Fredericksburg

April 1

We are spending today and tomorrow exploring Fredericksburg. Thank you Rachel for clueing us in on the history in the area. There is so much to see between the Civil War and colonial times in the 1700’s. First on our list was a little later on the timeline. Gari Melcher was a gifted painter and settled in the area in 1916. We had such an informative tour of his home and art studio and loved his paintings. We saw sketching done when he was only eleven years old that were amazing. None of us had ever heard of him and we must have missed his painting hanging in the Smithsonian. His father, knowing that he was truly gifted, sent him to study painting in Germany at 17. He wanted to go to Paris but his mother thought of Paris, known as the den of inequity, was not the place for her child. He did make it to Paris four years later. He was only 22 in 1882, when he got into the Paris Salon. He and John Singer Sargent both received the Grand prize at the Paris Universal Exposition. How can we not have been aware of this wonderful painter! Once he returned to the US, he had studios in New York and Falmouth near Fredericksburg. He was able to support his lovely wife Corrine in fine style with his work. He was much sought after by the rich and famous for both portraits and paintings. Roosevelt asked him to spend a week with him to paint his portrait. Melcher's portrait ended up being his favorite. The guide gave us a copy of journal entries Melcher had made at the time he was doing this portrait. It was fascinating to picture him painting while the President continued on with business as people filed in and out. With all the hub bub, he held his pose for 3 hours at a time. One of his favorite subjects was a mother with her baby. The couple never did have children and I imagine this must have been difficult for them. The home was lovely and left intact with their beautiful belongings. His studio even has his easels and brushes. Amazing! We felt very enlightened as we drove off.

Gari Melcher's Home

Gari Melcher's Studio

Gari Melcher's Actual Studio

After lunch in the charming colonial town of Fredericksburg, we stopped for a tour of the Apothecary Shop owned by Dr. Hugh Mercer in the 1700’s when some of George Washington’s family was living and working in this area. He was both the doctor and the pharmacist taking care of their health needs. Our guides, dressed in costume, took us back in time to witness the medical practices of the time. We got a little squeamish as we heard about the popular practices of the day and are glad we are further along in the medical world today.

Dr. Mercer's Patient Room

A Water Filter!
Water would filter through a lime comtainer into a bucket below.

Christy repowdering her wig after her treatment with Dr. Mercer

Next was the Rising Sun Tavern owned by George Washington’s youngest brother Charles. Once again the guides were in costume and did a great job taking us back in time. Each of these tours makes the reality of living in the 1700’s a tiny bit more real. They told us the derivation of so many sayings like “putting your right foot forward.” Men’s boots were made without a left or right. Their foot would eventually form the boot to their feet. With both feet looking the same they didn’t want to get them mixed up. The boots would be hung on an interesting looking boot holder with the right boot over the left. There was room for five or six men’s boots on the rack. We also saw the bar with “bars” surrounding it to keep the server from being hit with plates flying though the air. The words we use today for the bar, barkeep and bartender all come from old time taverns. The list went on and on and most of them were new to us. It is so interesting to hear the customs of the time back then. We saw the tavern room for the men of the middle and lower classes in the back, the nice dining room for the upper class men, and the room for the women. Of course women were not allowed in the rooms with the men and had their own room. If they needed to use the “necessary” a necessary chair would be brought from up stairs for the woman to use. They would provide a bible for her to read if she didn’t bring her own or her needlework. No idle hands allowed. They were actually locked in so there would be no improprieties taking place. Upstairs was a sleeping room for women and a separate room for men plus a bedroom for a wealthy gentleman. The men and women would sleep sitting up leaning against a wall. These “proper” taverns were spaced 50 miles apart. It meant hitting the road at 4:00 in the morning and arriving in time for dinner at the next tavern. I can’t begin to write down all that we learned.

The Rising Sun Tavern

Before heading home, we stopped at Carl’s for and ice cream. Carl opened up for business in 1947 and the place has been serving frozen custard from his Electro Freeze machine ever since. We found out that frozen custard has more eggs than ice cream. We love it! By the size of the line we aren’t the only ones!

Carl's Frozen Custard - Yummy
A new favorite!