George Washington Childhood Home - Fredericksburg, VA
Posted by: 
DougK
N 38° 17.731 W 077° 26.987
18S E 285766 N 4241443
George Washington's boyhood home was at Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Waymark Code: WMB85C
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 04/17/2011
Views: 17
George Washington's boyhood home was at
Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia.
According to nearby Virginia Historical Marker J-61:
George Washington's Childhood Home J-61 The Washington family moved to a plantation here in 1738 when George Washington was six years old. Along with his three brothers and sister, young Washington spent most of his early life here, where, according to popular fable, he cut down his father's cherry tree and uttered the immortal words, "I cannot tell a lie." His father, Augustine, died here in 1743, leaving the property to him. His mother, Mary Ball Washington, lived here until 1772 when she moved to a house in Fredericksburg that Washington bought for her.
In 1862, Ferry Farm was the site of skirmishes during the American War Between the States. The house was the headquarters of Union soldiers and was later demolished for firewood. In the 1990's, Stafford County set out to preserve the site. Finally in 2000, Ferry Farm was declared a National Historic Landmark. In July 2008, archeologists announced that they had found remains of the boyhood home. At this time the foundation is noted by 4 markers of stones at right angles where the corners of the foundation would have been. The long term goal is to reconstruct the farm on the site.