Gunston Hall, home of George Mason IV
July 6, 2013 my
husband and I went to visit Gunston Hall.
We had a great time. The mansion
was decorated in period furniture. The
guide who showed us the mansion was knowledgeable. I especially enjoyed the decorative crown
moldings and the wallpaper. Two facts
that I learned was George Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights and he
was married twice. Jefferson used
Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights as an example for the Declaration of
Independence.
George Mason had
a very nice view from Gunston Hall of the Potomac River. Along with the mansion, there is the garden,
a couple of out buildings, and a small visitor center/museum. The out buildings were a kitchen, laundry,
and schoolhouse. Walking around, one gets
a good idea what it was like to live on the plantation in the 18th
century. The museum gave some very good
information about Mason.
If one gets a
chance, you should really visit this Founding Father’s home. It truly is an architectural gem, and a piece
of history. I can see why George Mason
loved his home.
 |
| Gunston Hall |
Kenmore Plantation, home of Fielding and Betty Lewis
(Betty Lewis was George Washington's sister)
July
28, 2013 my parents, Matt, and I took a tour of the beautiful Kenmore mansion
in Fredericksburg, VA. I used to
volunteer here in college and even created a small exhibit during an internship. Even though I was a little disappointed that
they took down my exhibit, the curator did a great job creating a new exhibit. A
visitor can really get a sense who Fielding Lewis was. I loved the few children
activities they had to interact and teach the children. I did learn two facts that I did not know. Fielding Lewis was married once before he
married Betty, and Fielding and Betty were actually related, distant cousins.
The
tour guide was relatively new, but knowledgeable. The inside of Kenmore is beautiful. I really love the ceilings. They are so decorative. It was somewhat also disappointing that we
could not go upstairs, but I understand.
The foundation wants to protect the beautiful ceilings. I truly think that it is amazing that Kenmore
was not destroyed during the Civil War. Since
I last been to Kenmore, they added an herb garden. The garden is beautiful. The kitchen set up was cool. One can imagine a slave cooking the dinner
and supper in the kitchen.
If
one is in Fredericksburg, VA, you have to visit this gem of a house. It is an architectural masterpiece from the
18th century. We do not build
houses like that anymore.
 |
| Kenmore Plantation |
Happy Blogging!
No comments:
Post a Comment