were eventually updated into paper guidebooks, films, and postcards featuring up-to-date Kenmore images. The slides were packed away in the closet for the last eighty-plus years, and now offer us a great source of documentation for the early years of The Kenmore Association and the restoration of Kenmore.

    Heather Baldus

    Collections Manager

    Sources

    Mesick, C.W. (1992). Kenmore Historic Structure Report. Albany

  • Cooking up holiday treats: Gingerbread and Flip

    This year at our annual Twelfth-Night celebrations, visitors could enter the kitchen for a short lecture and demonstration. The archaeology and curatorial teams gave the talks to explain two important food items that play a part in Kenmore’s history and the holiday, gingerbread and flip.

    Our first demonstration was done by Emma Schlauder, Research Archaeologist at the Foundation. She used a traditional recipe based on Mary Washington’s gingerbread. This is the recipe that the Kenmore Association and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) would use in partnering with Hills Brothers Company to create the Dromedary Gingerbread Mix. The mix was sold in the gift shop and shipped around the country, raising money for the restoration of Kenmore.[1] 

    Emma Schlauder giving a presentation on gingerbread.

    Mary Washington’s Gingerbread Recipe

    3 cups all-purpose flour

    2 tablespoons ground ginger

    1 teaspoon cream of tartar

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

    ⅛ teaspoon ground mace

    1 large orange

    ½ cup (1 stick) lightly salted butter, at room temperature

    ½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

    1 cup molasses

    ½ cup warm milk

    1 wineglass (2 ounces) brandy or coffee

    3 large eggs, beaten

    Gingerbread is a term applied to a wide-ranging selection of baked goods with combinations of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses.[2]

    Ingredients and spices for gingerbread

    Emma’s gingerbread used the traditional American sweetener, molasses.[3]  Molasses was a commonly used sweetener in early American cooking until the increase of domestic sugar production. Molasses was cheap and a by-product of the refined white sugar produced for the wealthy.[4]

    After including all ingredients, it was mixed to create a runny batter. The batter was put into a cast-iron Dutch oven and hung over the fire to cook. Cooking and baking over the hearth was time-consuming and potentially dangerous. It was done with heavy cast-iron pots and pans, often hung over the fire by an iron bar in the back of the oven.[5]  Luckily for us, Emma had taken precautions for cooking over the open hearth and was able to bake the runny batter into a dense gingery cake. The cake was enjoyed by many and was determined to be a must-have for the season.

    Gingerbread cooking over the fire

    Flip

    Our next presentation was done by Mara Kaktins, our Archaeologist & Lab Manager, and explored the history and ingredients of a unique drink called flip that would have fit in quite well with the festive celebrations.

    The first known mention of flip is from a 17th-century play called “Love for Love” by William Congreve when a character mentions sailors, stating, “We’re merry folks, we sailors: we han’t much to care for. Thus, we live at sea; eat biscuit, and drink flip.”[6]  The play does not provide us with a recipe or ingredients for the drink.

    Flip –Universal Etymological English Dictionary

    Flip is mentioned in the Universal Etymological English Dictionary, first published in 1721. This definition offers more information about what the drink contains by stating, “Flip, a sort of Sailors Drink, made of Ale, Brandy and Sugar.”[7] Full recipes can be found in The Cook’s Oracle, published in 1822; How to Mix Drinks: Or The Bon-vivant’s Companion, published in 1862; and The Curiosity of Ale and Beer: An Entertaining History, published in 1889. These recipes contain spices and ingredients like eggs, rum, sugar, and orange juice.[8][9][10]

    Ingredients to make flip: Rum, Whiskey, Sugar, Nutmeg, Orange Juice, Eggs

    However, two things make flip different from other holiday drinks like eggnog. First, there is no cream used in the mixture[11] , and second, flip is traditionally mixed by pouring the drink between two different vessels to make sure all the eggs are combined with the alcohol and then plunging a hot iron into the drink to create froth.[12] [13] 

    Instructions state, “To make a quart of Flip: Put the Ale on the fire to warm, – and beat up three or four Eggs with four ounces of moist Sugar, a teaspoonful of grated Nutmeg or Ginger, and a quarters of good old Rum or Brandy. When the Ale is near boil, put it into one pitcher, and the Rum and Eggs, &c. into another; – turn it from one pitcher to another till it is as smooth as cream.”[14] After the mixture is properly combined, it is poured into a cup or tankard and finished off by plunging a hot iron which further mulled and froths the drink and gives it a slightly burnt taste.[15]

    Mara Kaktins finishing off a glass of flip with the hot poker

    This drink was mixed many times throughout the Twelfth night and was sampled by the staff. Unlike the gingerbread, the reviews for this frothy drink weren’t all that positive. Our modern palates might not be used to the amount of alcohol colonists use to consume. Sadly, while this drink was a hit during George’s festive season, traditional eggnog would be the best bet for the holidays. 

    These two demonstrations were quite a hit, with a sold-out crowd attending the show. With such a positive response, the archaeology and curatorial departments are looking for more ways to introduce living history to visitors. After gingerbread and flip, the possibilities are endless.       

    Heather Baldus, Collections Manager

    [1] Bryn, Ann. American Cake. Rodale Books, 2016, pg 26.

    [2] Goldstein, Darra. The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press, 2015. pg 632

    [3] Bryn, Ann. American Cake. Rodale Books, 2016, pg 24.

    [4] Ibid, pg 12.

    [5] Ibid, pg 16.

    [6] Scene V, The Literature Network, http://www.online-literature.com/congreve/love-for-love/44/

    [7] Bailey, Nathan. Universal Etymological English Dictionary. London, T. Osborne, 1763

    [8] Kitchiner, William. The Cook’s Oracle and Housekeeper’s Manual. New York, J. & J. Harper, 1830

    [9] Thomas, Jerry. How to Mix Drinks: Or The Bon-vivant’s Companion. New York, Dick & Fitzgerald Publishers, 1862

    [10] Bickerdyke, John. The Curiosities of Ale and Beer: An Entertaining History. London, Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1889

    [11] Garret, Dylan. The New York Flip, Wine Enthusiast, https://www.winemag.com/recipe/new-york-flip/

    [12] Thomas, Jerry. How to Mix Drinks: Or The Bon-vivant’s Companion. New York, Dick & Fitzgerald Publishers, 1862

    [13] Curtis, Wayne. And a bottle of rum: A history of the new world in ten cocktails. New York, Broadway Books, 2007

    [14] Kitchiner, William. The Cook’s Oracle and Housekeeper’s Manual. New York, J. & J. Harper, 1830

    [15] Curtis, Wayne. And a bottle of rum: A history of the new world in ten cocktails. New York, Broadway Books, 2007

  • A Short and Sweet History of the Gingerbread House

    If you visit George Washington’s Ferry Farm this December, you’ll be greeted by the sweet smell of spiced gingerbread as soon as you walk through the door! During our annual Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibit, our gallery space is transformed into a showroom with entries reflecting this year’s theme: “architectural wonders of the world.” Unlike their real-life counterparts, these architectural wonders are all baked out of gingerbread and creatively decorated with icing and candies. Baking gingerbread is a great way to get in the holiday spirit, and in many cultures, gingerbread has long been associated with the holiday season. But where, exactly, did these gingerbread traditions originate?

    The Tower Bridge on display at Ferry Farm

    According to The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, the term “gingerbread” refers to a wide variety of baked goods ranging from rolled cookies to dense cakes that are “flavored with a combination of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses.” Some gingerbread variations can be traced back to antiquity, like the honey-sweetened cakes baked in ancient Egypt and Greece. Variations closer to what we consider gingerbread today (think gingerbread men and gingerbread loaves) became popular in northern Europe during the Middle Ages. Germany, in particular, became well known for its spiced gingerbreads, or lebkuchen.

    Nuremberg Lebkuchen

    German lebkuchen can trace its origins as far back as the 14th century, when gingerbread baking was associated with local monasteries and, later, professional bakers’ guilds. In Nuremberg, now world famous for its lebkuchen, honey was a locally accessible sweetener due to the city’s abundant forests and honeybee population. The medieval city was also at the crossroads of trade, which meant imported spices were readily available to Nuremberg monks and bakers. Before the invention of metal molds and cookie cutters, bakers used wooden molds carved with elaborate patterns to make and decorate gingerbread. Bakers shaped the cookies into different figures like animals and saints, and when intended as gifts for nobility, even added gilded decoration!

    Today, although recipes vary, lebkuchen ingredients often incorporate some variation of honey, nuts, coriander, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and candied fruit. “Nuremberg lebkuchen” has a higher nut content than any other variety. “Lebkuchenherzen” (or “Lebkuchen hearts”) are heart-shaped gingerbread decorated with written icing inscriptions. The hearts can be hung as decoration and are often sold at Christmas markets and during Oktoberfest.

    Lebkuchenherzen on display at a market.

    By the 1800s, making gingerbread houses was a popular activity in Germany. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a tale involving a candy-coated house also began to circulate during this time. Originally published in 1812 by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Hansel and Gretel tells the story of two children lost in the woods who stumble upon a witch’s house made of bread, cakes, and sugar. The evil witch captures the children when she discovers them munching on her house!

    1909 Illustration by Arthur Rackham, Hansel and Gretel encounter the witch outside her house.

    The story of Hansel and Gretel has remained popular to this day, and many different iterations of the tale exist. It’s unclear exactly which event precipitated the other (did the fairytale popularize gingerbread houses, or was an existing gingerbread house tradition simply incorporated into the story?) What is clear, however, is that gingerbread houses had become popular in Germany! When Germans immigrated to new places, they took these traditions with them, and the baking and making of gingerbread houses became popular elsewhere too. Today, whether created from a store-bought kit or handmade dough, gingerbread house-making is a popular activity for adults and children alike and is closely tied to the Christmas season.

    This “real life” witch’s house inspired by Hansel and Gretel is located in Efteling, a fairy tale theme park in the Netherlands.

    Beginning in 1991, the city of Bergen, Norway, constructed an entire city…out of gingerbread! The display is made up of more than 2000 gingerbread houses and buildings. Called pepper cookies or “pepperkaker” in Norwegian, the “Pepperkakebyen” Gingerbread Town is made up of pieces constructed by local school children, businesses, and volunteers. The city landscape includes local landmarks, trains, cars, and even boats. While not the only gingerbread town in existence, it is certainly one of the largest and is a testament to the enduring popularity of the gingerbread house!

    The Pepperkakebyen Gingerbread Town

    If you’re interested in delving further into the history of gingerbread, check out two of our past Lives & Legacies blog posts where we’ve written about Mary Washington serving gingerbread to Lafayette and the Kenmore Association’s ties to the sweet treat. If you’re interested in seeing Ferry Farm’s own Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibit, be sure to stop in before the exhibit closes on December 30th and also vote on your favorite entry!

    A pyramid and sphynx made of gingerbread on display at Ferry Farm

    Further Reading: The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. (2015). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

    Ann Waters

    Manager of Interpretation & Visitor Services

  • 33rd Annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit at Ferry Farm [Photos]

    It’s the 33rd year of a a long-standing holiday tradition: the Gingerbread Contest & Exhibit at George Washington’s Ferry Farm!  This year’s theme is “Holiday Songs.”

    "Deck the Halls" by King George Country Schools Preschool: Ms. Rachel, Ms. Cindy, and Ms. Becky’s Class
    “Deck the Halls” by King George Country Schools Preschool: Ms. Rachel, Ms. Cindy, and Ms. Becky’s Class
    "Deck the Halls" by King George Country Schools Preschool: Ms. Rachel, Ms. Cindy, and Ms. Becky’s Class
    “Deck the Halls” by King George Country Schools Preschool: Ms. Rachel, Ms. Cindy, and Ms. Becky’s Class
    "How Many Songs" by Carol Glick and family
    “How Many Songs” by Carol Glick and family
    "How Many Songs" by Carol Glick and family
    “How Many Songs” by Carol Glick and family
    "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Valerie Jackson & Debbie Hicks
    “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Valerie Jackson & Debbie Hicks
    "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Valerie Jackson & Debbie Hicks
    “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Valerie Jackson & Debbie Hicks
    "Jingle Bells Rock the House Down" by RAAI-RACSB
    “Jingle Bells Rock the House Down” by RAAI-RACSB
    "Let It Snow" by Samantha Wainwright
    “Let It Snow” by Samantha Wainwright
    "Marshmallow World" by the Baldwin Family
    “Marshmallow World” by the Baldwin Family
    "Melekalikimaka" by Daniel Jackson & Noah Stusse
    “Melekalikimaka” by Daniel Jackson & Noah Stusse
    "Poor Grandma" by Hunt Family
    “Poor Grandma” by Hunt Family
    "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" by the Fleming Family
    “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” by the Fleming Family
    "Santa’s Musical Workshop" by Chancellor High School German Club
    “Santa’s Musical Workshop” by Chancellor High School German Club
    "Santa's Stable" by Moriah Webster’s 7th & 8th grade students, Walker Grant Middle School
    “Santa’s Stable” by Moriah Webster’s 7th & 8th grade students, Walker Grant Middle School
    "Sleigh Ride" by Ryan Jackson & Henry Stusse
    “Sleigh Ride” by Ryan Jackson & Henry Stusse
    "To RAAI House we go!" by RAAI-RACSB
    “To RAAI House we go!” by RAAI-RACSB
    "Winter Wonderland" by Maggie Jackson
    “Winter Wonderland” by Maggie Jackson

     

    Winners

    • Level 1: Age 2-5 First Place Ribbon ~ “Let it Snow” by Samantha Wainwright
    • Level 3: Age 11-14  First Place Ribbon ~ “Melekalikimaka” by Daniel Jackson & Noah Stusse
    • Level 3: Age 11-14 Second Place Ribbon ~ “ Sleigh Ride” by Ryan Jackson & Henry Stusse
    • Level 4: Age 15-17 First Place Ribbon ~ “Winter Wonderland” by Maggie Jackson
    • Level 4: Age 15-17 Second Place Ribbon ~ “Santa’s Musical Workshop” by Chancellor High School German Club
    • Level 5: Age 18 & Over: First Place ~ “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Valerie Jackson & Debbie Hicks
    • Level 6: Family Made:  First Place ~“How Many Songs” by Carol Gick & Family
    • Level 6: Family Made:  Second  Place ~ “Poor Grandma” by Hunt Family
    • Level 7: Special Needs:  First Place Ribbon ~ “Deck the Halls” by King George Country Schools Preschool: Ms. Rachel, Ms. Cindy, and Ms. Becky’s Class
    • Level 7: Special Needs:  Second Place Ribbon Tie ~ “To RAAI House we go!” by RAAI/RACSB
    • Level 7: Special Needs:  Second Place Ribbon Tie ~ “Jingle Bells Rock the House Down” by RAAI/RACSB
    • Best in Show Award Ribbon: First Place ~“How Many Songs” by Carol Gick & Family

    People’s Choice Ribbon: To Be Determined on Dec 30

    Please come visit the exhibit and vote for your favorite! Ferry Farm’s hours are Monday – Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Ferry Farm is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The gingerbread exhibit ends on December 30. General admission to Ferry Farm and the exhibit is $9 adults, $4.50 students, under 6 free while admission to the exhibit only is $4.50 adults, $2.25 students, under 6 free.

    For more information, email events@gwffoundation.org, call (540) 370-0732 x24, or visit ferryfarm.org.

  • Gingerbread House Construction Workshop & A Wee Christmas Workshop [Photos]

    On Saturday, November 19, George Washington’s Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore both presented their annual holiday workshops devoted to teaching attendees either how to build a gingerbread house or to create a holiday themed “room box.”  Here are some photos from both workshops…

    GB01
    GB02
    GB03
    GB04
    GB05
    Wee01
    Wee02
    Wee03
    Wee04
    Wee05

    These two workshops are presented in preparation for Ferry Farm’s annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit as well as Kenmore’s annual A Wee Christmas Dollhouses and Miniatures Show.

    The 33rd Annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit at George Washington’s Ferry Farm is a long-standing holiday tradition and, this year, runs from December 8th through the 30th.  This year’s theme is “Holiday Songs.”  For all the details about entering the contest or visiting the exhibit, click here.  Adults and children alike will enjoy the sights and smells of the festive creations displayed at Ferry Farm!

    A Wee Christmas Dollhouse & Miniatures Show at Historic Kenmore runs from December 8th through the 30th. Adults and children alike will enjoy this exhibit of highly detailed, replica dollhouses – including a Kenmore dollhouse – and miniatures in the Crowninshield Museum Building. Share memories of your dollhouse with your family as you explore life in miniature! Put your mind and eye to the test with our “I Spy Miniatures” challenge – fun for young and old alike!  For all the details about visiting the show, click here.

    Both Ferry Farm and Kenmore are closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.

  • 32nd Annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit at Ferry Farm [Photos]

    It’s the 32nd year of a a long-standing holiday tradition: the Gingerbread Contest & Exhibit at George Washington’s Ferry Farm!  This year’s theme is “Cartoon Adventures.”

    "Snoopy's Christmas Love" by Gloria Tignor
    “Snoopy’s Christmas Love” by Gloria Tignor
    "A Minon Christmas"
    “A Minon Christmas”
    "Yabba Dabba Doo" by The Feeback Family
    “Yabba Dabba Doo” by The Feeback Family
    "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by Ni River Special Education
    “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by Ni River Special Education
    "Hobbit House" by Chancellor High German Club
    “Hobbit House” by Chancellor High German Club
    "Cartoon Advent Calendar" by Ms. Redelman's Class at Courtland High School
    “Cartoon Advent Calendar” by Ms. Redelman’s Class at Courtland High School
    "Rapunzel" by Angela Saathoff
    “Rapunzel” by Angela Saathoff
    "Frosty the Snowman" by Samantha Wainwright
    “Frosty the Snowman” by Samantha Wainwright
    "Grinch's House" by CJ Crocker
    “Grinch’s House” by CJ Crocker
    "Scooby Doo Miner 49er Chase" by Susan Dodson
    “Scooby Doo Miner 49er Chase” by Susan Dodson
    "Transformer Making a Snow Angel" by Misha Sanborn
    “Transformer Making a Snow Angel” by Misha Sanborn
    "Calvin & Hobbes" by The Szlyk Family
    “Calvin & Hobbes” by The Szlyk Family
    "Calvin & Hobbes" by The Szlyk Family
    “Calvin & Hobbes” by The Szlyk Family
    "Whoville" by Ms. Bekah's ECSE 3 Class
    “Whoville” by Ms. Bekah’s ECSE 3 Class
    "Calvin & Hobbes Winter Wonderland" by Jessica Kamuar
    “Calvin & Hobbes Winter Wonderland” by Jessica Kamuar
    "Charlie Brown's Christmas"
    “Charlie Brown’s Christmas”
    "A Christmas in WhoVille" by The Jackson 5
    “A Christmas in WhoVille” by The Jackson 5

    Adults and children alike will enjoy the sights and smells of these festive creations displayed at Ferry Farm!  Ferry Farm’s hours are Monday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Ferry Farm is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The gingerbread exhibit ends on December 30.  General admission to Ferry Farm and the exhibit is $9 adults, $4.50 students, under 6 free while admission to the exhibit only is $4.50 adults, $2.25 students, under 6 free.

    For more information, call (540) 370-0732 x24 or email hayes@gwffoundation.org.

  • Photos: The GWF’s Delightful December

    Merry-Christmas-Ornamental-TypographyThe George Washington Foundation wishes everyone a joyous holiday season!  Enjoy these from our month of festive happenings and decorations at George Washington’s Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore.

    There will still be time to see Kenmore and Ferry Farm adorned for the season and delight in each site’s annual display of dollhouses, miniatures, and gingerbread creations until December 30. For details about these exhibits and our holiday hours, visit kenmore.org/events.

    The nearly completed reconstructed Washington house at Ferry Farm.
    Carl’s Frozen Custard in gingerbread.
    Christmas tree in the Visitor Center at Ferry Farm.
    Gingerbread man.
    Wreath on the Visitor Center door at Ferry Farm.
    A gingerbread Humpback Bridge.
    Kenmore in the snow in early January 2017.
    Hacienda in Kenmore’s dollhouse exhibit.
    Wreath on the gate at Kenmore.
    Movie theater in Kemore’s dollhouse exhibit.
    The traditional 18th century dessert table inside of Kenmore.
    A pub in Kenmore’s dollhouse exhibit.

  • Video: 31st Annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit

    In this festive holiday video, we see all the “Historic Sites in Virginia” gingerbread houses entered in this year’s contest. To see the list of winners, click here.

    The exhibit runs until December 30. Click here to learn more about visiting George Washington’s boyhood home this holiday season.

  • Photos: 30th Annual Gingerbread Contest & Exhibit at Ferry Farm

    It’s the 30th year of a a long-standing holiday tradition: the Gingerbread Contest & Exhibit at George Washington’s Ferry Farm!  This year’s theme is “Home for the Holidays.” Read about Thirty Years of Gingerbread.

    Adults and children alike will enjoy the sights and smells of the festive creations displayed at Ferry Farm!  Ferry Farm’s hours are Monday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Ferry Farm is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The gingerbread exhibit ends on December 30.  General admission to Ferry Farm and the exhibit is $8 adults, $4 students, under 6 free while admission to the exhibit only is $4 adults, $2 students, under 6 free.

    For more information, call (540) 370-0732 x24 or email hayes@gwffoundation.org.

    “Christmas on Clifton Boulevard” by Valerie Jackson and family
    “Holiday Friends & Snowtime Adventures” by Parkside Elementary ECSE Classe
    “The Mouse Family at the New George’s Ferry Farm House” by Carrie Szlyk and family
    “The Marker’s Lodge” by Carol Gick and family
    “Home for Christmas” by Aileen Roark and family
    “The Dog Always Finds the Best Place to Nap” by Susan Bosco
    “Hickory Dickory Clock!” by Susan Dodson
    “Gingerbread Caroling” by Julie Jennings
    “A Christmas Eve Return” by John & Florence Simmers
    “Home Sweet Home” by Massaponax German Club
    “1678” by Courtland High School German Program
    “Chistmas at the Pond” by Nick Baumgartuer
    “Home is Where the Heart Is” Daniel Jackson
    “Pocket Farm” by Savannah Dodson
    “First Snow on the Prairie” by Maggie Jackson
    “Welcome to Your Holiday Home” by CJ Crocker
    “White Holiday Christmas” by Gloria Tignor
    “Snoopy’s Christmas” by Ryan Jackson
    “Woodland Home” by Rachel Fleming
    “Woodland Cabin” by Timothy Dodson