Lives and Legacies

Tag: Kenmore

  • Wish You Were Here: Historical Documentation Through Postcards

    Postcards were a staple of vacations.  Collected and sent back to friends and family so they could be part of your adventures. Many of us can remember trying to pick up postcards on the first day of vacation to get them in the mail quickly so they would arrive back home before you. 

    Postcards were created in the mid-nineteenth century, and through the decades, they were mass-produced with popular scenic images and were inexpensive, so many people picked up postcards to document their vacations rather than taking pictures.    Their popularity and collectability mean that boxes and boxes of old postcards can be found in antique stores and flea markets. 

    While postcards are amusing souvenirs and a source of nostalgia, they can also offer us important insights into the evolution of historic sites and cities.  Postcards of Kenmore have helped us document the restoration of the house, the development of the property, and past interpretations, even providing documentation of collection items for which we may not have records.

    For your enjoyment, I’ve selected some of my favorite postcards to showcase how they’ve documented the historical restoration and interpretation of Kenmore.

    Exterior: Pre-Restoration

    Kenmore has always been quite the showpiece, even when it was privately owned.  One of the earliest postcards of Kenmore’s exterior is dated 1908, as indicated by the postmark.  The Howard family owned the house until it was acquired by E.G. Heflin around 1914. 

    The postcard shows the house from the Washington Avenue side (west elevation) and provides a glimpse of the properties before any restoration work.  The old kitchen can be seen on the north side of the house, while the exact date it was built is unknown; we know it was built in the late 1880s or early 1890s.  It was torn down in 1929. 

    Additionally, the exterior brick has been painted, along with the lintel, which was removed in 1929. We can see the paintwork better in the second color postcard. 

    Interior

    Entrance Hall

    One of the earliest postcards we have of the entrance hall, around 1923.    One of the most notable things is the plasterwork on the ceiling.  If you see current pictures of the entrance, you will notice that this plasterwork no longer exists.  The plasterwork was done by former resident William Key Howard, Jr., when he was restoring the original ceiling in the other rooms.    In 1930, the Association decided to remove the plasterwork because it was not original to the Lewis family.  Mr. Howard Jr. was not happy when he found out that the plasterwork had been destroyed and called it an act of vandalism. 

    Additionally, we can see next to the tall case clock a door that leads into the drawing room, which no longer exists.  It was decided that this was not the original placement, and the door was moved directly across from the office door in 1930. 

    Chamber/NW room, first floor

    While we currently interpret the NW room on the first floor as the chamber, the ladies referred to it as the Dining Room. We can see a round table, a sideboard, two chairs, and two portraits, plus a large silver tea urn.   The postcard dates from the late 1930s because we know from our records that most of these pieces were donated in 1935.  We still have all these objects in the collection, but the only things currently on display to the public are the round table in the dining room and the chairs in the drawing room.  All other pieces are in storage. 

    Dining Room/NE room, first floor

    We currently refer to the NE room on the first floor as the dining room.  It has undergone many changes, with Gothic arches added to the closets during the 19th century, and has been restored to its original shape.   Not everything in the postcard is still in our collection, but you can see the square table still on display in the dining room, and Betty’s portrait is now in the drawing room. 

    On the left is the Dining Room during the Howard occupation around the 1890s, and on the right, the Dining Room today
    The Dining Room after the Kenmore Association’s restoration, c. 1940s

    Drawing Room/SE room, first floor

    The drawing room was previously known as the library and also served as a chamber for a while in the 1980s.  By the window, you can see Betty’s desk in the older postcard (c.1940s), which is still on display, but in the chamber.  We still have the tea set on display where it was in the chamber, but it is currently in storage.

    On the left is the Drawing Room during the Howard occupation around the 1890s, and on the right is the Drawing Room now
    Drawing Room, c.1940s
    In the 1980s the Drawing Room was turned into a bedroom

    Office/SW room, first floor

    Fielding’s office has been displayed as a sitting room and a kids’ room.  We don’t have many of the objects in the postcards still in the collection, except the corner chair, which now has a check seat, and the music stand, which is too fragile at the moment for display.

    2nd floor

    We currently do not offer tours of the upstairs area because we don’t put too much stress on our lovely plaster ceilings.  The Kenmore Association interpreted the upstairs as individual bedrooms for the family, which is not the most historically accurate version.

    Hallway/ 2nd floor

    Besides the paint color, the hallways upstairs remain structurally the same.  The ladies have Betty’s desk on display, with the Hammond quilt above.  We still have the Hammond quilt; fortunately, we removed it from the frame, but it is a massive quilt and is not currently on display. However, it is in excellent condition.  As for the tall case clock, chandelier, and curtains, they have been lost to history.

    “Mary Washington Bedroom”/NE room/2nd floor

    We have no evidence that Mary ever had a dedicated bedroom at Betty’s house, and it seems unlikely with the size of the Lewis family.  We do still have some of the pieces in the collection. The tea box is currently on display in the chamber, and the yellow tea set has been displayed intermittently over the years.  The two calendar prints hung on the wall are now downstairs in the drawing room.  Lastly, the chaise lounge was loaned to the foundation by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the 1930s (subsequently purchased in 1968) and is currently in storage, as there is no evidence that the Lewis family owned many northern furniture pieces.

    “Mary’s Bedroom” is currently storage with temporary covering to protect the original floors.

    “Guest Bedroom”/NW room/2nd floor

    Much like “Mary’s bedroom,” it is very unlikely that the Lewis family had a “guest room,” with as large as the family was, it would have been a waste of space.  The bed still resides in our collection, disassembled and in storage. 

    “Betty’s bedroom”/SE room/2nd floor

    Again, during the Lewis occupation in the 18th century, individual bedrooms were not common, except for the head of the family.  Not many of the objects in the postcard are still in our collection, except for the bed, which is now in the chamber downstairs, and the William Walker, Jr. armchair, which is currently off display, but we do have another one in the dining room.

    “Betty’s bedroom (2nd floor SE) is currently used as storage…and some Twelfth Night decorations

    “Boy’s Room”/SW room/2nd floor

    The last room upstairs is smaller than the other rooms and has access to the attic.  The ladies used this as the boys’ room, but as we discussed, with the other rooms, it is unlikely that this was accurate.  We do still have many of the pieces’ pictures, but the only one currently on display is the slant-top desk in the Visitors Center. 

    Heather Baldus

    Collections Manager

  • Bread Talk: A Slice of History in Colonial America

    In 2020, many of us spent a great majority of our time at home.  This gave us the opportunity to get creative and explore new hobbies.   One such hobby that became a viral sensation, plastered across social media, food blogs, and television news outlets, was that of baking bread.  Bread has been around in some form for nearly as long as human civilization, although before industrialization, it was a means to survive, not just a fun challenge for the amateur baker.  So here is a crumb of history on bread and what this glutinous baked good was like in Colonial America. 

    To start with the basics, bread is made up of 3 simple ingredients: Flour, water, and a leavening agent.  Typically salt and some kind of sweetening, like sugar or honey, are also added.  Everything else is extra.

    Wheat flour was (and still is) the most common ingredient used for bread.  Wheat quickly became a desirable crop in Colonial America.  We can infer wheat was grown on Lewis family land based on documentation of family members paying for goods in wheat.  Biological remains in the ground found by archaeologists at Ferry Farm suggest wheat was planted there too.  Wheat and other crops were planted, cared for, and harvested by enslaved laborers on both plantations.  Wheat specifically was a difficult crop to care for, requiring vast knowledge and careful timing to produce a fruitful harvest.  Wheat is a form of grass, usually not well digested or particularly nutritious to humans.  When wheat is ground into flour, put through the fermentation process of breadmaking, and baked, it becomes far more digestible, nutritious, and caloric for people to eat.  For most of Europe’s history, bread was about half of calorie intake for poorer classes, and wheat still makes up about 20% of people’s diets today. 

    Records of Betty Lewis’ accounts with Andrew Parks totaling £6.13.2. Payment by cash and wheat.
    Wheat kernel recovered from Ferry Farm.  Scale = 1mm grid. Credit: Justine McKnight.

    In the early 18th century, sieves made of fine Chinese silk that allowed for separating the bran from the wheat seed made whiter flour easier to obtain.  Although the bran is the most nutritious part of wheat, it quickly became associated with the poor and lower classes in many Western European cultures.  White bread was a sign of wealth.  This led to bakers putting additives like alum, lime, and chalk into bread to make it whiter.  Despite British Parliament passing laws regulating ingredients allowed in bread, it continued to be an ongoing issue throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.[1]  Even with contemporary knowledge about the benefits of whole grains, 70% of bread baked today is white, based on this century old principle of white flour’s superiority.[2]

    By the time Colonial America comes into the picture, bread is engrained into life.  This is so much so that most 18th century cookbooks do not have bread recipes in them as it is assumed everyone already knows how to make basic table bread. That’s right, Hannah Glasse does not have a simple bread recipe in The Art of Cookery.  It is just the three simple ingredients worked into a dough with the hands that is set aside to rise, then baked until a strong crust forms, after all.  This is something foreign to us in a time when sliced bread is $1.99 in the supermarket.  There is no need for us to spend hours baking bread ourselves in this modern age, but when you made bread every week or every day, it was something as simple as getting dressed or brushing our teeth is now. 

    Kneading bread dough in a wooden dough bowl.

    In urban areas, bakers were trained in the art of breadmaking, but in rural places, it was left to the individual household to make their own bread.  Trained or not, the science behind breadmaking on a molecular level was not understood until the 19th century.  What they did know was that they needed a leavening, or rising, agent in their bread to ensure it rose properly.  Leavened bread came into existence in Egypt about 6,000 years ago.  Bread could be made without a rising agent, but it would be a completely different texture.  In the 18th century, leavening agents came from a few different places.  Barm is the frothy substance on the top of beer after production and is the perfect rising agent for bread, making connections between bakers and brewers in urban areas imperative.  Also, just leaving dough to sit for a day or two to collect the bacteria in the air, from the kneader’s hands, and from the dough bowl with leftover dough bits can also be enough to leaven a batch of dough.[3]  This method of collecting bacteria from the dough’s surroundings is reminiscent of creating a sourdough starter.

    Loaves of bread were placed into a bake oven, a large cast iron Dutch oven, or on a hot hearth.  Regulating temperature was up to the expertise of the cook or baker, there was no temperature dial like we have on our modern oven.  And despite this, when the temperature is kept controlled, the baking process takes about the same amount of time as it does in a modern oven.  The physical baking process is about the same both ways. 

    Bread cooking in dutch oven.
    Bread cooking in dutch oven on the hearth

    Whether you prefer white or whole wheat bread, I hope this entry has given you a grain of insight on the importance of bread throughout history.  Breaking the bread down in this article may make it sound simple, but I will say from experience that getting the dough smooth, the crust tender, and the crumb coat correct is no easy task.  Put that loaf over coals from the hearth and you add a whole new element of challenge.  Reflect on the enslaved cook at Kenmore or Ferry Farm who was responsible for not only making bread, but three meals a day, along with planning and prepping ingredients for future meals.  Cooking and baking in an 18th century kitchen were physically and mentally challenging, making it one of many difficult jobs for those enslaved on southern plantations.  I suggest everyone try baking a loaf for themselves.  To me, it is a task that humanizes food production and reminds us of its delicate nature now and throughout time.

    Loaves of bread made on the hearth at Kenmore for Taste Through Time program.

    Allison Ellis

    Manager of Public Programs

    [1] Federation of Baking. “Fact Sheet No. 9 – the History of Bread.” Last modified 2011. https://www.fob.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/FS-9-History-of-Bread.pdf.

    [2]  Pollen, Michael.  Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. New York: Penguin Books, 2014.

    [3] Edlin, A. A Treatise on the Art of Bread-making. London: J/ Wright, St. John’s Square for Vernor and Hood Poultry, 1805.

  • An Image Captured: The Development of Photography through Lewis Family Descendants

    One of my favorite historical objects in the collection are photographs.  Not particularly for artistic reasons, but as a documentation of a moment, a time, a person, a world that no longer exists.  During the Victorian era (1837-1901), there were extraordinary developments in the field of photography. In a span of forty years, photographs went from complicated metal plates, harsh chemicals, and long exposure times to inexpensive images on cardboard that could be taken, processed, and given to the sitter in minutes. 

    We have many pictures in our collection, and we can trace the development of photography through images of Lewis family descendants. 

    A Pleasant View of Burgundy

    The widely accepted creator of photography as we know it was French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.  He produced the first surviving photograph around 1826 showing the scene from his window in Burgundy.  After Niepce’s death, his former associate, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, continued improving Niepce’s photographic process, introducing the “daguerreotype” in 1839. (The University of Texas Austin, 2024)  To create an early daguerreotype, a polished silver-plated copper sheet was treated with iodine vapor to make it light-sensitive. After exposure, the plate would be developed with mercury vapor and fixed with sodium chloride.  This was a tedious and complex process that required the subject to remain entirely still for three to fifteen minutes. (Stewart, 2018) (The Library of Congress, 2024) (Department of Photographs, 2004) The process was amended and, by the 1850s, used large glass-plate negatives, allowing for a crisper picture and a much shorter exposure time. (Department of Photographs, 2004)

    We have three daguerreotypes in the collection dating circa 1850s.  They are all portraits housed in elaborate leather cases with gilt-metal frames.  The larger photograph is called a sixth-plate daguerreotype portrait of John Taliaferro Lewis (1785-1862), who was the grandson of Charles Lewis, Fielding Lewis’s brother.  John was a Methodist minister and lived at “Stepney” near Manassas.  Through his wife, Francis Tasker Ball, he became the owner of “Portici,” also near Manassas. The two smaller ninth-plate daguerreotypes are both portraits of Ellen Lewis Nye (1834-1886), the granddaughter of Howell Lewis, the ninth son of Fielding and Betty.  She married Anselm Tupper Nye, and they resided in Ohio, where they were both buried.

    Daguerreotype of John Taliaferro Lewis, 1840-1862
    Specular light image of daguerreotype of John Taliaferro Lewis, c. 1840-1862
    Back of daguerreotype of John Taliaferro Lewis, c. 1840-1862
    Normal light image of daguerreotype of Ellen Lewis Nye, c.1859
    Specular light image of daguerreotype of Ellen Lewis Nye in velvet lined case, c. 1859
    Leather case for daguerreotype of Ellen Lewis Nye, c.1859
    Daguerreotype of Ellen Lewis Nye, 1855-1860
    Specular light image of daguerreotype of Ellen Lewis Nye in velvet lined case, 1855-1860
    Leather case of daguerreotype of Ellen Lewis Nye, 1855-1860

    Images for Loved Ones

    The daguerreotype was soon replaced in popularity by the ambrotype and tintype, which were both cheaper and easier to develop. (Harding, 2013). 

    An ambrotype is comprised of an underexposed glass negative placed against a dark background. The dark backing material creates a positive image. They were sold in either cases or ornate frames to provide an attractive product and to protect the negative with a cover glass and brass mat. (Library of Congress, 2024)

    We have three ambrotypes in the collection: a landscape and two portraits.  The landscape dates to circa 1855 and shows a group of people gathered around Washington’s tomb at Mount Vernon. Two of the figures were Thomas Coatsworth (1821-1887) and his wife Electra Weller Coatsworth (1832-1869). It is housed in an embossed leather case.

    Ambrotype of a group of individuals outside George Washington’s Tomb, c. 1855-1865
    Leather case housing ambrotype of a group of individuals outside George Washington’s Tomb, c.1855-1865

    One portrait is of John Taliaferro Lewis and is almost identical to his daguerreotype. The other portrait is of Daingerfield Lewis (1785-1862).  It dates from the same time and is held in a leather case. Daingerfield Lewis was the son of Captain George Lewis, the fourth son of Fielding and Betty, who served in the Continental Army under his uncle George Washington.

    Ambrotype of John Taliaferro Lewis, 1854-1865
    Ambrotype of John Taliaferro Lewis without dark background, c. 1854-1865
    Back of ambrotype of John Taliaferro Lewis showing loss of dark background, c. 1854-1865
    Ambrotype of Daingerfield Lewis, c. 1855
    Ambrotype of Daingerfield Lewis in case, c. 1855
    Leather case housing ambrotype of Daingerfield Lewis

    Tintypes became especially popular because the photographer could take a picture and develop it within just a few minutes. It was called the new “instant photo.”  This “instant photo” could be found at fairs, carnivals, and on the boardwalk, not just professional studios. Due to the tintype price, weight, and unbreakable nature, they became extremely popular during the Civil War because soldiers were able to mail them back to loved ones. (Stewart, 2018)

    The three tintypes in the collection are a group of siblings, two brothers, and one sister (there were eight total siblings).  George Lewis (1832-1883), Fielding Lewis (1839 – 1863) and Betty Fitzhugh Lewis (1847-1920).  Their father was Howell Lewis Jr. (1808-1883), the son of Howell Lewis and grandson of Fielding and Betty.  Howell Lewis Jr. was one of the earliest settlers of Henry County, Missouri, and established Lewis Station (now called Lewis, Missouri).  There is not much information on the siblings besides the basics.  George Lewis, the eldest, was born in West Virginia, died in Nevada, and is buried at the Lewis Station Cemetery.  Fielding Lewis was born in Missouri and died young during his service with the Confederate army in Texas.  Betty Fitzhugh Lewis was born in Missouri as well; he married Milton D Finks, had at least three children, and is buried in Calhoun cemetery.

    Tintype of George Lewis, c. 1865
    Tintype of Fielding Lewis, c. 1860
    Tintype of Betty Fitzhugh Lewis, c.1870

    Paper, Cardboard, and Formality

    By the later part of the nineteenth century, paper photos mounted on cardboard became more popular. Carte-de-visite became quite a fad after carte portraits of Queen Victoria with her husband and children were published. (Harding, 2013).  Part of why they became popular is they were cheaper to produce because multiple images (eight) could be taken with the same photographic plate, cut into small portraits, and mounted to heavy cardboard. (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 1998) 

    Two of our carte-de-visites are portraits of two young ladies around 1860.  One is Ellen Lewis Nye, who previously appeared in daguerreotype around the same time.  The second is Mary Ellen Lewis Hogan (1834-1874), who was the daughter of Howell Lewis, Jr. and sister to George, Fielding, and Betty Lewis.  She was born in West Virginia, married Robert Henderson Hogan, and is buried in Illinois.   

    Carte-de-visite of Ellen Lewis Nye, c.1859
    Back of carte-de-visite of Ellen Lewis Nye
    Carte-de-visite of Mary Ellen Lewis Hogan, c. 1865

    The carte-de-visite was gradually superseded by the cabinet card, which remained popular until the introduction of the Kodak Box Brownie camera in 1900. (City Gallery, 2005)  The cabinet card marked a transition from more formal portraiture to amusing, personal, and even candid images.  They were taken in studios that were equipped with lights, props, and sometimes even hair and makeup. The average price was around $1.50 for a dozen cards, which is around $45 today. (Salvesen, 2021)

    Our cabinet cards date from 1850 to 1897 and are portraits of three females who, like all the others, are descendants of the Lewis family.  The oldest is of Francis Fielding Lewis Gwathmey (1808-1888), and it was taken around 1850, putting her in her early forties.  Her father was Howell Lewis, son of Fielding and Betty and sister to Howell Lewis Jr.  Francis married Rev. John “Parson” Blair and had twelve children, of which only three outlived her.  She is buried in Richmond, Virginia. 

    Cabinet card of Frances Lewis Gwathmey. c.1850
    Back of cabinet card of Frances Lewis Gwathmey

    We have another picture of Ellen Lewis Nye, who has previously been represented in daguerreotype and carte-de-visite.  The card was taken in 1885, shortly before her death. The last one is Virginia Tayloe Lewis (1842-1916), taken during the Christmas season of 1897.  She was born in Washington, D.C., at The Octagon House.  She was the daughter of Captain Henry Howell Lewis and great-granddaughter to Fielding and Betty. 

    Cabinet Card of Ellen Lewis Nye, c. 1885
    Back of cabinet Card of Ellen Lewis Nye, c.1885
    Cabinet Card of Virginia Tayloe Lewis, Christmas 1897
    Back of cabinet card of Virginia Tayloe Lewis, Christmas 1897

    Money and the Magic Lantern

    This is a brief history of photography seen through the descendants of the Lewis family. But make no mistake, these are not the only important pictures in our collection.  There are still trays of glass slides that belong to a curious device called the “lanterna magica,” which became an invaluable tool that, along with gingerbread, helped restore Kenmore.

    Magic lantern glass slide of Kenmore before the restoration

    Heather Baldus

    Collections Manager

    Bibliography

    City Gallery. (2005). Cabinet Card. Retrieved from City Gallery: http://www.city-gallery.com/learning/types/cabinet_card/index.php

    Department of Photographs. (2004, October). The Daguerreian Era and Early American Photography on Paper, 1839–60. Retrieved from The Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/adag/hd_adag.htm

    Harding, C. (2013, June 27). How to spot a carte de visite (late 1850s–c.1910). Retrieved from The National Science and Media Museum: https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-a-carte-de-visite/

    Harding, C. (2013, May 25). How to spot a ferrotype, also known as a tintype (1855–1940s). Retrieved from The National Science and Media Museum: https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-ferrotype-tintype/

    Library of Congress. (2024). Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs. Retrieved from Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/collections/liljenquist-civil-war-photographs/articles-and-essays/ambrotypes-and-tintypes/

    Salvesen, B. (2021, June 28). The Return of Cabinet Cards. Retrieved from Los Angeles County Museum of Art: https://unframed.lacma.org/2021/06/28/return-cabinet-cards

    Stewart, J. (2018, December 31). Tintype Photography: The Vintage Photo Technique That’s Making a Comeback. Retrieved from My Modern Met: https://mymodernmet.com/tintype-photography/

    The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (1998, July 20). Carte-de-visite. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/technology/carte-de-visite

    The Library of Congress. (2024). The Daguerreotype Medium. Retrieved from The Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/collections/daguerreotypes/articles-and-essays/the-daguerreotype-medium/

    The University of Texas Austin. (2024). The Henry Ranson Center. Retrieved from The University of Texas Austin: https://www.hrc.utexas.edu/niepce-heliograph/

  • Of Mice and Men: A brief exploration of rodents’ history in America

    A pest is a broad term for any organism that spreads disease, causes destruction, or is generally a nuisance. In the 21st century, we still constantly battle pests from squirrels who chew through your internet cables or spiders who set up house in the high corner of the ceiling, watching and judging you to evil mosquitoes that ruin outdoor activities and leave you with itchy red welts that no amount of calamine lotion will help. It is a fight as old as time. 

    I wanted to investigate one pest in particular: rodents. Why were mice and rats present in colonial homes? Why this was an issue? What were some of the methods the Washington’s would have used to combat these furry creatures? And how we know without a doubt that Kenmore and Mount Vernon had rodent tenants.

    The Suspects

    House Mouse
    Black Rat aka Roof Rats
    Brown Rat aka Sewer Rat

    The house mouse, or Mus Musculus, originating on the Asian and Indian subcontinent, has become the most successful invasive species in recent history. [1] They arrived in this country with the trading ships and settlers that came to the New World in the 16th century. [2][3]

    Similarly, the black rat, aka roof rat, boarded ships for their westward journey around the same time as the seafaring mouse. [4]  Their presence is noted by the residents of Jamestown in November of 1608, stating, “When the shippes departed al the provision of the store but that the President had gotten was so rotten with the last somers rain, and eaten with rats and wormes” [5] The notorious brown rat or sewer rat, who seems to currently enjoy the cities of Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, arrived a little later than their brethren setting foot in the new country around the 1750s.[6]

    America, the land of plenty…of garbage

    There is no nice way to say it, but living in colonial America was usually gross. Housing wasn’t always the greatest, sometimes being very rudimentary. Food storage was typically simple and easily accessible. But one of the biggest problems (or benefits if you are a rodent) was the lack of systematic waste disposal. [7] [8] Garbage (including human waste) was a personal problem often solved by opening the window and chucking out.

    We have abundant archeological information from Ferry Farm and Kenmore that supports these habits. A large part of Ferry Farm has been excavated over the decades, leaving clear evidence that the Washington family and their enslaved workers disposed of waste right in the backyard…off the porch.    Large amounts of artifacts were discovered and mapped, showing the proximity to the house, meaning the garbage was close, and rodents love trash.

    Map showing the concentration of animal bones excavated from the midden at the rear of the Washington house at Ferry Farm.

    At Kenmore, the garbage situation seemed to be a little more regulated because the grounds and buildings were planned. The main house was made of brick, surrounded by two wood-built structures containing the kitchen and laundry. During excavations of the kitchen yard (between the house and kitchen), there were minimal artifacts, but a dump site was found west of the kitchen. The location could be accessed by the window or by walking around the side of the building and contained a pig jaw, animal bones, bone-handled knife, and other objects. The kitchen is about 30 feet from the house, with the slave passage doors opening right onto the kitchen yard…plenty close enough for an enterprising rat or mouse. 

    Bad House-guests

    So, why are rodents bad to have in your house? Disease, contamination, destruction, smells, and lots of poop. [9]  Rats can squeeze through an opening the size of a quarter. Mice only need the size of a dime…so they will be everywhere in your house and will bring friends. [10] Rats and mice are spreaders of disease from rat-bite fever that spreads through bacteria in the rodent’s saliva, urine, or droppings to the bubonic plague transmitted by the lice hitching a ride on their fluffy friend.[11][12]  While today, rodents are relatively low on the list of dangerous disease spreaders in an era of limited medical knowledge and treatments, it could be a matter of life or death.

    Contamination and destruction are these creatures’ modus operandi. They get into everything, period. They will eat almost any human food, chewing through any storage system, leaving behind chaos; they have even been known to eat soap and glue. [13]  While venturing through the house, they are constantly urinating and pooping, which is smelly, can create mold growth, and should never be consumed. [14] In their quest for food, they often destroy household items, eating books, chewing clothes, gnawing on mattresses, and even nesting in furniture. All of which is not only annoying but expensive to fix or replace. [15][16]

    But one of the most offensive things a mouse or rat can do is die in your walls. Take it from Colonel Landon Carter, who had to deal with a rat dying behind his wainscoting, informing everyone, “Wainscoted rooms have their conveniences [inconveniences?] as a dead rat has been stinking behind mine in the hall at least six days and is now intolerable in spite of burning tar…this dead rat stunk prodigiously.” [17] 

    Colonel Landon Carter, not too fond of rats. Source: Wikipedia

    Fighting Back

    Surprisingly, colonists used many of the same techniques we do today to eliminate these pests. Pesticides or chemical warfare was widespread, with many recommendations and recipes dating back to the 15th century. I found recipes containing helliberry leaves, bitter almonds, “seade of wild cowcumbers,” colluentida, hemlock seed, aconite or wolfsbane, and arsenic.[18]   I don’t know many of those ingredients, but apparently, they kill rodents nicely. 

    Hemlock seed, the notorious plant which was used to execute Socrates for impiety and corruption of the youth.
    Wolfsbane an
    extremely poisonous plant that should be handled with care.

    Another method was traps, which are common today. They were pretty popular, and there were many advertisements in the Virginia Gazette from sellers touting that their mouse traps just arrived from England. [19] There are also many instructions for building easy mouse traps like the “deadfall” or “noose” traps, which are as horrible as you imagine. [20][21]

    Deadfall mouse trap, c. 1800-1850 Source: V&A Collection

    Lastly, one method that is making a comeback is animals, both cats and dogs.[22][23] Cats have been used for ages as rodent killers and are good at their job. [24]  A 14th-century manual suggests that if you have problems with vermin, “have as a good supply of cats.”[25]  The famous diarist Samuel Pepys wrote in December 1660, “my boy taking a catt home with him from my Lord’s, which Sarah hath given him for my wife, we being much troubled with mice.”[26]  There are even modern programs like Barn Buddies that save feral and skittish cats and adopt them out as “rodent control technicians.”[27]

    And dogs, mainly terriers, have been used to clear mice and rat infestations for centuries, just like cats. Ever the dog lover, George Washington had terriers at Mount Vernon, which probably helped immensely around the plantation.[28]  Today, cities like Chicago and New York use these canines in modern rat hunts.[29] It seems the skills of the terrier will always be in demand. 

    Little Historians

    Lastly, how do we, without a doubt, know that there were rodents at Kenmore and Mount Vernon? Rat nests. Rat nests are usually found in walls or under floorboards, and they not only prove these guys resided in the houses as long as the families themselves, but also provide a fascinating historical glimpse into the material lives of the occupants.

    Mount Vernon documented the finding of a rat nest in 1949 behind the wall in Washington’s bedchamber. When dissected, it included buttons, paper, rope, yarn, a whole woman’s shoe, and fabric matching Washington’s bed curtains.[30]  

    Objects from rat nest found in the wall of Washington’s bedchamber, 1949. Source: Mount Vernon Instagram

    Similarly, in 1989, a rat nest was found in Kenmore while investigating the walls and floorboards. We recently picked apart the bundle to find fabrics, fibers, thread, yarn, newspapers, bones, nutshells, and wood splinters. The remnants in the nest were dated no later than the early 20th century due to dates on newspaper fragments and the absence of plastics.

    In conclusion, rats and mice have been a constant annoyance since they first set foot in this country; unfortunately, that is still somewhat true. These enterprising rodents have adopted America as their own and we as fellow citizens must learn to live together despite our often distaste for each other.

    Fun Fact – We don’t want to malign rats more than they have been throughout history so we would like to add that rats make good pets.  They are quick learners, highly trainable, very clever, and have excellent memories.  They are now being trained to detect land mines, diseases like tuberculosis, and even rescue earthquake survivors.

    Heather Baldus

    Collections Manager

    [1] Agwamba, K. D., & Nachman, M. W. (2023). The demographic history of house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) in eastern North America. G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics, 13(2). https://doi.org/February 2023

    [2] Agwamba, K.D., & Nachman, M.W. (2023)

    [3] Agwamba, K.D., & Nachman, M.W. (2023)

    [4] Newman, M. H. (2001). The vermin -killers: Pest control in the early Chesapeake [Doctoral Dissertation, Willam & Mary University]. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539623387/, pg 111.

    [5] Newman, M.H. (2001), pg. 47.

    [6] Tapia, A. (2021, October 23). America’s 10 Most Rat-Infested Cities. Newsweek. Retrieved September 7, 2023, from https://www.newsweek.com/americas-10-most-rat-infested-cities-1638136

    [7] Newman, M.H. (2001), pg. 17.

    [8] Newman, M.H. (2001), pg. 46.

    [9] (2014, January 6). Of Mice and Men: Rodent Infestations Plague Nearly A Third of Americans. National Pest Management Association. Retrieved September 7, 2023, from https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/press-releases/of-mice-and-men-rodent-infestations-plague-nearly-a-third-of-americans/

    [10] (2014, January 6). Of Mice and Men.

    [11] (2019, January 18). Transmission. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 7, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/rat-bite-fever/transmission/index.html

    [12] (2019, July 31). Ecology & Transmission. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 7, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/plague/transmission/index.html

    [13] Introduced Species Summary Project

    [14] (2022, December 27). How a Mouse Infestation Can Cause You Thousands in Damage. Spidexx. Retrieved September 7, 2023, from https://www.spidexx.com/blog/2022/december/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-mouse-infestatio/

    [15] Newman, M.H. (2001), pg. 17.

    [16] (2022, December 27). How a Mouse Infestation Can Cause You Thousands in Damage

    [17] Newman, M.H. (2001), pg. 84.

    [18] W, W. (1680). The Vermin-Killer (pp. 4-9). London: Samuell Lee.

    [19] Unknown, U. (1766, July 25). Just Imported and to be Sold by the subscribers at their store in Norfolk. Virginia Gazette. https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/CWDLImages/VA_GAZET/Images/PD/1766/0084hi.jpg

    [20] Newman, M.H. (2001), pg. 119.

    [21] Feild, Rachael. 1984. Irons in the Fire: A History of Cooking Equipment. Ramsbury,

    Marlborough, Wiltshire: The Cromwood Press

    [22] Pasley, J. (2023, March 18). How the rat population in New York City grew by 800% and infested the city in less than 65 years. Yahoo News. Retrieved September 7, 2023, from https://news.yahoo.com/rat-population-york-city-grew-143000754.html

    [23] Cass, J. (2017, November 10). Chicago needs good dogs to handle the rat epidemic The Chicago Way. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 7, 2023, from https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-met-rats-terriers-kass-1112-story.html

    [24] Newman, M.H. (2001), pg. 115.

    [25] Bayard, T. (1991). A Medieval Home Companion Housekeeping in the Fourteenth Century (1st ed., pp. 97-98). Harper Collins Publishers.

    [26] Pepys, S. (1983). The diary of Samuel Pepys : A new and complete transcription (p. 325). London: Bell.

    [27] (n.d.). Adopt a Barn Cat. Barn Cat Buddies. https://www.barncatbuddies.org/

    [28] (n.d.). Dogs. George Washington’s Mount Vernon. http/www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/dogs/

    [29] Cass, J. (2017, November 10). Chicago needs good dogs to handle the rat epidemic The Chicago Way. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 7, 2023, from https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-met-rats-terriers-kass-1112-story.html

    [30] Mount Vernon [mount_vernon]. “In 1949, preservation staff removed a rat’s nest from behind a wall in the Washingtons’ bedchamber..”* Instagram, May 19, https://www.instagram.com/p/CsbIc9sOO_2/.

  • Video – Historic Kenmore: An Aerial View

    Aerial footage shot and edited by Joe Brooks of EagleOne Aerial Photography.
    To learn more about Historic Kenmore and plan a visit, click here.

  • 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, his mother, until her death on August 26, 1789 at the age of 80 from breast cancer. It remained the home of Betty Washington Lewis, his sister, until 1795 when she was forced by financial circumstances to leave the grand house she and husband Fielding Lewis, a wealthy merchant, had built to live at Mill Brook, a farm in Spotsylvania County.  Washington visited his mother as well as his sister and brother-in-law regularly but, as the years passed, these visits became more and more infrequent as the Revolution and Presidency required all his time and attention.  George Washington visited Betty and Fielding at Kenmore once in 1784.

    George's Hometown 5
    Historic Kenmore

    Join us at the Washington House Celebration on Saturday, October 7, 2017 from 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. to celebrate the construction of the Washington house! A special ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. featuring notable speakers. After the ceremony, guests will be invited to view the reconstructed Washington house!

    Ferry Farm opens to visitors at noon on Saturday, October 7.

    DSC_3072
    The reconstructed Washington house at Ferry Farm.

    PLEASE NOTE: PARKING for the event is off site at the VRE Fredericksburg Park and Ride Lot G at the corner of Prince Edward Street and Frederick Street. Buses will transport guests to and from Ferry Farm—traveling from the VRE lot to Ferry Farm on a regular schedule from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Bus transportation will pause during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The last bus will depart Ferry Farm at 5:15 p.m. Limited handicap parking is available at Ferry Farm.