George Washington moved to Ferry Farm, in what is today Virginia’s Stafford County, during 1738. His father, Augustine, decided to leave another nearby family property and settle inland on this 600-acre farm on the banks of the Rappahannock River across from Fredericksburg. George was about six years old at the time and he remained on the land until he was 20.
On this property, the Washington family consisted of Augustine’s second wife and George’s mother, Mary Ball Washington, along with George’s sister, Betty, and three younger brothers--Samuel, John and Charles. During his early years at Ferry Farm, Washington faced some of the toughest trials of his life. A sister, Mildred, was born here but died during infancy. On Christmas Eve 1740, the house caught fire. During April 1743, his father died.
After the passing of Augustine, Mary never remarried. She successfully managed the farm for the next 29 years with the help of her children and slave labor, but the decision not to remarry did place a financial strain on the family. The farm relied on tobacco, corn and livestock. Wheat later became the main cash crop.
As she aged and less able to manage the farm, Mary moved to a house in Fredericksburg that George secured for her. It still stands today not far from Kenmore, the home where Betty lived with her husband. Washington, meanwhile, had inherited Mount Vernon from his half-brother Lawrence.
After his mother was settled in her new home, Washington sold Ferry Farm to Hugh Mercer during 1774. Mercer was one of Washington’s general officers during the Revolutionary War and he planned to live his remaining days with his family at Ferry Farm. That dream ended a few years later when he died on January 12, 1777 from wounds received during the Battle of Princeton.
Visiting Ferry Farm
The remaining land that comprised Ferry Farm today contains a visitor’s center and several interpretive areas that note the history of Washington’s youth, the Civil War era and events that occurred here during the 20th century.
At the visitor center and garden, an exhibit explains Washington’s boyhood years on the property. Beyond the garden is the surveyor’s shed that was was constructed after 1870. Historians have documented that George learned to survey land while he lived on the farm and that he practiced the skill in its fields and pastures.
Though the Washington house no longer stands, archaeologists confirmed the discovery of its foundations during 2008. Two stone-lined cellars, stone foundation walls and two root cellars allowed the team to determine the position of the house. Written documentation and artifacts found at the site helped artists establish the appearance of the building, which was constructed of wood on the stone foundation. The structure’s footprint measures 53 feet by 28 feet.
Archaeologists also uncovered the remains of the first dwelling on the site. Erected around 1700, it stood until about 1725. This wooden structure measured 30 by 20 feet and had two rooms downstairs and may have had an upstairs loft. It was home to various planters who owned the property from 1690 until 1727.
The Ferry Farm property contains a spring that is known as Medicine Spring. A local newspaper referenced the spring in an issue published during 1826: “rising in a romantic valley bordering on the ferry landing, possessing great tonic and medicinal qualities, which has been much resorted to by the inhabitants of Fredericksburg as a fountain of health, and is still visited regularly by some families.”
Near the spring is the ferry landing site that gave the property its name. Ferries on the Rappahannock operated from several points along the river during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Washington family never operated a ferry nor did they profit from any of them.
Civil War, Native Americans and Legends
Hundreds of years before the Washington family or the previous planters farmed the area, the land and river were used by Native Americans. Stone spear points have been found on the property along with chipped stone that was used for making and sharpening tools.
The Civil War connection occurred during the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. Part of the Army of the Potomac crossed the river on a pontoon bridge at the ferry landing site. After the battle, Federal troops retreated across the bridge and set up winter camp on the Ferry Farm side of the river.
The stories created about young George—telling his father the truth about chopping a cherry tree and that he was so strong that he could throw a dollar coin across the river—are just that, stories that have become legends. But, if they have any small foundation of truth, they would have occurred at Ferry Farm or on another nearby Washington property.
The time frame of the fictitious cherry tree incident could have placed George on this property. No doubt he also could have tossed small smooth stones shaped similar to silver dollars across a river believed to be the Rappahannock. That feat, though, would have been much more taxing during his day than today as the river is much narrower now than it was during George’s time.
Ferry Farm is located east of Fredericksburg on State Route 3 in Stafford County. The property and Kenmore are owned by The George Washington Foundation, 1201 Washington Avenue, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 22401. It is a nonprofit organization that accepts tax-deductible contributions to maintain these historic treasures.
Learn more about Washington's childhood by reading about his birthplace at Pope's Creek on the Potomac River.
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