Bringing Back Sligo

Monthly Archives: December 2019

• The Battle of Fredericksburg at Sligo Part I

  Posted at 9:55 pm by bringingbacksligo, on December 15, 2019

  As we all know writing about military battles, people, etc. is not my forté.  There’s something about reading the specifics of battles that make my eyes go cross and I quickly lose interest.  This is not to say that I don’t love history because clearly I do.  I think it has to do with the abundant use of cardinal directions and military terms such as “flank” which I think means rear because that’s what it means in most other circumstances but I could be wrong.  I digress.  The point is, I’m going to make an attempt to write about the Battle(s) of Fredericksburg at Sligo and the Ferneyhough family who would have been the occupants at that time.

  The Battle of Fredericksburg took place from the 11th through the 15th of December, 1862 and I made the judicious decision to go ahead and skip to the end because you all who are Civil War history buffs will absolutely scream in rage if I try and write anything more.  So, in the end it was a decidedly Confederate victory as the Union faced problems almost from the beginning when the pontoon bridges necessary to cross the Rappahannock did not arrive in time.  One interesting tidbit related to the Battle of Fredericksburg is that it was the first battle to take place in an urban environment in the history of the United States and, despite the urban setting (and the looting by the Union), there were only four civilian deaths reported during this time.

  A few years back we lived on Sunken Road and planned a Christmas party to introduce our friends to our second newly born and to say “good bye” as we were getting ready to move to Jacksonville, North Carolina (aka, the “Armpit of America” but ask me how I really feel).  Without realizing it we had planned our party for the same day as the 150th anniversary as the Battle of Fredericksburg.  Let me tell you, you know you live in a special town when you look out your window and can witness an entire reenactment taking place as you down your wine in a red solo cup (because we keep it classy).

  

  I wasn’t sure if I should tell them I had a GPS that might help them find their way…

   

  I digress, again.  You guys need to help me stay on track.  Anyway, it turns out, December 1862 was not the first, or last, time Fredericksburg would be witness to the horrors of war.  In the spring of 1863, the Chancellorsville Campaign began (“campaign” meaning something different from “battle” and which I have yet to figure out)  and which encompassed a second battle at Fredericksburg.  Considering the location of Sligo (just south of the city and directly on the Rappahannock) it should come as no surprise that the Ferneyhoughs were in the thick of the fighting from the first battle of Fredericksburg and on…

  Posted in Ferneyhough, History, Life, Wars | 1 Comment

• A Progress Report

  Posted at 1:43 pm by bringingbacksligo, on December 13, 2019

  Yikes!  Why didn’t someone tell me it has been six weeks since I last wrote a blog post…and even then it wasn’t much of a post.  I was planning on writing something about the Civil War in Fredericksburg and how it affected the Ferneyhough family at Sligo but maybe I’ll take a minute to catch everyone up on how things are progressing at the house.

  In November we had an open house tour given by the Historical Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI).  About 100 people showed up and, I think, all were delighted with the tour and the state of the house.  My mother-in-law went on the tour hoping to go “incognito” which she was for all of two seconds and then she was accosted by my girls screaming “Grammy! Grammy!”  Regardless, she was absolutely thrilled with the tour given by HFFI which included historical aspects of the home and surrounding area, the families that have lived in it, and our plans for the future of the house.  I enjoyed meeting some of the folks at the end of the tour and even learned some new information about Sligo.  For instance, the property wasn’t on city water until the early 1980s.  I was surprised at that.  I also learned that General Thomas Posey and his second wife, Mary Alexander, likely might have lived at the property as when Mary Alexander’s first husband passed away he would have left his estates to the children.

  Over these last few months the progress on the top two floors of the house has progressed rapidly.  The bathrooms are all but complete and the bedrooms have been painted and light fixtures installed.  On the first floor the kitchen still has some work until completion but that is because one cabinet was damaged in transit and one cabinet not delivered at all.  We have made decisions on just about everything else such as light fixtures for the downstairs rooms and the appliances for the kitchen.

  In the basement the apartment is starting to take shape.  The walls for the bathroom are up and the  windows are being repaired.  The brick has been repointed and where there were dirt floors is now cement.  The HVAC system, which is the same mini split system as on the top two floors, has been installed and electrical wiring is run.  The addition of insulation in the ceiling has given the basement a more cozy feeling and while its still a little dark and scary it won’t be for long.

  The grounds are in desperate need of work but until the trucks are done driving in and out it seems rather pointless to try and do anything.  Also, its cold and currently its raining and I have a sleeping pooch next to me so the last thing that sounds like fun to me right now is yard work.  Also, did I mention how many times I got poison ivy this past summer just by looking at the yard?  No less than five times and all of varying degrees of intensity.

  We are hoping to move into the house by January which we are all ready for.  I never would have guessed we would still be living with my mom nearly 1.5 years later.  She probably didn’t expect that either.  Sorry, mom.

  Posted in Basement, Contractors, Grounds, Life, Main House | 1 Comment

• Recent Posts

  • The Big Move February 13, 2020
  • The Battle of Fredericksburg at Sligo Part II January 3, 2020
  • Happy New Year, 2020! January 1, 2020
  • The Battle of Fredericksburg at Sligo Part I December 15, 2019
  • A Progress Report December 13, 2019
  • Tour Sligo with HFFI October 31, 2019

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  @highland_and_victorian was asking for pictures of pocket doors and I realized that I have never described the enormity of ours. Just one door is 9 feet tall and 4 feet 7 inches wide. When they open the floor rumbles. What on Earth could a person need with such giant doors, I'll never know, but they're awesome. (Please excuse the mess in the red room, it's one of the last rooms to be unpacked.) #bringingbacksligo #victorian #italianate #pocketdoors #fredericksburgva #restoration #renovation

  This week's #52weeksofhome theme is "lighting." When we purchased Sligo all of the fixtures had either been vandalized or were dated (but not in an antique way). Therefore, all of our lighting is new and from various stores. #bringingbacksligo #restoration #renovation #victorian #italianate #potterybarnwarehouse #potterybarn #lampsplus #bellacour #wayfair #modernlighting #oldhouse #52weeksofhome #52weeksofhomeweek7

  This basketball shaped fuzzy beast is Lasagna, Sligo's bird watcher and occasional bug killer. She's acclamated quickly and has already claimed her favorite sunny spots (though the sun has been in hiding for the better part of the week). #bringingbacksligo #restoration #renovation #italianate #victorian #lasagnathecat #dilutetortie #birdwatching #catsofinstagram

  I just noticed this for the first time during one of my many trips up from the basement. It's an unfinished edge of the floor boards and I thought it was neat that you could see the tongue and groove (is that the correct terminology?). I also like how worn the wood is to the left of the picture. #bringingbacksligo #italianate #victorian #restoration #renovation #finds #fredericksburgva

  What's that saying? It has to get worse before it can get better? I think we're there. (This isn't even all of the boxes. We still have the master bedroom and boxes of books to unpack 😭😭😭😭😭) #bringingbacksligo #italianate #victorian #fredericksburgva #restoration #renovation #movingistheworst

  This week's #52weeksofhome theme is "Self portrait" and this, folks, is me from last night. I'm wearing what may or may not be pajamas and spent the entire day unpacking, sorting, organizing, moving boxes, mommying, cooking, running, driving, and shopping. I took 5 minutes before bed to use the Oasis eye mask and would have stayed there for the rest of the night but decided my bed would be much more comfortable. #bringingbacksligo #italianate #victorian #fredericksburgva #renovation #restoration #movingistheworst #neveragain #52weeksofhome #52weeksofhomeweek6