Chatham Manor History

Chatham Manor is a large Georgian style home located in Fredericksburg, VA. The house was built between 1768 and 1771 by William Fitzhugh. Chatham Manor which overlooks the Rappahannock River was named after William Pitt the Earl of Chatham. Chatham Manor was a working plantation; the property consists of 1,280 acres and Fitzhugh had over 100 slaves who worked on it. Chatham Manor was known for having over a 100 visitors per year. In 1790 Fitzhugh moved to Alexandria, VA to escape the pressure and expense of receiving so many guests yearly. In 1796 he put Chatham Manor up for sale. The house was purchased by Major Churchill Jones for $20,000.00 dollars. Churchill’s family owned the property for over 66 years.

The Civil War 1861 to 1865

James Horace Lacy a prominent businessman, civil leader and famer who married Churchill’s niece Betty Churchill Jones in 1848. Lacy acquired the Chatham Estate in 1857 from the estate of his decreased sister in-law Hannah Coalter. Being the owner of both the plantation and slaves the owner Lacy left his family in 1861 to serve in the Confederacy Army where he was commission as a Major. His wife and children remain in the Chatham Manor until the spring of 1862, until Union troops forced them from the home. The union army occupied Chatham Manor for 13 months. Northern officers initially utilized the building as a headquarters. In April 1862, General Irvin McDowell brought 30,000 men to Fredericksburg. From his Chatham headquarters, the general supervised the repair of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad and the construction of several bridges across the Rappahannock River. Once that work was complete, McDowell planned to march south and join forces with the Army of the Potomac outside of Richmond. President Abraham Lincoln journeyed to Fredericksburg to confer with McDowell about the movement, meeting with the general and his staff at Chatham. His visit gives Chatham the distinction of being just one of three houses visited by both Lincoln and Washington. Seven months after Lincoln's visit, fighting erupted at Fredericksburg itself. In November 1862, General Ambrose E. Burnside brought the 120,000-man Army of the Potomac to Fredericksburg. Using pontoon bridges, Burnside crossed the Rappahannock River below Chatham, seized Fredericksburg, and launched a series of bloody assaults against Lee's Confederates, who held the high ground behind the town. One of Burnside's top generals, Edwin Sumner, observed the battle from Chatham, while Union artillery batteries shelled the Confederates from adjacent bluffs. The battle of Fredericksburg became a disastrous Union defeat. There were over 12,600 casualties and many of them were brought back to Chatham for care.

After the War

By the time the war ended in 1865 Chatham Manor was desolate and severely damage. When the Lacy’s returned to their home in November of 1865 it was in total ruins. The surrounding forest around the home had been cut down and the out building had been destroyed. The lawn had been used as a graveyard. Unable to maintain their home the Lacey’s sold it for $23,900 in 1872. The house went through several owners until the 1920’s when it was purchased by General Bradford Devore and his wife Helen Stewart Devore who begin the restoration of the property. The most significant change was they re-oriented the house away from the west front on the river (no longer the main transportation route); the east entrance became the main entrance, easily reached by the automobile. They also added a large, walled English-style garden designed by the noted landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman on the east side. As a result of the Devores' efforts, Chatham regained its place among Virginia's finest homes the Devores sold Chatham in 1931. The last private owners of Chatham Manor were John Lee Pratt and his wife. They purchased the Chatham estate (shrunken to 256 acres) from the Devores in 1931 for $150,000 cash. Chatham's distinction thus continued during their ownership, the Pratts later using it as their retirement home as well as a working farm. Upon Pratt's death in 1975, since he and his wife had no children, his will bequeathed land for parks to Stafford County and Fredericksburg. Today the house and 85 surrounding acres are open to the public. Five of the ten rooms in the 12,000 square-foot mansion are open to the public. From the entry hall, visitors are encouraged to begin their house tour in the dining room. Here, exhibits depict Chatham's fifteen owners. Across the hall, displays in the parlor describe the property's role in the Civil War. Visitors are also free to wander on the grounds, in the gardens, and among the outbuildings at their leisure.

Restoration Efforts

The National Park Service began the restoration of the 1920's colonial revival east garden in 1984. The walls, statues, and Ionic columns, represent this period. At the front of the building, the original entrance road winds its way down the bluff to the river. The front terraces offer a panoramic view of Fredericksburg landmarks on the city skyline, and a model pontoon bridge section recalls the nearby Upper Pontoon Crossing, where Union engineers erected their pontoon bridges during the Battle of Fredericksburg. On the river side of the house, the outline from the two-story Greek revival porch, which graced the front entrance for nearly 100 years, is still visible. The present limestone entrances were added in the 1920's. In 2014, the National Park Service undertook tree removal designed to improve the vistas to and from Chatham. This increased the house's visibility from the city, as well as essentially restoring the view to what it had been during the Civil War and preceding decades.

Distinguish Guest and Visitors

Chatham Manor has numerous high-profile visitors grace her doors: Several United States Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, and Abraham Lincoln. The great American writer Walt Whitman, Clara Barton who founded the American chapter of the International Red Cross are also part of Chatham’s history.