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Address: 1204 Charles Street
City: Fredericksburg
State: VA
Zip: 22401
Phone: 540-373-1569
Website: https://www.washingtonheritagemuseums.org/
In 1752, George Washington surveyed acreage that established the original town of Fredericksburg. Lots were set aside for Washington, who planned to move his widowed mother into town to be near his sister. When Mary Ball Washington moved to Fredericksburg in 1772, her property consisted of two 1/2 acre lots on the north side of Lewis Street between Charles and Prince Edward. Her house fronted on Charles Street, at the corner of Lewis and Charles. The back lot, fronting on Prince Edward, was presumably used for stables, slave quarters, a garden for fruits and vegetables, and possibly some crops to feed the animals. By 1968, the back lot fronting on Prince Edward Street, had been long since sold off and built on. The original cottage built c. 1761 was Mary Ball Washington's residence. Following her death in 1789, the cottage was extended north along Charles Street in several additions. Behind the house the outside kitchen dates to the early 19th-century, one of the oldest outdoor kitchens in Fredericksburg standing in its original location. The other outbuildings are of later date. The only trace of the 18th century landscape was a double row of overgrown English box bordering an old brick walk. According to local legend, Mary Washington herself had ordered this walkway laid for her daily visits to her daughter's new house, which was under construction in 1772. The Garden Club of Virginia restored the interesting cottage style garden. It includes a vegetable and flower garden, all interconnected with a brick walk system, and bordered with boxwood and other shrub and tree plantings.
Year: 1969
Landscape Architect: Ralph E. Griswold
Garden
Year: 1994
Landscape Architect: Rudy J. Favretti
Planting modifications.
Year: 2003
Landscape Architect: William D. Rieley
Arbor and planting renovations
