Bringing Back Sligo

Category: History

• Slavery at Sligo

  Posted at 12:11 pm by bringingbacksligo, on April 5, 2019

  I would be remiss to not mention the slaves that the Ferneyhoughs would have had during the 18th and 19th centuries. This isn’t to say that slaves were not present at Sligo prior to the Ferneyhoughs it’s just that the majority of our research has focused on the family who owned and operated Sligo for the longest period of time.

  In 1783 we know of Edmund Hollinger, the son of Barbara Hollinger a free woman, who is indentured to John Ferneyhough Sr. for training in coach making. I realize he is not a slave but I wanted to mention him all the same. By 1788 Edmund has turned 21. By 1806 it is verified under oath that Edmund is a free man and has appropriately served his apprenticeship.

  In 1799 we know that there is one runaway slave named Daniel. I plan to write what we know about his story in a separate blog post.

  In the early 1800s we have the names of Cornelius, Anderson, and Sally (listed as mulatto).

  In 1823 to 1824 the names of the slaves along with most of their ages are as follows: Mary (25); Joice (18); Betty (9); William (7); James (4); Aaron (2); Reuben.

  In 1833 the names of the slaves along with their ages (and in two instances their trade) are as follows: James (blacksmith) (45); Sally (cook) (35); Mary (16); Join (10); Juddy (12); Jim (7); Scipio (3); Bell (4); William (1).

  I am trying desperately to not confuse you by throwing out so many different dates but I also want to be sure that my information is corroborated by actual documentation. So, from the 1829 plat we know that there were at least four buildings on the property: The dwelling, a kitchen, a carriage shop, and a smith shop. With that being said, we know that by 1860 Sligo is 44 acres (according to John Ferneyhough Jr.s’ will). None of the plats mention slave quarters despite the fact that we know there are slaves.

  In the 1860 United States Census Slave Schedule in Spotsylvania County we know that John Ferneyhough Jr. owned 16 slaves ranging in age from 1 year old to 35. I do not know how any of these 16 slaves relate to the aforementioned slaves listed by name because no names are given, just their ages and sex.

  We also know the names of slaves thanks to varying documents such as John Ferneyhough Jr.’s will (1860) which leaves “one negro man named George,” a “negro boy named ‘Ned’,” and a “negro woman Corinna” to a daughter-in-law. Also, in the 1937 Works Progress Administration (WPA) of Virginia Historical Inventory we learn of an old slave referred to as “Uncle Isaac” who attempted to save some of the Ferneyhough’s belongings from the Union soldiers. The WPA also states that the Union soldiers burned “all but one of the out-buildings” and threw many of the Ferneyhough’s belongings in the well.

  After the Civil War I cannot say what happened to the slaves or where they went. However, on one of my many walks along the Rappahannock River Heritage Trail in downtown Fredericksburg I happened to stop and read an informational sign about the slaves of Fredericksburg during the Battle of Fredericksburg. It states that “many slaves saw opportunity in the resulting chaos (of the arrival of the Union army across the river at Falmouth)…(and) thousands of…African-Americans left their homes, seeking their own freedom through the Union lines.”

  If anyone has more information to share about the slaves at Sligo I would love to hear from you. Especially any descendants or further information of their stories since so little is known.

  Posted in Ferneyhough, History, Slaves and Servants | 0 Comments

• Termagant

  Posted at 2:35 pm by bringingbacksligo, on March 21, 2019

  “Termagant” is one of my new favorite words.  From the Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary “termagant” is a noun and defined as “an overbearing or nagging woman.”  If you follow the Facebook page then you’ll know my children, if they knew of the word, would define me as a “termagant.”  But let’s be honest, just about every woman could be defined as such at some point in their lives, such is our burden.

  If you were accused of being a termagant up through the 19th century you faced the risk of being sentenced to the ducking stool, a very primitive way of dealing with us hysterical women.  In the picture below you can see what a sentence by ducking meant and to be perfectly honest if I wasn’t a little crazy before I would certainly be after.  The Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI) wrote a recent blog post about ducking stools and their history in Fredericksburg which is what led to our discovery that there is a loose connection between John Ferneyhough Jr. and termagants.

  

  I don’t know about you but I think if strapped to this thing I would become more of a shrew…

  As we know, John Ferneyhough Jr. was a prominent carriage maker in the city of Fredericksburg.  It turns out he was a handy guy because he was also very likely the last person commissioned by the city to construct a ducking stool.  It’s very worth clicking on the HFFI blog post above because I am not one to plagiarize and they did a very nice job pulling up old articles relating to one termagant in particular, why it was deemed that women should not be nags (hint: it hurts the men’s feefees) and the method of using a ducking stool, plus evidence of John Ferneyhough Jr. making one.

  Posted in Ferneyhough, History | 1 Comment

• Haint Blue

  Posted at 9:30 pm by bringingbacksligo, on March 17, 2019

  The exterior work is really moving along and one of the biggest changes has been with the wraparound porch.  The columns have been repaired, the banisters have been leveled, and everything is getting a fresh coat of paint.  I have learned that tradition dictates for the the porch floor to be painted grey and the porch ceiling painted blue.  And it is the blue ceiling that I am here to write about because I learned a little something Southern that I had never known before (yes, I’m a Virginia girl don’t judge, there are just a few too many Southern traditions and I can’t keep up with all of them…plus this one originates just a little farther south).

  The ceiling of our porch has been painted Benjamin Moore’s Harbor Haze which is a beautiful shade of pale blue that is so pale it almost looks as if the blue of the siding is reflecting onto the ceiling.  I have tried to capture it in a photo but it is so hard to do it justice with a cell phone (I’ll still share it but wanted to make sure you all understand I am not a photographer).  Take my word for it, it’s beautiful but so understated that when you finally do notice it, you point it out to everyone walking by even though they know fully well that the porch ceiling is blue because they were there when it was painted in the first place.

  So, now, on to the “why” the porch ceiling is painted blue.  Some of you may know this answer already so bear with me because I find it fascinating and I think some of our relatives in the North and Midwest will think so as well.  There are actually a few reasons it is said porch ceilings are painted blue.  One is that it keeps the bugs away because they think it is the sky.  That’s cool but kind of boring and I have yet to discover if that’s true or not.

  The second reason porch ceilings are painted blue comes from the Gullah-Geechee people in the Lowcountry of the South.  The Gullah would paint the ceilings of their quarters blue (along with doors, windows, and shutters) in order to ward off ghosts.  The Gullah believed that the blue would confuse the ghosts into thinking it was water which they could not pass through.  The word “ghost” in the Gullah language is “haint” which is where the term “haint blue” comes from.  Eventually, white Southerners adopted the tradition and while it has since lost much of it’s spiritual significance the influence is still there.

  

  Oh gosh, now that I see this on a computer screen it’s hardly clear at all that the ceiling is blue.  If you look closely, you can see the blue over-spray on the white trim…that may help.  Otherwise, you’ll just have to stop by and take a look for yourself.

   

  Posted in Haunted, History, Main House | 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

• Sligo Build Date

  Posted at 9:37 pm by bringingbacksligo, on February 13, 2019

  As I sit here typing our youngest is in our bedroom, refusing to go to bed. In an effort not to throttle her I’m doing my best to ignore her presence and type a new post.  She is what doctor’s have referred to as “spirited.”  If any of you reading this are parents and are currently parenting or have parented one of these “spirited” children then I raise my glass to you because that is the shit that makes a person drink.

  Anyway, I got off track there.  I just needed you to know the frame of mind I’m in and I apologize for any potential profanity (the above “s” word included) or threats of violence.

  Now, how do I segue nicely into this relatively exciting development in the quest to discover the age of the house.  I guess that was it…

  Our Dovetail consultant made a really neat find about a week ago when she came across two newspaper articles detailing the fire that destroyed the original house at Sligo and the construction that followed.  Both articles were published in 1888 which confirms that the first house burnt down in 1888 and the second house began construction the same year.  The articles are below:

  

  Article retrieved online. Free Lance, 21 August 1888

  

  Article retrieved online. Fredericksburg Star, 12 September 1888

   

  How neat is this?!  First of all, it corroborates what the Ferneyhough descendants told me which is the first house burnt down in 1888 and the second house was built the same year.  It does stand to reason that the second house was not complete until the following year giving it a completion date of 1889.  Also, the fire broke out three times?  How could there have been anything left?  Second of all, there is an “ancient” brick somewhere?!  I have yet to lay eyes on said brick and honestly, there’s kind of a A LOT of brick so it’s going to be like searching for a needle in a haystack but it’s worth a shot.  Finally, we have a potential source of the name “Sligo” and that is Gen. Posey.  You probably don’t remember but I mentioned him in my very detailed and very accurate timeline of past Sligo owners.  He didn’t come across in any of my reading as someone important to the property but it may be worth another look into who he was.

  That’s all I have for now.  Miraculously, in the time it took me to write this the youngest is in her own bed and happily alive (though that’s solely because her father loves her more than I do at the moment).

   

   

  Posted in History, Main House | 6 Comments

• The Servant’s Stairs

  Posted at 2:06 pm by bringingbacksligo, on January 13, 2019

  When we met at Sligo with Dovetail Cultural Group a few weeks ago it was like a light bulb went off with one of the more confusing aspects of the house.  I’ll try and describe it from the basement up to the 2nd floor of the house.

  In the basement there are obvious remains of an old stairwell.  Just above that is currently a very long and narrow half bathroom.  And, just above that, is a small room just off the master bedroom that doesn’t seem to have much purpose (it was really the most confounding of spaces).  However, it was our tour with Dovetail that helped enlighten us and it turns out all three spaces would have been the servant’s stairs, just on the other side of the main stairs.  The picture that I received of Sligo in her original state shows a door off the front porch which would also lead one to believe that this would have been the servant’s stairs.  At some point in the last 120 years that was changed to incorporate a life without servants (I’m guessing…although can I have servants?  Or at least a nanny?  Maybe a maid?  Fine, just a personal shopper.  I don’t ask for much).

  Our plans for the basement space will probably be a full bath in order to incorporate apartment living on that level.  On the 1st floor that space will remain a 1/2 bath but will also include a washer and dryer.  On the 2nd floor we plan on adding a wall, another doorway and turning that basically unusable space into a master bathroom.  It all makes sense in my head so I apologize if it reads really crazy.

  I’m including pictures to try and give an idea of what I am talking about but keep in mind it’s dark in the house because many, if not all, of the windows are boarded up.  Also, enjoy a cameo from Twila & Co.!

  

  To the left, and over Johnna’s head, you can see the remnants of the basement stairs.

  

  On the 1st floor and just above the aforementioned basement area is currently where there is a half bath.  Straightaway is where the door off the front porch would have been.  It is now a transom window that is just out of the picture. (picture taken from the Zillow listing, 2 August 2018)

  

  The 2nd story portion is harder to photograph.  To the right of the picture you see a door leading to the master bedroom into what is the small room. (picture taken from the Zillow listing, 2 August 2018)

  

  Looking into the small room off the master bedroom you see a closet and to the right of the picture is the doorway leading to the actual bedroom itself.

   

  Posted in Basement, History, Main House | 0 Comments

• America Virginia Ferneyhough Street

  Posted at 1:06 pm by bringingbacksligo, on December 9, 2018

  About a week ago I received an email that made me feel like Christmas came early.  We had just returned home after taking the girls to see Handel’s The Messiah which was not as ill received by the girls as I had anticipated.  I mean, they did spend the majority of it doodling on pieces of paper but I like to think they soaked in a little culture just by being there.

  Anyway, back to the story!  After the concert, Marcus and I were lying in bed, doing what any married couple would do on a wild Friday night:  We looked at our respective phones.  I had no less than one million emails all touting Christmas sales and I systematically went through, deleting them.  Or, at least I think I deleted them but sometimes I think I must have sausage links for fingers and I end up responding to an email from Nordstrom Rack who doesn’t want me to miss out on their Frye boot sale.  (Hint to Nordstrom Rack:  Even on sale I can’t afford Frye boots)

  Amid all of the junk one email stood out.  It was only a few sentences long but it was generated through this blog and it read, “Our Grandmother, America Virginia Ferneyhough Street was born in this house in 1882. My brother has a lot of information about the property and would love a chance to talk with you.”  I reread it a few times and then, as the distinctiveness of the email set-in I read it to Marcus and asked if he thought it was real.  His take was that a name like “America Virginia Ferneyhough Street” would be tough to make-up and I couldn’t help but agree with that logic.  I responded almost immediately, excited by the prospect of the descendants of the Ferneyhough family finding me.

  After that I exchanged emails with the granddaughter of America Virginia and eventually phone numbers and even attempted a meet-up.  Although we never did get to meet face-to-face I was able to speak with the aforementioned brother who proceeded to tell me what he knew about the house and said that he would send a packet of information with what he had collected over the years to include pictures which I was (and am) most excited to see.

  A few of the more interesting tidbits are as follows:

  America Virginia was born in the house in 1882 which does not line up with all of the other information that states the house was built in 1890.  To be able to put a legitimate date to when the house was built is exciting not to mention important in our effort to have it recognized by the Virginia Landmarks Registry and the National Historic Registry.

  Somewhere, to the right of the front door, engraved in cement are the dates the original house burnt down and the “new” house was built.  I did a cursory search a few days ago and did not see anything right away.  The existing cement that is exposed to the elements is in bad shape and a lot of it has crumbled away.  It could have been there at some time but isn’t anymore.  OR, there are currently cinder blocks underneath the front porch and maybe, just maybe, it is behind those cinder blocks that the dates are engraved.

  The Ferneyhoughs were close friends with Mary Washington given that their land was across the Rappahannock River from each other.  Therefore, it was no coincidence that John Ferneyhough was witness to the signing of her will.  Mary Washington also admired a chair that John Ferneyhough had and which he gifted her.  This is the same chair that sits in the Mary Washington House.

  The other piece of information I found to be interesting was that the original house was not destroyed during the Civil War but rather burned down quite a few years after the end of the war.  Finding the inscription near the front door would be such a coup!

  Finally, because all five of you that read this blog might be wondering, the reason America Virginia’s granddaughter discovered my blog was because she was trying to show a friend Sligo’s listing on Zillow.  It turns out the family had been keeping up with the state of the house and she wanted to share it with a friend.  However, instead of finding the Zillow listing she found my blog and the rest is history!  Sorry not sorry…it had to be said.

  Posted in History | 5 Comments

• A Little More History

  Posted at 9:40 pm by bringingbacksligo, on September 5, 2018

  We have made it past the first round of the Virginia Landmarks Registry evaluations and are now working towards the second round.  As such, we have been asked to do a little bit more research which involves me getting off my ass and actually going places like the library *gasp* instead of getting to do research online.

  I was tasked with the job of doing said research (naturally, I mean what else do I have to do all day but eat bonbons and watch soap operas all day) so I took the girls to the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI) who then directed me to the local library.  It was there that I discovered the property used to fall under the name of “Lee Hill Farm” which was owned by P. L. Shannon.  While owned by P. L. Shannon (who, if you’ve been keeping up was Sydney Shannon, Jr.’s grandfather) the farm was a cattle farm which sold Angus.  I have yet to discover any more information about Lee Hill Farm other than it sold a very expensive Angus in 1956 which brought in $11,900 (May 12, 1956, The Free Lance-Star) which I’m guessing, for that time, was a lot of money.

  After our visit to the library’s Virginiana room, I was directed to the City of Fredericksburg courthouse for further research but, it had already been a few hours and I had the girls with me so we were kind of a ticking time-bomb at that point and I planned to go later.  As it turns out, I was able to delegate that order of business to Marcus who discovered that all records prior to 1955 are in Spotsylvania County’s courthouse because it was during that year the land was annexed.  So, wish me luck!  Tomorrow I hope to find out more information of the house and possibly who the architect was.

  Posted in Grounds, History | 0 Comments

• Virginia Landmarks Register (Sort of)

  Posted at 10:18 pm by bringingbacksligo, on August 8, 2018

  We have started the process for registering Sligo with the Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR).  Surprisingly, it does not appear that anyone before us has attempted to do the same.  I am fairly certain the house would not qualify for the National Historic Registry but it may qualify for the VLR.  This isn’t to say that our application will be approved; I don’t know what exactly they’re looking for and it’s doubtful that just the age of home will land it on the registry but it’s worth a try.  If we can get it on the registry then we may qualify for tax credits which will help immensely.

  It saddens me that the property was left to fall apart for so long but I also understand how a home this size and age can get away from a person.  For comparison’s sake, our current house is a mere 27 years old and it was in such a state of disrepair that it was foreclosed because the owner couldn’t keep-up with the repairs.  I think it goes without saying that it was Marcus who found both Sligo and our current home.  I also did a little house hunting and kept finding perfectly fine homes without holes in the ceiling or nests in closets or ancient animal carcasses in the basement but I guess because they didn’t have any of those issues they weren’t interesting enough for Marcus.

  Some of you may have looked-up the Zillow listing of Sligo and seen the interior pictures.  I had, too, before seeing it in person.  The pictures still didn’t prepare me for what the house looked like in person.  Some of you might have wondered what I thought when I saw Sligo for the first time, in person.  Take it away Tyra:

  

  My literal reaction to walking into Sligo for the first time.

  I don’t mean to be dramatic but…maybe I was a little dramatic.  To be fair, this was the first thing I saw when I drove up the driveway:

  

  The vulture tree.

  That boded well for the rest of the viewing.  The next thing I noticed was the smell.  It turns out the cottage had a fresh animal carcass just inside the door and the smell was permeating the perimeter of the property (alliteration!).  Sorry, I didn’t get a picture of that; I pretty much avoided that area like, well, like a dead animal was near by.

  Once inside the main house, the first room I entered was the kitchen which is located on the south of the house (and trust me I usually have no clue which way is north, south, east, or west but I’ve been looking at maps for the VLR application and feeling frisky).  Directly to the right of the entrance was a small room which was full of random stuff.

  

  One corner of the kitchen, stacked with books.

  

  A view of the rest of the kitchen area.

  

  The small room off the kitchen and also the scene of Marcus’s accident. (Picture pulled from the Zillow listing.)

  As I walked past the kitchen I entered a dark hallway and what used to be a bathroom.  Past that was a second small room and then the two main rooms of the first floor plus the foyer which is a room in itself.

  

  The downstairs “bathroom.”  (Picture pulled from the Zillow listing.)

  

  The second small room off the back of the house.  (Picture pulled from the Zillow listing.)

  

  The foyer. Pretty sure the graffiti on the wall, to the left, does not say “Good luck you.”  Also, the door that is closed in the background of the picture is the second room off the back of the house.  (Picture pulled from the Zillow listing.)

   

  As I continued walking through the house I came to the two main rooms of the house.  Both were left in a state of disrepair with quite a lot of old and broken furniture and just general stuff piled in corners.  However, the one thing I saw and grudgingly admitted was amazing, were the very large, double pocket doors that separated the two rooms.

  

  The large pocket doors that separate two rooms on the first floor.

  From there, I gingerly picked my way over the broken glass and trash bags full of stuff and headed up the stairs.  The stairs are in amazing shape and are about four or five feet wide.  At first I thought maybe the stairs were so wide because of the style of dress in the 1890s but now I’m not so sure.  I was envisioning hoop skirts for that time period but after a quick Internet search I know that’s not correct.  Too bad because I was really hoping for a Scarlett O’Hara moment and maybe even a dramatic goodbye kiss with Marcus at the front door (not insinuating he’s going to leave me but we’re only just at the beginning of this renovation process and we still like each other).

  The stair banister is slightly worrisome for me (Hello, my name is Lauren and I’m a worrier) because it stands about four feet tall but Marcus pointed out it would be he or I that would be more likely to fall over since it hits at our hip or lower.  So, as long as the ghosts are friendly and aren’t the pushing kind I’ll be fine though I might avoid walking on that side of the stairs until the ghosts and I have established boundaries.

  The three rooms upstairs were all in relatively good shape with the exception of the broken windows and plants growing through them oh, and the nests.  Have I mentioned the nests?  The bathroom upstairs was in the worst shape of all the upstairs space though it would appear that some work was being done before the previous owners left.  After the second floor I went to the basement which I touched-on in a separate post but can’t stress enough just how dark and creepy it was.

  I suppose that’s it.  I just scrolled to the top and saw that I originally started to write this post about the application with the VLR so, my apologies, I know I went off on a tangent there.

   

  

  Thanks, Tyra.  You have such a way with emotions.

   

  Posted in History, Main House | 4 Comments

• The Cottage and Barn

  Posted at 7:41 am by bringingbacksligo, on July 28, 2018

  I realized that I haven’t even mentioned the other two existing structures on the property:  The cottage, built in 1950, and the barn, build date unknown.  It should be noted that “structure” is used quite loosely in terms of both of these buildings.  The cottage has a gaping hole in the roof and has been open to the elements for an unknown amount of time and it would take nothing less than the flutter of a butterfly wing to bring down the barn.

  We have every intention of saving both of these structures although Marcus is much more capable of seeing the potential in them than I am.  The cottage has most certainly been home to a number of homeless and there is a family of groundhogs in the attic (because why burrow in the ground when you can live in a house).  The barn requires a hard hat to enter (not really but, really) so I only tentatively walked a few feet in and then left.  To be perfectly honest, together they make the main house look immaculate.

  So, without further ado, here are reasons number two and number three why I was hesitant to purchase this property:

  

  The back of the cottage, July 2018.

  

  The barn, July 2018.

  Posted in Barn, Cottage, History | 0 Comments

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