Civil War Comes Alive at Ferry Farm

Stafford County, Va. –– George Washington’s boyhood home of Ferry Farm doesn’t only tell a part of the story about our nation’s first president; it also has a lot to say about the Civil War.

The site that sits off of Kings Highway (Va. 3) in Stafford County served as a camp for Civil War soldiers who took up arms in the bloody War Between the States.

Living historians flocked to the site over the weekend, and so did 450 spectators, who all came to be a part of a living history weekend at Ferry Farm.

“We are definitely a site that celebrates the history of George Washington but we can’t ignore that these sites [Ferry Farm and Kenmore Estate in Fredericksburg] also hold history about the Civil War, American Indians, colonial settlers and early farmers,” said Ferry Farm’s and the Kenmore Foundation’s spokeswoman Paula Raudenbush.

At Ferry Farm this past weekend were living history interpreters, Calvary and Infantry participating in close order drills, cooking demonstrations and games.

At Kenmore, stories were told about female spies who worked during the war, as well as stories about how the mansion was used as a hospital during the war.

Living history re-enactors will return to Ferry Farm on the 4th of July, and will also feature soldiers from the Revolutionary War era.