Today – September 30 – is World Maritime Day. The United Nations and the International Maritime Organization created World Maritime Day in 1978 “to celebrate the international maritime industry’s contribution towards the world’s economy, especially in shipping.” "The South East Prospect of London from the Tower to London Bridge" (1746) by John Maurer. Credit: Royal … Continue reading Maritime History at Kenmore & Ferry Farm
triangular trade
Five International Influences on George Washington’s Early Life
An Essay of a New and Compact Map, Containing the Known Parts of the Terrestrial Globe by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin was published in 1750 when George Washington was 18-years-old. Credit: Wikipedia. Ferry Farm was a unique place to live in the mid-1700s. Situated where farm, frontier, city, river, and road converged on the edge of English … Continue reading Five International Influences on George Washington’s Early Life
The Wine Bottle: Ubiquitous and Informative
Ah, the humble wine bottle. There are few historical archaeological sites without them and Ferry Farm is no exception. Our current mending project has produced about a dozen wine bottles from one Washington house cellar feature alone. Readily identifiable because their form has changed little in the past 250 years, these beauties are sometimes overlooked … Continue reading The Wine Bottle: Ubiquitous and Informative
The Atlantic World in Fielding Lewis’s Library
Ships and sea-faring were parts of daily life and culture in the Atlantic World port of Fredericksburg. This was especially the case for the Fielding Lewis family, who became wealthy through shipping, ship owning, and ship building. Wednesday's Lives & Legacies entry recounted a typical sea voyage around the Atlantic Ocean by the Stanton, a brig owned by John … Continue reading The Atlantic World in Fielding Lewis’s Library
The Voyage of the ‘Stanton’
In colonial times, ocean-going ships could sail up the Rappahannock River all the way to Fredericksburg. This made the tiny but growing town a bustling seaport. All types of goods were loaded onto ships to be sent to Europe while others were unloaded to be sold right here in the colonies. George Washington, Fielding Lewis, … Continue reading The Voyage of the ‘Stanton’
Lives & Legacies 