CHATHAM 



N a terraced hill overlooking the Rappahannock 

 River, with the spires and steeples of the historic 

 town of Fredericksburg in the distance, Chatham 

 lies, sleeping in the sun, dreaming of the romances 

 of days gone by. 



The charm of old books, the mellowness of old 

 violins, the softness of old lace, the potency of old wine — all of 

 these sensations are recalled when coming suddenly upon its green- 

 shuttered windows and white walls, embowered in masses of box- 

 wood and evergreen plants — all steeped in a strange allure. 



From below, the old town has its memories, too; the boyhood 

 pranks of no less a personage than George Washington; and long 

 before that, the struggles and privations of the pioneer settlers. 

 Then came the days of the coach-and-four, of clanking of swords, 

 of powdered wigs and stiff broaches, of LaFayette's visits and of 

 royal entertainments given in his honor. Then came the days that 

 left their scars upon the gray old town during the War Between 

 the States, when Lee's army defended it against overwhelming odds. 

 Through the quaint old streets, each house has its own story. 

 There is the home of Mary Washington with its box-edged garden 

 path which led to the home of Betty Washington, the wife of 

 Colonel Fielding Lewis. 



On a magnificent estate of more than fifty thousand acres, 

 Chatham was built in the year 1728 by William Fitzhugh, that 

 patriotic and able statesman, known as "Fitzhugh of Chatham." 

 It was named, supposedly, after his friend, Sir William Pitt, Earl 

 of Chatham, and there is a family tradition that the plans were 

 brought from England by Pitt. The simplicity of the long low 

 mansion with its ample wings has stood the test of time and today 



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