Kenmore is the home of George Washington's sister, Betty. Her husband was pretty well off. With the current science available they are able to get the paint extremely accurate to the time. And the vibrant colors are a sign of that wealth. One of the painter's names was Joseph Smith (I think he was an indentured servant and not a slave). Jen was trying so hard not to laugh when our guide announces that name; I'm sure he thought we were weird at that point in time.
Anther sign of their wealth is in the staircase (have a mentioned that I love a good staircase). In a "normal" home you would probably only have two posts on each step, whereas they have three.
It's such a simple, yet beautiful light.
The plasterwork is absolutely amazing. There is no record of the artist's name, so he's known as "the plaster man." It's a shame he'll never get credit for his work.
The woodwork around the fireplace is also amazing.
Plasterwork on the wall in the "ballroom."
Another amazing fireplace.
The ceiling in that room.The next room (I forgot the title of it) had the four seasons represented in the ceiling plaster. I tried to put them in order, but it just didn't happen. So the next five pictures are each of the seasons and the complete ceiling.
Plaster picture on the wall.
Fireplace with more amazing woodwork. The wallpaper is actually fuzzy to the touch. It's kind of funky.
Another fabulous ceiling.
No one knows whose footprint that is. It's in the wood floor, which is kind of weird. Jen and I joked that it was the Sasquatch and had to get a picture for Shauntell (yes, we still remember our trip up to Washington state).
It's an amazing view of an amazing staircase.
Outside in the kitchen. Our tour guide demonstrated the colonial rat trap.
If there was a gate, there was something inside Jen that told her she had to close it to pose with it.
Every now and then, you have to stop to relax.
The view of the house.
I go for the more "traditional" lean, without bothering the gates.
Pointing out one of the coolest features of the house.
Cannon ball left over from the Civil War. Our tour guide two years was much more into the story with this ball than our guide today. However, after we kept talking about this, today's guide took us back inside and showed us where they believe a cannon ball went through the windows and the walls and has since been repaired. I guess that repairing this wall might be more trouble than it's worth.
Then we left Kenmore and started wandering Fredericksburg. I had to get the full shot of this before doing the close up where you can read what it says.
The way the plaques read, we were kept wondering if there should have been something on top of it that we were missing.
Other side of our mystery statue.
We found her grave. For some reason, this just reads a little weird to us.
Full view of her grave.
Could you imagine going to court in a building this ornate?
Can you imagine the force that would be required to blow the top of this cannon off? I am so glad that I wasn't involved.
Hugh Mercer's Apothecary Shop. Wouldn't you like to be treated with leeches, lancets, or snakeroot? I'll take modern medicine any day.
Last time we were here, the Masonic Cemetery was in bad shape. We could barely walk through it. We had to go back to see if anyone had done anything to clean it up and we were both relieved to find they had.
This is one of the saddest sights to me. I knew there were slave auctions, but I didn't ever picture it like this. Not that it makes it any better, but I pictured a stage/barn type area, not just a random tree trunk on the corner of a street. When I was taking my picture, a random teenager walked by and told me this thing was evil. I couldn't help but agree with him.
What a view! It's so peaceful now, but during the war, this was a sight of one of the major battles. We saw that a lot. Such peaceful, serene views now, but such bloodshed then.
Purple pea pods. I don't know if that's what they actually were, but it's sure what they looked like. These were hanging over the fenced in garden behind Mary Washington's home.
Another wonderful view. Fortunately, it's no longer a raging battle ground.
Plaster picture on the wall.
Fireplace with more amazing woodwork. The wallpaper is actually fuzzy to the touch. It's kind of funky.
Another fabulous ceiling.
No one knows whose footprint that is. It's in the wood floor, which is kind of weird. Jen and I joked that it was the Sasquatch and had to get a picture for Shauntell (yes, we still remember our trip up to Washington state).
It's an amazing view of an amazing staircase.
Outside in the kitchen. Our tour guide demonstrated the colonial rat trap.
If there was a gate, there was something inside Jen that told her she had to close it to pose with it.
Every now and then, you have to stop to relax.
The view of the house.
I go for the more "traditional" lean, without bothering the gates.
Pointing out one of the coolest features of the house.
Cannon ball left over from the Civil War. Our tour guide two years was much more into the story with this ball than our guide today. However, after we kept talking about this, today's guide took us back inside and showed us where they believe a cannon ball went through the windows and the walls and has since been repaired. I guess that repairing this wall might be more trouble than it's worth.
Then we left Kenmore and started wandering Fredericksburg. I had to get the full shot of this before doing the close up where you can read what it says.
The way the plaques read, we were kept wondering if there should have been something on top of it that we were missing.
Other side of our mystery statue.
We found her grave. For some reason, this just reads a little weird to us.
Full view of her grave.
Could you imagine going to court in a building this ornate?
Can you imagine the force that would be required to blow the top of this cannon off? I am so glad that I wasn't involved.
Hugh Mercer's Apothecary Shop. Wouldn't you like to be treated with leeches, lancets, or snakeroot? I'll take modern medicine any day.
Last time we were here, the Masonic Cemetery was in bad shape. We could barely walk through it. We had to go back to see if anyone had done anything to clean it up and we were both relieved to find they had.
This is one of the saddest sights to me. I knew there were slave auctions, but I didn't ever picture it like this. Not that it makes it any better, but I pictured a stage/barn type area, not just a random tree trunk on the corner of a street. When I was taking my picture, a random teenager walked by and told me this thing was evil. I couldn't help but agree with him.
What a view! It's so peaceful now, but during the war, this was a sight of one of the major battles. We saw that a lot. Such peaceful, serene views now, but such bloodshed then.
Purple pea pods. I don't know if that's what they actually were, but it's sure what they looked like. These were hanging over the fenced in garden behind Mary Washington's home.
Another wonderful view. Fortunately, it's no longer a raging battle ground.Websites: www.kenmore.org
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