Voices of the Past Participating Sites

Chatham

Enslaved laborers and craftsmen built Chatham Manor in 1771 at the direction and financing of William Fitzhugh. In addition to owning hundreds of thousands of acres and at least one hundred enslaved people, the Fitzhughs were related to and good friends with other well-known Virginians like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and George Mason. As Fitzhugh prepared to sell Chatham in the early 1800s, a slave uprising broke out at Chatham but was quickly put down. At the time of the Civil War, Confederate supporters Betty and J. Horace Lacy owned Chatham. During the Battle of Fredericksburg and its aftermath, Chatham served as a headquarters and field hospital. The Lacys returned to Chatham after the war but could not maintain their lavish lifestyle, as their wealth had been tied to the enslaved people who had claimed their freedom. Chatham’s fortunes changed in 1920, when Helen and Daniel Devore purchased the property. In the ensuing years the Devores transformed Chatham from a former slave plantation to a showy, country retreat. The look of Chatham today resembles the house after these restorations in the 1920s.

Visit Chatham on September 12 to learn more about enslaved laundress Ellen Mitchell, who negotiated and fundraised for her freedom on the eve of the Civil War. Chatham will also host a unit of United States Colored Troops and discussions of the enslaved people who left Lacy’s plantations to join the USCT. Join park staff for a day of walking tours and presentations highlighting African American history on site.

A two-story red brick house with a dark green door and arched brick entryway. They house has a gray slate roof and two prominent brick chimneys. A low stone wall and wooden fence are in the foreground.

Moncure Conway House

This Federal-style home dates to the early 19th century, when Falmouth, VA served as a bustling commercial port filled with ocean-going ships, cargo, passengers, and enslaved people. Enslaved people were bought and sold at the docks, as Falmouth was the official port of entry for slaves in this part of Virginia. The Moncure Conway family purchased the home in 1838.

Moncure Conway was a 19th century author, lecturer, and clergyman, but he is perhaps best known as an abolitionist. At various times Methodist, Unitarian, and Freethinker, he descended from patrician families of Virginia and Maryland, but he spent most of the final four decades of his life abroad in England and France. He wrote biographies of Edmund Randolph, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Thomas Paine, as well as his own autobiography. He led freethinkers in London’s South Place Chapel, now known as Conway Hall.

Norman Schools, the home’s current owner, along with his late wife, has devoted his time and talent to the ongoing restoration of the home. Mr. Schools is also the author of Virginia Shade, and African American History of Falmouth Virginia available from IUniverse Books, Inc., Bloomington.

A white clapboard house with black shutters, brick chimneys, and dormer windows, set against a cloudy sky with autumn foliage visible on the right.

Mary Washington House

In 1772, George Washington purchased this home in Fredericksburg Virginia for his mother, Mary Ball Washington, and she spent her last seventeen years in this house. The white frame house sits on the corner of Charles and Lewis Streets and was in walking distance to Kenmore, home of Mary’s daughter Betty Washington Lewis. The President-to-be came to this home to receive his mother’s blessing before attending his inauguration in 1789. The house opened to the public in 1931, and today it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

The cooking demonstration takes place adjacent to the 1804/05 kitchen dependency. Although Mary Washington died in 1789, the kitchen would have been very familiar to Mary Washington. The kitchen is open during the event.

Fredericksburg Area Museum

Discover the rich tapestry of Fredericksburg’s history at the Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM) Housed in the historic Town Hall/Market House (circa 1816), FAM is dedicated to collecting, researching, interpreting, teaching, and preserving the diverse stories of our region. The programs, exhibitions, and educational initiatives at FAM aim to create meaningful connections between the past and present for all visitors.

The Auction Block, associated with the sale of enslaved people in Fredericksburg, now resides at FAM as part of an ongoing exhibition. The installations, “A Monumental Weight”, explores the block’s history and it’s cultural significance. In 2025, an ongoing memorial will be developed to honor those sold at the block.

A white colonial style house with green shutters and a wraparound porch stands on a grassy lawn under a blue sky with clouds. Several people on the grounds,

Gari Melchers Home & Studio

The furnished country home and art studio of American Impressionist painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932) appear as they did in the 1920s. The artist and his wife applied their creative skills to make the house, the studio, and the gardens, fields, and woodlands places of respite and inspiration. The stone studio and galleries display the largest collection of Melchers’ art anywhere, as well as work by other artists. The couple acquired much of their fine and decorative arts collections while they lived in Europe. As one of the most respected artists of his era, and an influential advocate of the arts, Gari Melchers typifies our country’s cultural vibrancy at the dawn of the 20th century.

The oldest section of the house dates to 1800. The caretaker’s cottage on the estate is believed to be on or near the site of housing for enslaved people. This structure was dismantled around the time of the Civil War, with the present building constructed on the same site and possibly with some of its remaining materials.

Mother and son walking in front of portrait of James Monroe

James Monroe Museum

The James Monroe Museum, located in historic downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia, is the largest repository in the country for artifacts and documents related to the fifth president of the United States. The museum was first opened in 1927 by Monroe descendants as a place to house their own personal collections, which had been handed down through generations of the family. Eventually, the museum and its extensive collections were turned over to the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the museum is now administered by the University of Mary Washington. There is no slave dwelling associated with the James Monroe Museum.

A young George Washington walking towards Ferry Farm

George Washington’s Ferry Farm

Ferry Farm was a Virginia farm that was home to five sequential farmsteads throughout the eighteenth- and nineteenth centuries. The Washington family, including young George Washington and his parents and siblings, were the most notable family to own the property. Slavery was introduced to Ferry Farm before the Washingtons took possession and continued until the Civil War. The number of enslaved individuals fluctuated throughout the Washington period, peaking at over 50 individuals around 1750 when the final division of Augustine’s estate took place.

After the Washington family’s ownership, a variety of individuals leased or owned the property, each of which provided enslaved labor for the farm. In 1862, after Union troops began camping at Ferry Farm, the enslaved community living and working at the farm, self-emancipated themselves.

Today, Ferry Farm is a historical museum that uses archaeology and historical documents to interpret the cultural landscape of the Washington occupation. These researchers have spent the last 15 years exploring the details of slavery at Ferry Farm. As part of its interpretation, The George Washington Foundation has re-established the Washington house, a slave quarter from the Washington period, a support building for their kitchen, along with fences, road remnants and paths. The site is open daily for guided tours of the rebuilt Washington landscape and for self-guided exploration of the Visitor Center exhibits and grounds.

A wide river flows under a cloudy sky, with lush green vegetation in the foreground and trees lining the banks.

Falmouth Beach

This popular recreational beach on the Rappahannock River is the location of the historic Port of Falmouth. Ocean-going vessels docked here. Cargo, passengers, and enslaved people for sale came through this port for decades. Shipping declined in the 1830s due to increased silting of the Rappahannock.