Kenmore

1201 Washington Avenue

Fredericksburg, VA  22401

540-373-3381

Fielding Lewis was one of 18th century Fredericksburg's most important and influential citizens. In 1750, Lewis married Betty Washington and they had 11 children. In 1752, he bought 681 acres immediately to the west of the town line that was surveyed by the 20-year old George Washington. He and Fielding then laid out a new development, which would enlarge the town of Fredericksburg from 64 to 180 city lots. Work began on the Lewises' house in 1771, but they didn't move into it until 1775. It was a fine dwelling, befitting his position in the community and in the colony. They never named their house, which suggests that it was not meant to be a plantation manor, but a town villa. There are no records of Betty Lewis' garden, except for a local tradition that there were terraces on the river side of the house. The Garden Club of Virginia’s restoration includes a large tree-shaded lawn edged with a long Wilderness Walk featuring native plants. The rear garden is planted with an array of authentic perennials in an eighteenth-century formal plan.The first Historic Garden Week was held in 1929, and Kenmore's garden became the first Garden Club of Virginia restoration.