Kenmore Plantation
Encyclopedia
Kenmore, perhaps also known as Kenmore Plantation, was the home of Fielding Lewis
in Fredericksburg, Virginia
. Fielding was married to Betty Washington Lewis
, the sister of George Washington
. The house was built in the 1770s on a 1300 acres (526.1 ha) plantation. The property was purchased by the Gordon family in 1819. They named it Kenmore for the home of their ancestors in Scotland
.
The house is notable for the remarkable decorative plaster work on the ceilings of many rooms on the first floor.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1970.
Kenmore is owned and operated as a museum by The George Washington Foundation (formerly George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation), and is open daily for guided tours. The Foundation also owns nearby Ferry Farm
.
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Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia
, Kenmore is a plantation house and the only surviving structure from the Kenmore plantation
. The house was completed in 1776 for Betty Washington Lewis
, the sister of George Washington, and for her husband Fielding Lewis
. The plantation originally grew tobacco, wheat, and corn. In later years, the plantation served an active role in the civil war, serving as a makeshift military hospital after the Battle of the Wilderness
in 1864, and served as part of the federal troops’ route to Richmond.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1969 and was further designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1970.
Fielding Lewis
Fielding Lewis was a Colonel during the American Revolutionary War and the brother-in-law of George Washington....
in Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
. Fielding was married to Betty Washington Lewis
Betty Washington Lewis
Betty Washington Lewis was the younger sister of George Washington and the only sister to live to adulthood. She was the first daughter of Augustine Washington and Mary Ball Washington. She is considered a "founding mother" of America.She was born Elizabeth Washington in Westmoreland County,...
, the sister of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. The house was built in the 1770s on a 1300 acres (526.1 ha) plantation. The property was purchased by the Gordon family in 1819. They named it Kenmore for the home of their ancestors in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The house is notable for the remarkable decorative plaster work on the ceilings of many rooms on the first floor.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1970.
Kenmore is owned and operated as a museum by The George Washington Foundation (formerly George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation), and is open daily for guided tours. The Foundation also owns nearby Ferry Farm
Ferry Farm
Ferry Farm, also known as George Washington Boyhood Home Site or Ferry Farm Site, is the name of the farm and home at which George Washington spent much of his childhood. The site is located in Stafford County, Virginia, along the northern bank of the Rappahannock River, across from the city of...
.
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, Kenmore is a plantation house and the only surviving structure from the Kenmore plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. The house was completed in 1776 for Betty Washington Lewis
Betty Washington Lewis
Betty Washington Lewis was the younger sister of George Washington and the only sister to live to adulthood. She was the first daughter of Augustine Washington and Mary Ball Washington. She is considered a "founding mother" of America.She was born Elizabeth Washington in Westmoreland County,...
, the sister of George Washington, and for her husband Fielding Lewis
Fielding Lewis
Fielding Lewis was a Colonel during the American Revolutionary War and the brother-in-law of George Washington....
. The plantation originally grew tobacco, wheat, and corn. In later years, the plantation served an active role in the civil war, serving as a makeshift military hospital after the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
in 1864, and served as part of the federal troops’ route to Richmond.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1969 and was further designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1970.