Kenmore Floor to Ceiling
The patron of music, art, dance, and light, this Greco-Roman deity is found in the stucco work of the Kenmore chamber ceiling.
Who is Apollo?
He has worked for the foundation longer than any other current employee.
Who is George "Buzzy" Samuels?
George Washington's false teeth were made out of a number of things, ranging from ivory, animal and human teeth, and even lead. There is no evidence that they were ever carved from this natural material, although the story still persists.
What is wood?
This retail giant was planning to build a store at Ferry Farm before local outcry to protect the land stopped them in the mid-1990s.
What is Walmart?
All three of these "sisters" are grown in the Ferry Farm garden, although usually in separate garden beds.
What are corn, beans, and squash?
This self taught young artist repaired the ceilings in Kenmore when his father was planning on having them removed, saving them for us to appreciate to this day.
Who was William Key Howard Jr?
This is one of the most common professions for our tour guides and educators to have done in a past life or as a day job. Some include Kirby Daras, Mike Tomeo, Jeanne Fines, Donna Werme, and many more.
What is teaching?
Parson Weems said George was this age when he chopped down the cherry tree, meaning that if it had actually happened, it more than likely occurred at Ferry Farm.
What is six years?
After George and Betty convinced Mary to move into town, George sold Ferry Farm in 1772 to this local figure, who unfortunately only lived for another four years after the purchase.
Who is Hugh Mercer?
In the springtime these flowers not only cover the Dutch countryside, they also can be found filling the Kenmore flower beds with every color of the rainbow.
What are tulips?
giving "the four seasons" room its name, these four foliages can be found in each corner of the ceiling, each representing a different time of the year.
what are oak leaves/acorns (autumn), mistletoe (winter), grapes (summer), and palm leaves (spring)?
This other historic house has employed several current GWF employees in the past, including Gretchen Pendleton as their Assistant Curator and John Carmichael as their Grounds Manager.
What is Mount Vernon?
Although we have yet to find the real location of Fielding Lewis' grave, local legend tells us that his body can be found buried underneath the steps of this downtown fixture.
What is St George's Episcopal Church?
This is the only structure at Ferry Farm to be placed on the National Register for Historic Places.
What is the Surveyor Shed?
These legumes came to colonial America by way of slave ships from West Africa, and became an important source of food for the enslaved population.
What are peanuts?
George Washington was apparently so impressed with his brother-in-law's ceilings that he asked for "stucco man" to come to Mount Vernon and create a piece for this room.
What is the Dining Room?
Both sites have seen some cats and dogs through the years. This pup, belonging to Allison Ellis, can occasionally be found in her Ferry Farm office or walking along Washington Ave.
Who is Bates?
Despite what some of our visitors may try to tell you, we only know of this many direct descendants of George Washington that are alive today.
What is zero (0)?
During the Civil War, the men camping on the Ferry Farm land before they crossed over into Fredericksburg were serving under this newly appointed Union commander.
Who is Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside?
George Washington was said to have grown this crop at Mount Vernon to help provide the plantation with rope, fabric, and thread. Although it is not grown at Ferry Farm, some of you may know someone who used to cultivate a close relative of it in their bedrooms.
What is hemp (Cannabis Indica)?
After finding some red threads in the dining room floorboards during Kenmore's restoration, the Foundation reached out to this English company that Fielding ordered the original carpets from. They were not only still in operation, but they had their original catalogues and patterns from the 18th century too.
What is the Wilton Carpet Factory?
This employee is also a professional artist who takes commissions when she isn't in her office. She painted a portrait of Gary the goose with Ferry Farm in the background that is now sold as a greeting card in the gift shop.
Who is Lori Pikkaart?
Saving us from a very different version of American history, Mary was said to have prevented young George from joining the British Royal Navy by physically dragging him off the ship by this body part.
What is his ear?
No, our visitor's center is NOT the original house! In fact, it was built over 200 years later by this organization as a home for boys.
What is Youth for Christ?
Working with famed landscape architect Charles Gillette, this social society designed the flower beds of Kenmore that are still in use today.
What is the Garden Club of Virginia?