Bringing Back Sligo

Category: Grounds

• Fridays, Amirite?!

  Posted at 12:44 am by bringingbacksligo, on April 25, 2020

  How’s your Friday going?  I mean, it’s practically over now but it could get better…or worse?  I don’t know what I’m rambling on about and I’ll just cut to the chase and tell you about my Friday because my Friday culminated in a baby opossum rescue.

  Today started off as any other day in recent times.  Though I have found that by Fridays my zest for “homeschooling” has faded and I find myself letting the girls watch TV and play on their tablets while feeding them pizza bagels for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  So, by 2:00 this afternoon I was ready for a nap (obviously, I had really given my all at this point in the day) and sent the girls outside to play.  Not but a few minutes later and they came running in excitedly telling me that the dogs had found an animal in the yard.  For a split second I was irritated that my nap had been interrupted but they sounded serious so I got up to see what the fuss was about.

  If I had really been paying attention I would have heard Gus the ol’ hound dog barking his head off.  In my defense he’s been known to wander into a thick brush and just stand there barking.  We’re never sure if he’s barking at something or barking because he doesn’t know how to get out.  In other words, I’ve learned to tune him out.  Axel doesn’t really bark because his breed is meant to be a bit more stealthy and so between the two dogs they make quite the pair with Gus barking his head off and Axel just standing there with one paw slightly raised in a very lackadaisical point.  It should be stated that at no point in time have I seen either of them actually harm another animal though our cat, Lasagna, would probably disagree on principle.

  So, back to the opossums.  I glance out a window and see that, indeed, there is an unidentified animal in the yard and Gus is barking at it while Axel excitedly prances around.  I quickly put on my shoes and run outside because from afar it truly looks like our aforementioned cat, Lasagna, lying prone in the grass.  As I get closer though I realize it’s an opossum (by the way, “opossums” are native to the United States and Canada and “possums” are native to Australia).  As I stand there in shock I can see the opossums belly squirming and without knowing a lick about the animal I immediately knew it was a momma opossum with babies in her pouch.

  It’s obvious the momma opossum is hurt.  She has a bit of blood on her left backside and is barely breathing.  I look around the area that she is lying and I see a few tufts of fur as well as two dead baby opossums.  It’s starting to look like one, or both, of the dogs had a hand in this chaos.  After securing Axel in the house I tell the girls to run and get their Aunt Eleis because, believe it or not, she has experience in baby opossum rescue.  Upon her arrival we both begin making phone calls and are finally directed to Karen with Awesome ‘Possumz and, let me be honest, she’s awesome.  I left a message on Karen’s phone and within minutes received a call back.  She asked me to snap a few pictures of the opossum and of the babies to get a better idea of what was going on.

  

  Momma opossum with two babies in her pouch.

  After Karen saw the photos of the momma she told me that she felt she was doing what opossums do best; she was playing “possum.”  Karen said that if we all moved away and gave the momma some space she might get up and move off.  If she didn’t move in half an hour then I was to call her back and we would take it from there.  I swear not but five minutes after hanging up the phone with Karen that momma opossum popped her head up, looked around, and started moving.  Unfortunately, she was clearly very injured as she dragged her back legs a bit and then eventually limped off.  The direction in which she headed was straight towards the soccer fields so I felt confident she was merely hiding in the brush along the edge of the property but after scouting around for 20 minutes with no sign of her I gave up.  Feeling a little deflated because the momma was so hurt and I really didn’t know how to help her (or find her) I went back to the house to see if the girls would help bury the two dead babies.

  Excitedly, because my children can be weirdos at times, they agreed to the task and ran outside to claim a baby opossum to bury.  As we walked towards the babies Axel bolted by us and quickly discovered the first live baby opossum.  It would seem that he dropped out of his momma’s pouch when she took off.  If you look at the picture above I’m guessing it’s the little guy who’s butt is hanging out beneath the head of his sibling.  The joy we all felt when we saw that little guy was so overwhelming.  I quickly called Karen (for no less than the millionth time) and told her we had found a live baby.  We put him in a box, bundled in towels and waited for further instructions.

  

  Poor little guy had a wound on his right side which made me think the dog was involved.

  By this point in the day we had reached our daily porch sitting time.  Grandma has been coming around to visit on the porch (maintaining proper distance) and the girls were beyond excited to share the news with her.  As we were sitting, chatting I commented on Axel and his point.  Generally he gets excited about a bird so I didn’t think much of it but I like watching him do something that comes naturally so I continued to watch.  Just a few seconds later another baby opossum came running out of some branches we had taken down weeks earlier.  He was in a totally different area from where the momma had been and where she had gone and therefore he took us totally by surprise.  Axel was definitely ready to “play” with him as all of us: me, both girls, Grandma, and Aunt Eleis frantically screamed at the dog to leave the baby alone.  I quickly retrieved the baby and ran him to his sibling.

  

  And then there were two…

  The girls were absolutely enamored though stopped short of naming them.  For a split second the thought of keeping them crossed everyone’s mind (with the exception of the men) but we knew the right thing to do was take them to be rehabilitated and released.  So, off to Awesome ‘Possumz we went: me, my two girls, and our two new furry friends.  I couldn’t imagine not bringing the girls with me despite the current crisis and I am so glad I did because Karen wowed us with her rehabilitation center.  There were our two babies who were joined with a single baby opossum that had come in the night before, 10 baby opossums snuggled up together and greedily eating their food, a momma opossum with her seven(!) babies, five feisty baby squirrels waiting for release, and two adult opossums who are ambassadors for their kind and quite honestly, the girls and I left smitten.

  I am worried about the momma opossum and where she might have wandered off.  While we were gone taking the babies to their new home Aunt Eleis said she heard the dogs making a commotion a few times and came out to check but didn’t see anything.  I hope the momma is OK though judging by the way she limped away I don’t have high hopes.  I am glad we were able to rescue at least two of the babies and we were in the right place at the right time for both of them.  In the end, we did eventually get around to burying the poor babies that didn’t survive and they now rest peacefully under an oak tree with a sturdy stone to protect them.

  

  “Pore” possums indeed.

  I cannot stress enough what a great program Karen has.  If you find an injured opossum, are interested in learning more about opossums, or learning about Karen’s education program please check out her website:  https://www.awesomepossumz.com/ or call 1-703-772-2766.

   

  Posted in Animals, Grounds, Injuries, Life | 1 Comment

• Ol’ Gus

  Posted at 10:13 pm by bringingbacksligo, on February 27, 2020

  I’m frequently inspired to write about the galoots in my life.  While Marcus tends to be my muse most of the time, occasionally I find inspiration elsewhere.  Today, that inspiration is drawn from ol’ Gus the dog.

  Gus is the peeping hound dog that lives at the Cottage with his people:  My brother-in-law and his wife and son.  Gus is a fan of sun bathing, barking at seemingly nothing, sniffing the entire acre and a half, and peeping through our kitchen windows at dinner time (I think he likes to pretend he’s living his old, orphan life to remind himself how good he has it now).  He also will romp for about 10 seconds with Axel and then he’s good for the rest of the day.

  Another favorite past time ol’ Gus has is escaping through the front gate every chance he gets.  He has an uncanny ability to be across the yard and know that the gate has been opened.  While our ultimate goal is for the gate to be mechanized it isn’t as of yet and that has proven to be a challenge for keeping Gus contained.  Frequently what happens is, a person unfamiliar with Gus will drive through the gate and fail to close it behind them.  Also, because we like to channel the Clampetts, the gate has to be bungeed closed so that the wind does not blow it open and this is often forgotten which results in an escape.

  If you are not familiar with our area we live off of a fairly busy, four lane road.  We chose to fence-in the entire acre and half in order to be able to enjoy it completely and feel that our children and animals are protected.  It turns out, though, that it isn’t our own children or animal that needs protecting because they are trained to stay within their boundaries.  Gus, on the other hand, is just an old boy who was rescued not even knowing how to eat out of a bowl let alone know what a boundary is.

  Somehow, he has managed to walk out of the gate and make it across all four lanes of traffic; he’s walked about a mile away to the Bowman Center; I found him one time leading the way for a gentleman through the neighborhood across the street; he’s been found hanging out at Dixon Park; plus, he’s received at least one or two rides home with kind strangers.  It helps that he is a slow mover so I suppose the few times he has crossed in front of traffic it’s like having to stop for a family of geese crossing which gives motorists time to react.

  This is all to say that we are working on a solution for containing Gus.  Until then, keep an eye out for a old, plodding hound dog on Dixon.

  

  Gus, the escape artist

  Posted in Animals, Grounds, Life | 0 Comments

• The Battle of Fredericksburg at Sligo Part II

  Posted at 5:02 pm by bringingbacksligo, on January 3, 2020

  Here it is folks, how Sligo and the Ferneyhough family were affected by the Battle of Fredericksburg.  I know, I know.  You all have been waiting with baited breath for this installment.  I, too, have been waiting for it.

  So, for a refresher the Fredericksburg Campaign took place during December 1862, the Chancellorsville Campaign which took place during May 1863, and a third battle in June 1863 which was the beginning of the Battle of Fairfax.  All of these battles affected Sligo.  You can also check out Part I of this post which gives a little bit more detail (just a little).  At this point in time Sligo was occupied by Eliza Ferneyhough, widow of John R Ferneyhough Jr who had died in 1860, and their children:  Thomas Gilbert (John Ferneyhough Jr’s adult son from his first marriage to Mary Frances Gilbert), George (as in George Thrift who would later build our Sligo), Sallie, and Fannie Chesley (a granddaughter).

  Noel Harrison states that Sligo was situated “behind the Union front line during…December 1862 and May 1863 Battles of Fredericksburg and between the opposing front lines during the June 1863 engagement near Fredericksburg” (1995, Fredericksburg Civil War Sites, Vol 2, p. 102).  I like how succinctly he wrote that because I have spent literally hours looking cross-eyed at all of the documentation I have and not comprehending a word.  In the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of Virginia Historical Inventory of Sligo (Site) it is reported that the Federals used the house in 1862 as a hospital and drilled and were quartered around the property (Deaderick, 2 June 1937).  With that being said, the WPA of Sligo (Home Site) states that Confederate soldiers were quartered in the house during December 1862 (Deaderick, 14 June 1937).  So, I guess no matter which way you look at it, Sligo was in the thick of it.

  

  Sketch of the Battle of Fredericksburg, 13 December 1862 (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/109182787) which shows the Union lines in blue and Confederate lines in red. The “Ferryhough” house is depicted and I drew a red circle around it for easier detection.

  The WPA of Sligo (Home Site) gives an account of how George (remember George, the son of Eliza) listened-in on the plans of the Confederate soldiers quartered in his home and ran to tell his mother.  The family quickly gathered their belongings and left.  After the Battle of Fredericksburg they returned to discover the house ransacked and a threat from the Union soldiers that they would hang George who was a 2nd Lieutenant in the boys Military Company of Fredericksburg.  After this the Ferneyhough family moved to Richmond and did not return to Sligo until 1865.  Unfortunately, they returned to find the house in disrepair.  All but one secondary building had been burned and much of the farming equipment thrown into the well. (Deaderick, 14 June 1937)

  I was having a conversation with my girls the other day about what it might be like to have to leave everything behind because soldiers were coming and it wasn’t safe anymore.  Their eyes grew big and they had many questions including who was the good guy and who was the bad guy (good question with many implications and I explained it as best as I could at an eight and seven year old level), how many lovies could a person bring, and (most importantly) what about the farm animals and pets?  We decided that the soldiers probably used or took the farm animals and we hoped the Ferneyhoughs were able to bring their pets.

  I want to remind everyone that the WPAs weren’t exactly thoroughly researched and a lot of the information was conjecture or word-of-mouth.  We do, however, have accounts of soldiers who write of Sligo.  One particularly interesting letter written by a soldier of the 122nd New York Infantry during the June 1863 battle describes how Confederate sharpshooters used Sligo as a “den” and shot at the Union lines (Harrison, 1995, Fredericksburg Civil War Sites, Vol 2, p. 103).  I imagine anyone with a metal detector reading this right now is probably salivating; there’s surely something left in the ground.

  So, there it is.  The Civil War at Sligo.  It took me a while to sit down and write this because 1.  Every time I write about the Ferneyhough family I have to log into my Ancestry.com account and look at my previous emails between myself and our Dovetail consultant in an effort to piece together who was who (and in an effort to be as accurate as possible). and 2.  The information is in pieces and scattered about and it took a minute to organize myself.  Lucky for you the children are out for the day and it’s raining so what else did I have to do?

   

  Posted in Ferneyhough, Grounds, History, Main House, 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

• Another Fun Read!

  Posted at 5:35 pm by bringingbacksligo, on September 25, 2019

  I have a surprise for you!  Shortly after I posted the information about Mrs. Scott-Johnson I was contacted by a great granddaughter of P.L. Shannon!  I had been secretly hoping someone from the Shannon family would reach out to me without me having to turn full stalker and see who I could find and for that I am truly grateful.

  So, without further ado, I will share with you what she wrote and it is all very interesting (if you’re as interested in Sligo’s history as I am, anyway).  We even get the answers to a few questions such as why Sligo ceased operating as a farm and who built the cottage (gah!!!).

  Note:  I have joined two emails into one so as to streamline the information.  Also, because I am a nerd who likes to make life harder than it should be.

  I wish I had more memories for you but I was pretty young at the time. Here’s  what I remember:

  I am the oldest of Price’s 3 biological great-granddaughters. I raised at least one steer for 4-H on the property and was encouraged to be a “farm girl.” My sisters are probably too young to have spent much time on the property and additionally were encouraged to join other in-town activities, such as Girl Scouts, instead of building memories on the farm. I was born in 1951, and my sisters were born in 1954 (after Price died) and 1958. I am probably your best resource from my family and glad to help if I can.

  Price’s 3rd wife Mollie had the daughter who lived near Baltimore. I have kept in touch with Mollie’s grandchildren, most of whom live in California. After Price’s death, Mollie lived at Kenmore Lodge on Princess Anne St. for years until she moved to her daughter’s. The farm house was then used as the farm manager’s residence. The manager I remember was Jimmy Linton. I do not remember the interior of the house, possibly because I was so little/because of its use as the manager’s residence.

  The long term employee’s name I believe was Tunston (spelling?) Scott. I remember vaguely seeing him still working when I was little. I remember he was very well thought of…A valued person who helped at the farm for many years (part of the farm “family”). Mrs. Scott-Johnson’s part of the blog was fascinating and her memories excellent!

  The rectangle building across from the main house was built by my father as his farm office. The cattle buildings were at the back of the lane behind the main house and office. When I was little, the farm was an active Angus breeding operation. Some of the cattle were shown as far away as Chicago. Others were raised for their beef. My parents were part of the Virginia Angus Association and community. I remember Angus auctions being held at the farm. The cattle auctions on the property were an “event.” Cattlemen from all over the state would come to make bids. I remember the auctioneer with his “auctioneer-style” language (nonstop fast bidding technique)…it was fascinating to listen to.

  As I remember, the office was white painted wood siding with shutters (possibly dark green) (Note from Lauren:  It would have matched the paint color of Sligo at the time). As I remember, my father’s office was a room in the back (straight back from the door) (Another note from Lauren:  Now it is a kitchen). The front room housed a farm secretary’s desk and file cabinets. The location of the office was across from the farm house…maybe set a little farther down the lane…but near the house. There was also a chicken coop behind the main house. It was definitely a fully operating farm property.

  Price was good friends with Henry Warden in West Virginia, where Price originally lived. Price and Henry both moved to Fredericksburg around 1900. Henry Warden owned the adjacent farm Hazel Hill. Price and Henry continued to be good friends after their move to Fredericksburg. Price lost his leg in a farming accident and had a prosthesis.

  Apparently Sligo was originally purchased around 1900 by my other great-grandfather Henry Warden as part of a group of land parcels. As I said…Henry lived at Hazel Hill, an adjacent farm, and my guess is that both properties were operated together with Price’s help. Price’s son Sidney Sr. married Henry’s daughter Grace. Grace died when my father Sidney Jr. was born, and Sligo became part of her estate. I do not know when the property was officially transferred to Price, but regardless of the name on the title, Price was its “owner” and resident from the early 1900’s. I do know my father dearly loved Price, who helped raise my father, after Grace’s death.

  My father…moved back to town about 1949 to help Price run the farm. Sometime around 1960 (as I remember) the farm was annexed into the city, which made it unfeasible to continue to be operated as a farm. The Angus operation was moved to other property owned by my father and the Sligo property was eventually sold. The name of the cattle operation, at least when my father was involved, was Lee Hill Farm (separate from your Sligo house designation). The Hazel Hill and Sligo farm properties extended from where the Hazel Hill Apartments now stand all the way to Sylvania Plant as fields and pastures and probably as far back as the river…i.e. that entire side of the road.

  I wish you had seen the farm with its cattle.  It was a beautiful setting.  One memory:  One of the Angus bulls at the farm often grazed in the front field next to the road (across from the main house and in front of the office). He would sit on his haunches like a dog…very unusual for a bull…and he was nicknamed “Sitting Bull!”

  Posted in Cottage, Grounds, History, Main House, Shannon | 0 Comments

• Mrs. Scott-Johnson

  Posted at 8:24 pm by bringingbacksligo, on August 29, 2019

  A few weeks after connecting with the various grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. Scott I had the pleasure of actually meeting Mrs. Annette Scott-Johnson who had fond memories of Sligo as a little girl. She, her husband, and their daughter came to Sligo, curious to see it all of these many years later. I was met with such warmth I immediately felt at ease, as if meeting up with my own family and I was absolutely thrilled to take them through the house.

  As we toured Sligo Mrs. Scott-Johnson would describe what she remembered about various parts of the house and the Shannon family who employed her family for many, many years.  Below is a transcript of my telephone conversation with Mrs. Scott-Johnson on July 26th and posted with her permission. The sentences in parenthesis are my own interjections and explanations.

  “Grandfather worked for the Shannon’s as a handyman for 52 years. (I was later told that their grandfather would receive a new truck from the Shannon’s every year because he was constantly driving to their many farms which were located at Sligo, where Central Park is today, and on Landsdowne Road.) At that time I was around five or six years old when I can remember and I, used to being the oldest grandchild, I lived next door to him so I was at that farmhouse at least four days a week. My grandmother worked there as a cook. So he would go in the mornings and there were a couple of cows he would milk and he would come home and have breakfast and pick-up my grandmother and take her over.

  The side porch where you come into the farm we always came in on the side porch and that’s where Mr. Shannon always sat and I would sit out there and talk with him waiting for my grandmother to finish work. (Mrs. Scott-Johnson remembers as a child wishing she had a bike and mentioning it to her grandmother in the vicinity of Mr. Shannon. Next thing she knew she had a shiny new bike waiting for her.) I don’t know after the house was sold if people made modifications because the house sat vacant and the people before you everyone said were hippies because they painted it kind of a pink and yellow color. Before it was a nice, pretty, white house.

  The last time I was in the house was 1952 or 1953 (the year she graduated from high school) after the first people bought it, it was looking kinda hippy from the highway. I can tell you how the house looked when I went over as a child. When you came off the side porch the kitchen was to the right (which means the kitchen was in the small addition at the back of the house and was tiny) and the dinning room was to the left. To me it was huge, because I was a kid. Mr. Shannon sat at the head of the table so he could see out the door.  (Mrs. Scott-Johnson even remembered where she would sit at the table when she was visiting with the grandchildren of the Shannon’s.)

  If you walked straight it was a small hall and a bathroom to the left and then you made a left and that was a big wide hall. Mr. Shannon never slept upstairs because he was heavy and had a bad leg (I later was told that he may have had a prosthetic leg) and right there they had a bedroom and past his bedroom was another room they considered the living room and then it was the front porch. Around April or May 1953 they had Mr. Shannon’s body on display in that wide hall.

  I didn’t go upstairs much because it was Mr. and Mrs. Shannon living in the house but I understand he had been married three times. The second wife, Molly, she suggested my name “Annette Marie” (after the Canadian Dionne quintuplets born around the same time). We had a relationship with them for years because…I’ll be 84 years old. (She said she would play with Mrs. Shannon’s daughter’s children who came from Baltimore and that’s the only time she would be upstairs.)

  I spent my time inside and John (her cousin who still lives across the street in Mayfield) spent more time outside.

  (She moved away in 1955) but up until 1990 I was down there every week and then after my mother got sick I was down there every Thursday for 10 years. And as the years went by the shrubs grew up and the house started looking worse. It was a beautiful place when I was a little girl. (She was born on the 31st of July,just celebrating her 84th birthday).

  Where the pool is now it was a wheat and hay field. At the interchange that was a big field and that’s where they had the Angus cows. There was nothing on that side of the highway but the Shannon farm. The Sylvania plant down to the left of the swimming pool all of that was just all open field. So it has really, really grown down in that area.”

  

  Mrs. Annette Scott-Johnson, August 16th 2019, standing off the side steps of Sligo. Where the two white chairs sit on the porch is where Mr. Shannon would sit, watching the comings and goings of the farm.

  .

  Posted in Grounds, History, Main House, Shannon | 2 Comments

• The Wonder of the Internet

  Posted at 1:49 pm by bringingbacksligo, on August 26, 2019

  It’s a funny thing, the Internet.  There is a negative side of the Internet, a side that would have you believe the world is full of nothing but hate.  There is also a positive side of the Internet, a side that reminds us the world is still full of a lot of good.  Undoubtedly, it’s because of the Internet, and how small the world has become as a result, that we are acutely aware of both the good and the bad in the world.  Lucky for you, this a story of the good Internet and a story of personal growth because I have come to realize the Lauren who existed only a few short years ago is not the Lauren who exists today.

  For some reason, nighttime for me is prime Interneting time.  It’s a time when I do my writing, my researching, my Facebook stalking perusing, my Instagraming, etc.  I don’t know why this is but I think it stems from when the girls were really little and nighttime was the only time I had for quiet.  Regardless, it’s a bad habit because sometimes I will read something that gets me really worked up and keeps me from falling asleep.  Or, in this case, I read something and I get so excited I immediately email our Dovetail consultant because Marcus is asleep and even if he was awake he wouldn’t be excited because he shows the same amount of emotion awake as he does asleep.

  Earlier this year I joined a group on Facebook called “You’re Probably From Fredericksburg If…” in an attempt to learn more about Sligo and the Cottage.  I don’t really follow this particular group very closely and as a result it’s rare that a post will show-up on my news feed.  But one night, right before bed, there was a post shared from the Shannon Airport Facebook page about a group of cousins who had gathered at the museum.  These cousins were the grandchildren of a married couple who worked for the Shannon family.  This caught my attention because the Shannon family owned Sligo for about 50 to 60 years in the early 20th century.

  As if that weren’t interesting enough the cousins had shared pictures of their grandmother and grandfather.  As I perused the old, sepia toned pictures I immediately recognized that the grandmother was standing just off the side steps of Sligo.  I have spent many days now standing in almost that exact same spot and there was no mistaken the cut of the sidewalk or the little bit of hand rail that can be seen.

  

  Mrs. Annie Hamm Scott standing just off the side porch steps of Sligo.  The water tower and most of the outbuildings in the background are no longer there.  (Photo retrieved from Shannon Airport Facebook page and property of the family of Mr. and Mrs. John Scott.)

  When I saw that picture I was so excited I immediately emailed our Dovetail consultant (as I stated earlier).  She probably thought I was nuts because it was about 10:00 at night and it definitely could have waited until the next day.  Regardless, we both agreed it matched previous descriptions and fire insurance maps of Sligo.  It was at this point that I decided to do something so outside of my comfort zone that I surprised myself:  I contacted the Shannon Airport Facebook page and asked if they would please pass my information on to the cousins in hopes that one of them would be willing to share what they knew about Sligo.

  The old Lauren would have been terrified to put herself out there.  I mean, the worst that could happen would be nobody would ever contact me and I would cry myself to sleep wondering what I did wrong and life would continue as is.  But, that’s not what happened.  Within hours of my message exchange with Shannon Airport I received a call from Mr. White, one of the cousins.  We had such a nice conversation and it turned out he had done some previous work on getting a church on the National Historic Registry so we had that in common.  However, he had not spent much time (if any) at Sligo and so he gave me his cousin’s name and number and whom he had already communicated with and was expecting my call.  All of a sudden I found myself in communication with perfect (lovely) strangers who didn’t know me at all but were willing to share their stories and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity.

   

  Posted in Grounds, History, Main House, Shannon | 1 Comment

• Sligo as a Hospital

  Posted at 7:39 pm by bringingbacksligo, on July 18, 2019

  To continue our lecture on the fact and fiction of Sligo we now turn to the hospital stories.  If you read the Works Progress Administration (WPA) report or any other articles regarding the house you will find that the previous home at Sligo was a Revolutionary War hospital, a hospital for the local Gunnery Factory, a smallpox hospital, a Civil War hospital, a hospital just for the sake of being a hospital, and a doll hospital because, why not?  That last bit isn’t true, just so you know (sarcasm can be hard to get across when writing).

  I have found a few definitive instances of Sligo being used as a smallpox hospital.  According to Quinn, in 1790 and 1792 the sick were quarantined at Sligo and attended to by a Dr. Brooke and Dr. Kerr (The History of the City of Fredericksburg Virginia, p. 66).  Also, Deaderick did use a legitimate source in her WPA report for Sligo when she cited Council Minutes from 22 June 1796:  “…the Overseers of the Poor be requested to rent the house at ‘Sligo,’ at present occupied as a hospital, to be used as such for one year, and that Dr. Kerr be requested to attend the said hospital when it shall be necessary” (WPA, Sligo – Site, 2 June 1937).  In a few of the reports it states that the house is unoccupied before being commissioned as a hospital and I am not sure what that means exactly.  It does, however, confirm my belief that some people owned the land but never lived there (that’s a post for another day as it is still very much a work in progress as I try to determine who was who and where and when and why and sometimes how).

  A third instance of the house being used as a hospital comes from the City of Fredericksburg’s Historic Court Records archive online (https://www.fredericksburgva.gov/998/Historic-Court-Records) and is written as follows:

  A notice issued this morning calling all the magistrates together to fix upon a site proper for the establishment of an hospital for the diseased with the smallpox, when it was unanimously agreed (present: Robert Lewis, Mayor; William Gordon, Recorder; William J. Roberts; John Hart; and, William Allen, J.P.) that the house now unoccupied belonging to John Ferneyhough near the banks of the Rappahannock below the Hazle Run be immediately prepared for the reception of the sick – that a guard of two men be employed to watch night & day alternately to prevent any communication with the neighborhood & town & to prevent all intercourse with the hospital unless it be by the nurse, physician & those who furnish diet to the sick. At a meeting of the Common Hall yesterday (Present: Thomas Goodwin; William Gordon; Robert Parrott; Henry T. Phillips; Robert Mackay; Joseph Walker; Charles Austin; and, Robert Ellis) to take into consideration the propriety of providing by appropriation for the sick & diseased with the smallpox in the natural way. It was ordered that one hundred dollars be set apart for the purpose & that the Mayor be directed to draw for the same at his discretion for the above purposes.

  I have yet to confirm if the house was truly used as a hospital during any of the wars it has witnessed.  During the Civil War in particular, I find it hard to believe that it was used as a hospital because the Union soldiers looted and ransacked the property after the Ferneyhoughs fled.  It’s also really only speculation that it was a doll hospital however, there were approximately nine little girls (perhaps more) born and raised at the property so one could assume it admitted quite a few injured dollies.  So, despite the concrete evidence for some of the mentions of the house as a hospital, it is safe to say that Sligo has seen it’s fair share of sickness and sadness.

  Posted in Grounds, History, Hospital, Main House, Wars | 0 Comments

• The Fence

  Posted at 7:12 pm by bringingbacksligo, on May 22, 2019

  There have been a few things going on behind-the-scenes (if you will) that I haven’t talked about for fear I would jeopardize their outcome.  One of those was a request to erect a six foot tall fence around the property.  We had to gain special permission from the Zoning Board in order to have such a tall fence at the front of the property.

  A few months ago (that’s how long this process has taken), we were all ready to give the go-ahead to the fence contractor when Marcus decided to peruse the city’s requirements.  Thank goodness he did because we would have been in for a rude awakening when it turns out the maximum height for a fence at the front of a property is four feet.  We immediately put a hold on scheduling for the fence and went to work gathering the requirements for the Zoning Board (one of those things was a survey of the property which I had suggested we get months ago but never did…its uncanny how right I am all of the time).

  I was really worried about putting such a short fence on the property for one big reason and he has four legs and his name sounds a lot like “Asshole.”  I love my furry guy but he’s a doofus and all I could think about was him chasing a bird shadow out into the four lanes of Dixon Road.  Of course protecting my children is high priority as well but they’re less likely to chase birds or shadows out into traffic.

  We also felt a tall fence was necessary to protect the property from any future vandalism.  Before, when the house was already in rough shape, it was hurtful when another window was broken or a fire extinguisher sprayed throughout the house (that happened) but if it were to happen now things could get ugly.  Luckily, we haven’t had any problems since work began but it would still be nice to have the added security of a  fence.

  Anyway, this is all to say that this past Monday we sat in front of the Zoning Board Commission and were unanimously approved for our six foot tall fence.  It was clear to everyone that our situation is unique within the city as we sit on nearly 1.5 acres of land and are surrounded by the park and a four lane road.  I appreciate the work that the Zoning Department did for us presenting our case to the Commission.  Plus, we were able to take both of the children and they got a tiny little lesson in how the government works so, parenting win for us!  The girls would probably argue that it was not a win but they’re young and immature and have no right to an opinion (because that’s how my government works in this house).

  Now we just need to file for the permit and work can begin so we can start to really enjoy our little bit of land.  I know ol’ Asshole is going to love it.

  Posted in Contractors, Grounds, Life | 0 Comments

• The Mystery of the Caged Skeleton

  Posted at 10:20 pm by bringingbacksligo, on February 21, 2019

  If you are an avid reader of this blog (Hi, Mom!) then you may remember a little tidbit about the petrified remains of a soldier being found in a cage on the grounds of Sligo.  The quote I used was from the 1937 Works Progress Administration (WPA) of Virginia Historical Inventory.  Obviously, 1937 was quite a few years after the Civil War and over 150 years after the Revolutionary War.  So, really, the information given had to be taken with a grain of salt if the person was indeed a soldier.

  A very kind reader (surprisingly not my mom because I could have sworn she was the only person tuning in) sent me a list of articles pertaining to Sligo which sent me back to the Virginiana Room at the local library.  I received a fantastic tutorial on how to use the microfilm machine and a whole new world opened up.  As I was searching for articles I had a great time scanning what was news for the late 1800s.  My personal favorite was what appeared to be an opinion piece lamenting the fact that women wanted to be more like men and, if that’s the case, then could they please give up all of their fancy hats with feathers because the bird population is suffering?!

  Anyway, that’s not why we’re here.  We want gore!  Not “birds being killed to make elegant hats” gore but “men being left in metal cages” gore!  So, as it turns out, in 1899 there was indeed the remains of a man found in a metal cage though not on the grounds of Sligo.  Whew!  I mean, I am sorry that a person died and was put in a metal cage but at least it wasn’t at Sligo.

  The part of the story that is really disturbing is the cage was in the shape of a human body and most likely the person in it was deemed a “lunatic.”  I question who it was that deemed the poor soul a lunatic and I question the tactics used for treatment.  Thank God, mental health wellness has come such a long way in the last 130 years because just a few short months ago someone might have been shoving me into a metal cage, citing lunacy.

  Below is the article which gives more information about the finding of the body and that a first body had been similarly found in King George (neighboring county) a few years prior.

  

  Article retrieved from the Fredericksburg Daily Star, April 14 1899.

   

  Posted in Grounds, Haunted, History | 2 Comments

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