Evening star., 1940-02-17

Loved by
Patriot
Washington Shared
In Planning Many
Parts of Mansion
BY GAEL RENFREW.

Washington's diary shows that he
was q frequent visitor to Sister
Lewis's" where II nieces and
nephews had a large hold on his
affections.
Kenmore, charming colonial home
Of the Lewis family in Fredericks-
burg, Va, is the only house now
standing-other than Mount YER
non-with which the Father of His
Country had a lifelong association.
Built in 1852 by Col. Fielding Lewis
for his young wife, Betty WASH
ington, Kenmore stands in ground
surveyed by Betty's famous brother,
and many features of the interior
decor, reminiscent of Mount Vernon,
seem to indicate that he had a share
tn'the planning of the mansion. -
Perhaps Kenmore's cilfef treasure
is the overmantel in the great room
which Uncle George himself .de-
signed for the Lewis children. He
turned over the actual working out
Of the idea to Hessian prisoners cap
tured at the Battle Of Trenton.
According to Fanny Washington's
description Of this mantel, Every
thing about it has a moral. At the
top can be seen church, a house
and fort, the three strongholds of
the Nation. Below there are groups
of various animals. each depicting a
story from Aesop's, Fables; it repre-
sents the legend Of the fox, the
crow and the piece of cheese, to
teach his nieces and nephews to
beware of flattery -"
In the square entrance hall of
Kenmore stands q grandfather clock
owned by Washington's mother. The
chimes which it struck at noon on
January /. 1882, were caught up and
broadcast over the Nations air.
waves to inaugurate the bicentennial
celebration.
just 10 years previously Kenmore
had come within an ace of being
demolished and the ground sold for
building lots. Determined that the
mansion SHOULD be preserved as
national shrine, a Fredericksburg
lady, Mrs. Vivian Minor Fleming,
headed q campaign to buy it back.
So magnificent was the response
that in less than three years the his
toric house had been paid for and
dedicated ito the glory of God and
the patriots of America in memory
of Col. Fielding Lewis and his wife,
Betty Washington"
The spacious, high-ceilinged rooms
are memory haunted, especially the
best bedroom. Mistress Lewis, they
say, came in one afternoon in 1871
to find her brother deep in the
sleep Of exhaustion, on the four
poster. He had ridden up from
Yorktown, and was lying on the
handsome spread-heavy boots and
all!
Kenmore's CHEEKY kitchen occu-
pies building apart from the big
house and here q picturesque
nanny" in checked gingham dress,
white apron and scarlet turban
demonstrates the utensils and an
swers queries.
The housekeeper of this genera
ton recognizes the bread toaster.
broiler, wafile iron, apple corer and
sausage grinder. Fashioned Of iron
instead of shining aluminium, they.
nevertheless rendered yeoman serv-
ice In their time. Less familiar OBJ
jects requiring Interpretation are
the wool carder, foot warmer, flut-
ing iron, candle molds and the coal
box, which was filled with live Goals
and carried from room to room to
light the fires.
When they have examined the
contents Of the amply stocked
kitchen visitors are invited to draw
up their chairs to the table for tea.
So that Is the function Of the tray,
set with blue and white kitchen
china, pewter sugar and cream
service, reposing on q red and
white checked cloth. In an adjoin-
ing room gingerbread, made from
the Washington family recipe, is
baked daily in large quantities and
served with hot refreshing tea. Any
one may have assecond piece-and
in this gracious fashion the hospi-
taity for which SISTER Lewis" was
famous IS no ghostly tradition, but
one that nobly carries on.