Page 35 - Family cookbook v30_Neat

29

good wine cellar.

In 1752, Fielding Lewis bought a 1,300 acre parcel of

land on the outskirts of Fredericksburg. George

Washington surveyed the 852 acres which would

become the site of their mansion house. The mansion

which was originally called Milbrook was renamed in

1819 by a successive owner and is now called

Kenmore. It was built in the Georgian Style and has

two stories and a full cellar with 4,000 feet of living

space. This is where they lived and raised their large
The Lewis Store
family.

Fielding served as a court justice and as a vestryman at St. George’s Parish. He was also a member of the House
of Burgesses from 1760 to 1765 and was in attendance when Patrick Henry delivered his famous Stamp Act
speech to those assembled in Williamsburg in 1765. "If this be treason, make the most of it."

Fielding and Betty Lewis were strong supporters of the revolution, and their loyalty came with great personal
sacrifice. Fielding, though not a soldier, was known as “Colonel” Lewis. He was in charge of the militia in

Spotsylvania County and provided much needed supplies to the army during the war. He supplied salt, flour,
bacon and clothing to the soldiers, and even the herbs and produce from Betty’s gardens were used to make

ointments and teas for the patriot forces.

In 1775, Fielding was appointed as one of the commissioners to help establish and equip a musket factory for

the newly formed government. Un‐
fortunately, Fielding’s patriotic zeal

also ruined him financially as he ad‐
vanced increasingly large sums from

his personal funds for the expenses
of the Fredericksburg Gunnery, as

well as for building and outfitting
ships for the Navy. He mortgaged his

estate to borrow between 30,000
and 40,000 pounds to provide sup‐

plies to make ammunition during the
war. This all took a toll on Fielding

and on January 7, 1781, just two
Oldest known picture of the wooden Kitchen at the home of Fielding and
Betty Washington Lewis. Photo is from the mid 1800’s