Stafford County Parks and Recreation

Stafford County Parks and Recreation

Across from Fredericksburg on the Rappahannock River in Stafford County is Ferry Farm. It was George Washington’s childhood home from 1738-1754, and the place where our first president at age six couldn’t lie to his father after chopping down a prized cherry tree. George Washington left Ferry Farm to work as a surveyor west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 1774 Mary Ball Washington (mother) moved to a home in Fredericksburg purchased for her by George Washington. Ferry Farm was sold to Dr. Hugh Mercer. But he never occupied it due to his service as a Brigadier General in the Revolutionary War. In 1777 he was killed at the Battle of Princeton and became a symbol of American bravery for the Continental Army. The Union Army of the Potomac used Ferry Farm as a winter camp and crossing point over the Rappahannock River during the… Continue reading →