Before you dive into Kathleen Walls’ article below, listen to the Big Blend Radio “Food, Wine & Travel” Podcast conversation above where she brings Fredericksburg’s fascinating stories to life.
In the podcast, Kathleen shares insights about George Washington’s early years, the enduring legacy of his mother Mary Washington, and the city’s deep Civil War heritage—all while offering helpful travel tips for exploring Fredericksburg today. As America approaches its 250th anniversary and we celebrate Women’s History Month in March, this episode highlights how visiting historic places like Fredericksburg helps us better understand the people, events, and women whose lives shaped our nation’s story. Enjoy the podcast, then continue the journey through Kathleen’s detailed article below.
FREDERICKSBURG VIRGINIA: WHERE GEORGIA WASHINGTON GREW UP
By Kathleen Walls
Step back to colonial times in Fredericksburg, Virginia, founded in 1728. It’s where George Washington grew up on Ferry Farm. It’s filled with places that influenced him in childhood and as a young man.
Trolley Tour
I started my visit to Fredericksburg with a trolley tour for an overview of the historical places in this beautiful city. Heidi, our driver, told us, “The trolley we’re on is named Gracie.” She pointed out places of interest along our tour of the historic district, a 40-block area of Fredericksburg, that’s listed on the National Historic Register.
She told us a lot about the city’s background. Fredericksburg was a major colonial seaport, established in 1728. It was named after Prince Frederick, the son of George II, the King of England. Frederick died young and never became king, but his son, George III, was on the throne during the American Revolution.
Many of the houses were very narrow. Heidi explained. “In the early days, people were taxed on foot frontage. The wider the lot, the higher the taxes, so most lots were from 20- to 24-feet-wide, most houses only 12- to 16-feet-wide.”
As we traveled around the city, we learned about the city’s art project, Otterly Amazing. There are six or seven River Otter sculptures around downtown. If you wonder why the River Otter? Turns out they cannot live in waterways that are too polluted and unhealthy. So the fact that River Otters are being spotted once again in the Rappahannock here tells that the river is once again clean. At the Visitor Center, you can get a copy of The Scavenger Hunt that gives you clues on where to find all the otter statues.
Walking Ghost Tour
The Walking Ghost Tour is Fredericksburg’s original candle‑lit walking ghost tour. Our tour was led by Kim in period attire, who told us many of the city’s dark secrets along historic Princess Anne Street and beyond. There were many more modern-era spirits, but several involved colonial folks like Washington’s friend, General Hugh Mercer, and the Lewises, who were Washington’s sister’s in-laws. Mary Washington’s spirit is seen many times in her Fredericksburg home.
Ferry Farm
Ferry Farm was the home of George Washington, where he lived from age six to age twenty-two. Hard work and a determined mother shaped his character.
The accurate present-day replica was built over the foundations of the original house, built in 1727. Augustus Washington, George’s father, bought the property and 20 enslaved people at auction in 1738 when the original owner, William Strother, died. When the Washingtons moved here, there were 580 acres. It sounds like a lot, but it’s not to them. You need a lot of land to grow tobacco, because the tobacco kills the soil, and you have to continually move the crop around.
George was the eldest of five when they moved here, and his mother was pregnant with her sixth, a little girl who died at 16 months old. When Augustus died five years later, there were eight family members and between 20 and 40 enslaved people living there. Sustaining all those people, plus growing a profitable tobacco crop, was difficult.
Augustus had two sons by his first marriage, and when he died, he left his more prosperous properties and business to his older sons, Lawrence and Austin. Mary never remarried, so that George would inherit under English law. It was not an easy life.
The house is simple but well-furnished from August’s wealth. Looking at it, you see trappings of a well-to-do family. Mary’s bedroom is beautiful. However, Mary tried to teach her children things they needed to fit in upper-class society, but for lack of money, she encouraged George’s friendship with his older half-brother, Lawrence, who was married into the wealthy Fairfax family. Lawrence served in the military and was usually in uniform when he met with George, encouraging his little brother’s interest in military service.
At Ferry Farm, we saw some ways George was educated. One of his main stepping stones was learning to be a surveyor. Using borrowed surveyor tools, George learned surveying as a way to get rich. His first job was for one of Lawrence’s in-laws, Thomas Lord Fairfax, who was given a three-million-acre grant from the king, so George surveyed it. Since surveyors saw lots of new places, by the time he’s 20, he’s bought about 2,300 acres.
The Visitor Center has hands‑on exhibits, including the archaeology lab, where hundreds of artifacts are still being uncovered on site.
Historic Kenmore
Historic Kenmore is a beautiful, Georgian-style brick mansion that was home to George Washington’s sister, Betty Washington Lewis, and her husband, Fredericksburg merchant Fielding Lewis. It showcases their pre-Revolutionary War wealth and status. Some features our guide pointed out were the exquisite decorative plaster ceilings and the colonial interior craftsmanship. Even the expensive paint color called Prussian Green was a mark of status.
This beautifully preserved 18th-century home was built in the 1770s on a plantation of about 1,300 acres. It’s the last original structure and the only brick structure on the site. Former slave quarters and other buildings did not survive.
Start your tour at the Crowninshield Building Visitor Center and visit the Bissell Gallery, where you will learn the history of Kenmore. Here you’ll see 18th-century artifacts telling about former inhabitants, builders, restoration, gardens, and a Marquis de Lafayette exhibit telling his connection to the Washington and Lewis families.
Mary Washington House
Since George’s life after his father’s death was hard, he was not fond of Ferry Farm and wanted to sell it, but Mary didn’t want to move. Her health was deteriorating. In 1772, he bought a house for his mother near Kenmore. Mary spent the last seventeen years of her life in this home. This was where he paid his mother a last visit on his way to New York when he was elected president. Mary died on August 25, 1789. She lived long enough to see her son sworn in as president on April 30, 1789.
Most of the furniture is period accurate and nearly identical to what Mary had, but not hers. Downstairs, there is a teapot that belonged to Mary. Upstairs, you will see her will and several other items that were hers, a mirror made of tin with a thin layer of silver, and a rinsing bowl you would use to rinse your glass in between servings of wine.
Monument to Mary Washington
The area called Meditation Rock has an interesting history. When Mary lived nearby, she would come here to meditate and pray. No one knows exactly where she’s buried, but she left instructions in her will to be buried at Meditation Rock.
In 1890, some ladies in town decided to build a monument to Mary there. They began a fundraising campaign, including writing letters to women across the country asking for donations, especially women named Mary. The money came in, and the monument was completed.
In 1894, President Grover Cleveland dedicated the monument to Mary Washington. It’s the first one in America that was built in honor of a woman, and it was paid for by women.
Hugh Mercer’s Apothecary Shop.
You can experience colonial medicine practices at Washington’s friend, Hugh Mercer’s Apothecary Shop. Mercer was a political refugee from Scotland. He first settled in Pennsylvania, but George Washington invited him to move to Fredericksburg. The Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop was a combination doctor’s office and apothecary. He fought as a Revolutionary War general and was killed in 1777 at the Battle of Princeton. Incidentally, he was the great-great-great-grandfather of US Army General George S. Patton, Jr.
What not to miss: The docents there greet you as if you were there in the 1700s. They’ll show you their live leeches, show you a saw used for amputations, and tell you how Mr. Mercer would pull that rotten tooth.
The Fredericksburg Area Museum
Another place you can visit to learn more about colonial Fredericksburg is the Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM), housed in the 1816 Town Hall and Market House. You’ll find exhibits spanning over 10,000 years of area history, from pre-Columbian people and colonial times through the Civil War era to modern movements. Best of all, it’s a free museum.
Of course, Fredericksburg has so much other history besides colonial times. It’s waiting for you to come explore. Plan your visit at https://fxbg.com/
Kathleen Walls is publisher/writer for American Roads and Global Highways at https://www.americanroads.net/
A member of the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association, her articles and photographs have appeared in numerous magazines and online publications. She is also an author of numerous travel books, online travel guides, and fiction novels. Learn more about her books at https://katywalls.com/
Learn more about IFWTWA: https://www.ifwtwa.org/
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