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| Kenmore Inn (located near Kenmore) ©Mary Montague Sikes |
Among my first memories are those from the grounds of Kenmore, the historic home of Fielding Lewis, brother-in-law to George Washington, that is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. My mother was friends with the founders of the Kenmore Association and she loved being a volunteer at the old restored mansion. I was about four years old and Mother always took me with her. It was nice to visit the kitchen that was separate from the house. Wearing a stylish black hat and dark suit, Mother used the silver service to pour tea for visitors to go with the traditional gingerbread made there from a colonial recipe. Perhaps I was jealous of the attention she gave others, but to this day I dislike gingerbread.
Somewhere, I have a photograph of Mother serving tea, but I can't find it now. I, also, have photos taken by a professional photographer of Mother and me in colonial costumes, standing on the steps of Kenmore. He took of picture of me alone on the Kenmore grounds and made a large print of it for display in his downtown business window. I don't know what eventually happened to it. I suppose all those pictures helped the Kenmore memory live on for me.
Several months ago, we visited Fredericksburg for a college class reunion. I didn't get to Kenmore, but I did take photos of the nearby Kenmore Inn, a bed and breakfast and restaurant, that also holds many memories for me.
What about you? When were your first memories?
