Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1897-02-19

of fine house." Few, If any strangers
visit Fredericksburg without seeing
this historic old mansion, which IS con-
sidered the SHOW" place of the town.
The interior of Kenmore is severely
simple, but very imposing, and its high
sloping roof, tiny PANIED windows ana
quaint doorways, with huge brass
knockers, carry one back to time
now nearly a century and half past.
The doors are high and narrow, OF
deliberately carved oak. The hrst
thing that strikes the eye on entering
the small, square hall, is high CLOCK
of the kind popularity known as
"Grandfather's Clock" which was once
the property of Mary Washington.
Interior Of Kenmore.
Few houses have such an extremely
handsome interior as Kenmore. The
ceilings and mantels alone are worth
visit to see, being the most beautiful
of their kind in the state. The ceilings
are succeed with raised plaster in ella
borate designs OF wreaths and garlands
OF flowers, sheaves of wheat, ETC., and
over the mantels are large ornate por-
trayals of the fables of Aesop, done in
the same beautiful work. The one over
the drawing room mantel is said to
have been designed by George Wash
ington for his sister. We are told by
an old chronicler that this ornamental
ton of ceiling and mantel was the chief
thing that pleased Mistress Betty
Lewis in all her fine house. It was
the work of an English soldier, who
was captured during the revolution
and sent for safe keeping to the home
Of Colonel Lewis, where he thus en-
ployed his time more profitably than
most of the other English soldiers then
in America. The drawing room, which
is lofty and of unusual size, presents
a faithful picture Of the apartment in
which the luxurious Virginian Of that
day liked to gather his family or en-
terrain his friends. The high walls are
paneled to the top, the deep windows
furnish seats almost as large, though
hardly so comfortable as armchairs,
and on the doors are immense brass
locks, containing keys Of ponderous
size. It would almost seem from these
cumbersome locks which are found on
so many old homes, that our forefath-
ers were wont to have sense of Sc
curity in proportion to the size of the
locks on their doors. If this be SO,
we cannot help thinking how very free
from fear must the good folk of Ken
more have been. The drawing-room
porch and on the other into smaller,
but remarkably beautiful parlor, where
we find again the same elaborate work
on ceilings, mantels and walls. Cross
ing the halls, we come to the dining
room, the brightest room in the house,
and here George Washington often sat,
drinking cup of tea with his sister,
or attending as an honorary guest one
of her stately midday dinners. During
the visit of Lafayette to Fredericks-
burg to meet Mrs. Washington, his
friends mother, he too, dined in this
man expressed himself as being more
than charmed, with not only his fair
hostess, but her handsome home.
Where Mary Washington Died.
On the upper floor of the house are
the bedrooms, which are unusually
large and bright, but the chief interest
pertains to the one on the left hand Of
the corridor. Here we are told is the
room in which Mary Washington
breathed her last. This fact is not gen.
orally known, as it is usually supposed
that she died in her own more humble
home not far away. When she had
been ill fer some time with an incur
able malady, Mrs. Lewis persuaded her
to be moved to Kenmore. and it was
here that she spent the last few weeks
of her life. Not far from the house
and within sight Of the windows of this
room arises the tall granite shaft
which was erected to the memory of
Mary Washington by the women OF
America This is the only public
monument to woman in the United