Historic Kenmore

Welcome to Historic Kenmore, a spectacular embodiment of colonial ambition, architectural refinement, and the complex realities of the American Revolution. As you stand before this stately brick manor, you are looking at a home…

As we begin our exploration upon the grounds of Historic Kenmore, it requires a robust imagination to fully reconcile the manicured landscape we observe today with the sprawling, multifaceted plantation of the late eighteenth…

As we approach the utilitarian entrances and traverse the rear pathways of the estate, we must turn our analytical focus to the immense human engine that powered Fielding and Betty Lewis's colonial enterprise. The refined…

Stepping through the grand entryway, we cross a pivotal threshold into the central passage of Historic Kenmore. In the eighteenth century, this wide, airy corridor served as the primary circulatory artery of the home, a…

Entering the first room to the left of the central passage, we find ourselves in the master bed chamber. While its location on the primary entertaining floor may seem unusual to modern sensibilities, in the eighteenth century, a…

We now transition across the central passage into what architectural historians widely regard as one of the most magnificent and important colonial-era interiors remaining in the United States: the Kenmore dining room. This room…

Moving sequentially from the dining room, we enter the drawing room, an exquisitely vibrant space that functioned as the primary living area and the pulsating heart of the Lewis family's daily existence. If the dining room was…

Our final stop within the main house brings us into Fielding Lewis's private office. This relatively modest space was Fielding's personal retreat, the nerve center from which he managed his sprawling mercantile empire and, later,…

As we conclude our comprehensive exploration of Historic Kenmore, it is profoundly moving to reflect upon the ultimate fate of Fielding and Betty Washington Lewis, and the complex legacy they left behind. Their story is a stark…