“Your Entire George Washington”: The Affection Between George and Martha

by gwffoundation | Jun 24, 2020 | Lives & Legacies

After George Washington died on December 14, 1799, his wife, Martha, burned all of their correspondence. From the perspective of a historian, her decision devastates. However, it was a common 18th century practice for married couples to burn personal correspondence...

The Seven Easy Pieces of Furniture – Episode 3: Blanket Chest Lid [Video]

by gwffoundation | Jun 22, 2020 | George Washington's Ferry Farm, Lives & Legacies, The Rooms at Ferry Farm

In this final video of this series, Fredericksburg, Virginia-based furniture maker Steve Dietrich demonstrates the methods he used to make the lid for a blanket chest in the reconstructed Washington house at Ferry Farm. Watch other videos and read more about...

Charlotte and the Mercury Pills

by gwffoundation | Jun 17, 2020 | Historic Kenmore, History of Slavery, Kenmore Enslaved Community Project, Lives & Legacies

As part of our ongoing effort to research the enslaved communities that once lived and worked at Historic Kenmore and George Washington’s Ferry Farm, we recently came across some very unusual information pertaining to a young enslaved woman named Charlotte who resided...

Eggsperimental Archaeology: Preserving Eggs before the Age of Refrigeration – Part 2 [Video]

by gwffoundation | Jun 8, 2020 | Archaeology, Lives & Legacies

In this experimental archaeology video, we reveal how well four different 18th century techniques preserved fresh uncooked eggs before the advent of refrigeration.  Watch the first...

Family Leaders Guiding a Younger Generation: George and Betty’s Letters

by gwffoundation | Jun 3, 2020 | Lives & Legacies

George Washington was the oldest of Augustine and Mary Washington’s five children. The next oldest was daughter Betty, who was born 14 months after George and was his only sister. George and Betty are immensely important to us at George Washington’s Ferry Farm &...

Where Are the Human Remains?: Fielding and Betty Lewis

by gwffoundation | May 27, 2020 | Lives & Legacies, Washington family

You might remember the discovery of Richard III’s grave under a Leicester parking lot back in 2012 and how shocking it was that a former King of England’s gravesite had been lost. For archaeologists, missing gravesites aren’t that uncommon. When put into perspective,...