by gwffoundation | Apr 22, 2025 | 18th Century Crafts, 20th century, Architectual Restoration, Collections Management, Daily Life in the 1700s, Historic Kenmore, Lewis Family, Lives & Legacies
Linum (“Flax”) and oleum (“oil”) – Fashionable and Affordable As a Historic Preservation student at the University of Mary Washington, I’ve grown to appreciate almost all aspects of materiality. Over the past four years, my education has...
by gwffoundation | Mar 19, 2025 | Archaeology, Behind the Scenes, Ferry Farm, George Washington's Ferry Farm, Lives & Legacies
Archaeology is trash. There, I said it. Before you call Mr. Jones and have me thrown in a pit of snakes, let me explain. Generally speaking, archaeology focuses on understanding the past through the items that people left behind, i.e., their trash. Most of the...
by gwffoundation | Jan 23, 2025 | 18th Century Crafts, British Empire, Lives & Legacies
We have a lot of silver in our collections, ranging from candlesticks to teapots to spoons. With all the silver, I have become familiar with eighteenth-century silversmith marks, but I have never explored the artisans behind the marks. I was pleasantly...
by gwffoundation | Dec 1, 2024 | Archaeology, Architectual Restoration, Historic Kenmore, Historic Preservation, Lives & Legacies, Residents of Kenmore
While the house at Historic Kenmore has been faithfully restored to its circa 1775 appearance, the road to that final result was a pretty dirty one. As in plaster dust, paint fumes, and all manner of dirt and debris. Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s,...
by gwffoundation | Nov 15, 2024 | Archaeology, Behind the Scenes, Civil War, Ferry Farm, George Washington's Ferry Farm, Lives & Legacies, Nature
A lot of people have told me that they want or wanted to become archaeologists. I always find this flattering. Yours truly was only in my single digits when I declared the same to my family and anyone who would listen. After reading every National...
