Kenmore — Attraction in Fredericksburg

KENMORE MANSION IN SPRING. Georgian-style house built by George Washington's only sister Betty and her husband Fielding Lewis, a wealthy local merchant. Betty married Fielding at sixteen and bore him eleven children! (Note outbuildings on right. I'd settle for a house that looked like one of those bldgs. Kenmore is just a few short blocks from the heart of town. A nice residence to have in the 'hood. Just one of the gang.)

During the Revolutionary War, Lewis loaned the State of Virginia (officially, the Commonwealth of Virginia) money to build and operate a gun factory in Fredericksburg, £7000 of which (a LOT of $$$) was never repaid. He died in 1781 nearly broke, borrowing money just to continue financing the war. (Was this man a PATRIOT or what!) I guess this was how Virginia balanced its budget in those days, much like the Federal government does today - ON THE BACKS OF ITS CITIZENS!

(But keep those tax dollars flowing, my annuity check depends on it! My wife divorces herself from this last comment - cluck, cluck, cluck. Hey, you gotta maintain your sense of humor in all this mess we have today.)

P.S. The War wreaked havoc on the financial system, inflation was rampant and currencies plummeted. The "dollar" was a respectable currency when introduced by the Continental Congress, but virtually worthless just three years later when finally eliminated. A number of prominent Colonial figures died mired in debt, near broke or penniless, whether due to their own errors or conditions beyond their management. These include U.S. Presidents Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. Clearly, Presidents were not immune from financial ruin either. Undoubtedly, some were felled by wholly self-inflicted wounds, human nature being what it is.

(My wife toured Kenmore with her brother and his wife when they visited from out of state. Your popularity rises when you live in this area. At least until...

Mother's Day tours were in very small groups and open to detailed questions. Tours at present are limited to downstairs rooms (too many people upstairs has shown initial conservation of plaster ceilings to be vulnerable; basement/cellar lacks historical interpretation, but is being researched), so consists of four rooms and the entry foyer. Finishes have been meticulously researched to enable the most original variant to be presented on the walls and floors.

Outbuildings are not accessible at this time, but have been set up on the interiors to be representative of likely finishes, so glancing in the windows is worthwhile. The grounds are well-restored and peaceful, appearing to be open to the public even without a ticket.

If visiting in the summer or autumn, try to catch one of the Shakespeare performances on the lawns! This community theater is...

No pictures allowed, no book for sale (which is a shame), so you just gotta go see for yourself. The plaster work is not just the finest in colonial America, possibly among the best of all times. You would not be fooling yourself if you thought you were at Versailles, Schönbrunn, or Buckingham.

The tour guide talked for 45 minutes nonstop, showing that he's truly passionate and knowledgeable about the building. The attention to details for the restoration work is absurd, as they tried to find authentic period furnitures (true 250-year antiques!) exactly as described in the estate catalog, and looked for nail holes on the wall to determine where a portrait was hang.

Parking is free on surrounding streets, a lovely and quaint area away from the...