Lee–Fendall House facts for kids
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Lee–Fendall House
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The Lee–Fendall House, seen in September 2009
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 Location in Alexandria Historical District
Location in Alexandria
Location in Northern Virginia
Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 614 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, Virginia |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1785 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79003277 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 22, 1979 |
The Lee–Fendall House is a historic house museum and garden in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. It is located at 614 Oronoco Street. Built in 1785, this house has a rich history.
It was home to 37 members of the famous Lee family from 1785 to 1903. During the American Civil War, it served as a hospital for Union soldiers. Later, the Downham family and the family of important labor leader John L. Lewis lived here. Many enslaved and free servants also lived and worked at the house over the years.
The house was built in a special "telescopic style." This style was common in Maryland but rare in northern Virginia. In 1850, the house was updated. It gained new Greek Revival and Italianate features.
This historic home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also on the Virginia Landmarks Register. It is an important part of the National Historic Landmark District of Alexandria.
Today, the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation owns and runs the house. It is known as the Lee–Fendall House Museum and Garden. Visitors can explore exhibits, take tours, and enjoy special programs.
A Historic Home for the Lee Family
How the House Was Built
In November 1784, Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee bought three half-acre lots in Alexandria. He was a former Lieutenant Colonel and later a Major General and Governor of Virginia. On December 4, 1784, Lee sold one lot to his father-in-law, Philip Richard Fendall I. Fendall paid three hundred pounds for it.
Fendall started building the Lee–Fendall House in 1785. He used enslaved laborers for the construction. The house was for his second wife, Elizabeth (Steptoe) Lee. It was on the edge of the city at the time. The Fendalls had clear views of Oronoco Bay and the ships there.
The house was finished by November 1785. George Washington visited and dined there often. Elizabeth Fendall was a favorite of George and Martha Washington. Philip Fendall was also a close friend of Washington.
The Fendall and Lee Families Live Here
The Fendalls lived at Stratford Hall before moving to Alexandria. They had given Stratford Hall to Henry Lee III and his wife. Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee spent a lot of time at the Fendall home in Alexandria. Philip R. Fendall was Harry's cousin. Elizabeth Fendall was Harry's mother-in-law.
Harry Lee's wife, Matilda Lee, was very close to her mother. Many of Harry's letters were written from "Alexandria," meaning he was at 614 Oronoco. George Washington's diary also mentions meeting Colonel Lee at Mr. Fendall's house. Lee had led Lee's Legion, a famous cavalry unit, during the Revolutionary War.
In April 1789, Harry Lee was still at the house when George Washington left Virginia to become the first President. Lee wrote the farewell address for Washington. Ten years later, in December 1799, Harry Lee was a U.S. Senator. He wrote the eulogy for Washington after he died. In that speech, he famously called Washington "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
After Washington's death, citizens met at the Lee–Fendall House. They planned Alexandria's part in his funeral. Philip Fendall was a successful businessman after the Revolutionary War. He was Secretary of Washington's Potomac Company. He was also the first President of the Bank of Alexandria.
However, Fendall and Harry Lee faced financial problems. The house was given to Richard Bland Lee, Harry Lee's younger brother, in 1792. Elizabeth Fendall lived in the house until her death in 1789. In 1791, Fendall married Harry's sister, Mary "Mollie" Lee. Mollie continued to live in the house after Fendall died in 1805. She stayed there with her children until her death in 1827.
In 1811, Harry Lee rented a house across the street at 607 Oronoco. It is believed that Robert Edward Lee, Harry's son, often visited his Aunt Fendall's house. The family lived at 607 Oronoco until Robert left for West Point in 1825.
Tax records show that the Fendalls owned 51 enslaved people in 1785. By 1820, Mollie Fendall owned seven enslaved people. Some of these enslaved people may have lived in the back of the house.
The Edmund Jennings Lee Family
After Mollie Fendall's death in 1827, her youngest brother, Edmund Jennings Lee I, bought the house. Edmund was also Harry Lee's brother. His wife, Sally Lee, was the youngest daughter of Richard Henry Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Edmund J. Lee was a lawyer, councilman, and Mayor. He was active in many community groups. Like his brother Harry, Edmund faced financial difficulties. He had to sell the house at auction in 1833. In 1836, his son, Edmund Jennings Lee II, bought the house. Edmund Sr. then moved into the Lee–Fendall House. He lived there until his death in 1843.
In 1841, former President John Quincy Adams visited Alexandria. He stayed at the Lee–Fendall House. Edmund Sr. hosted a party for him there.
The Cazenove Family and House Changes
In 1850, Louis Anthony Cazenove bought the house. He was a successful merchant. He bought it for his new wife, Harriotte Stuart. Harriotte was the great-granddaughter of Richard Henry Lee. Louis's daughters and his father also lived in the house.
The Cazenoves updated the home. They added Greek Revival and Italianate styles. They also added front and back porches. A third floor was added to the main part of the house. They installed the first heating, plumbing, and servant bell systems. They also changed the work yard into a beautiful garden. They planted trees, shrubs, and flowers.
When Louis and his father died in 1852, Harriotte was left to care for the house and children. In 1856, Harriotte moved to her new country home called "Stuartland." It was three miles away.
When the American Civil War began, Harriotte fled to her mother's home. Union forces took over Seminary Hill. They likely used Stuartland as a headquarters. Harriotte Cazenove rented the Lee–Fendall House until the Civil War started. From 1861 to 1863, she rented it to a New York railroad contractor.
The House as a Civil War Hospital
In 1863, the Union Army took over the Lee–Fendall House. They used it as a hospital. Edwin Bentley, the Chief Surgeon, requested the house. He needed it for a general hospital. The Union Army seized the house because of unpaid taxes. They offered to return it if Harriotte Cazenove would promise loyalty to the U.S. government. Harriotte refused.
The house became part of the Grosvenor Hospital. Chief Surgeon Bentley likely moved his office there. He performed the first successful blood transfusion in the house. Hundreds of soldiers recovered from injuries and illnesses there. A morgue was built at the back of the property for those who did not survive.
The Fleming Family and Later Lees
Harriotte Cazenove never got the house back after the war. In 1870, Dr. Robert Fleming bought it. He had married Mary Elizabeth Lee, a descendant of the Lee family. Dr. Fleming died in 1871. Mary Fleming moved to Washington, D.C. She allowed her three sisters and one brother to live in the house. In 1879, Mary Fleming said the house had "large grounds with fine trees and shrubbery."
After the Lee Family
The Downham Family Buys the House
Mary Fleming died in 1902. The house was to be sold. However, Myra Lee Civalier II, a Lee family member, loved the house very much. She did not want it sold outside the family. Myra's mother asked Myra's friend, Mai R. Greenwell, to buy the house. Mai Greenwell was a singer and voice teacher. She did not plan to buy the house.
But a man named Robert Forsyth Downham was there. He told Mai that if she married him, he would buy the house for her. Mai agreed, and Robert Downham bought the house for $5,500. This ended the Lee family's long ownership. From 1785 to 1903, 37 members of the Lee family had lived in the house.
Robert Downham was a local businessman. He lived at Lee–Fendall with his family for 31 years. He ran a saloon and a wholesale liquor business. During Prohibition, he became a clothing seller. He was involved in many community groups. In 1914, the Downhams hosted President Woodrow Wilson at the house.
The John L. Lewis Family Home
In 1937, the Downhams sold the house to Myrta Lewis. She was the wife of John L. Lewis. John L. Lewis was the president of the United Mine Workers. The house was put in Myrta's name to protect it from any lawsuits against her husband. The Lewis family lived in the house for the next 32 years. Their daughter Katherine also lived there for much of that time.
Myrta Edith (Bell) Lewis was a former teacher and an antiques collector. She made many changes to the house. She added more windows to the south porch and painted the outside white. She died in 1942.
John Llewellyn Lewis started as a coal miner in Iowa. He quickly rose through the union ranks. He became president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) for over 40 years. He moved the UMWA headquarters to Washington, DC. As president, he greatly increased miners' wages. He also started the first safety rules in mines and created healthcare facilities.
He helped found the AFL–CIO. Lewis challenged two presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. He led strikes that caused energy shortages, even during World War II. In 1945, Lewis secured a welfare fund for miners. The coal companies paid for it, but the union managed it. He retired in 1960.
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom. John L. Lewis died in the house on June 11, 1969, at 89 years old.
James Lewis, Jr.
In 1941, James Lewis, Jr. (no relation to John L. Lewis) began working for the Lewis family. He was a chauffeur, special assistant, and steward. He drove John L. Lewis around the country. He also managed the household until 1969. He was a trusted friend to the family.
The House Becomes a Museum
After John L. Lewis died, his son leased out the house until 1973. Then, he sold it to the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation. This non-profit group runs the Lee–Fendall House Museum and Garden. The Trust bought the house to save and preserve it. They received help from Virginia and the City of Alexandria.
The Lee–Fendall House Museum and Garden opened to the public in 1974. This was just before the Nation's Bicentennial. At that time, many people were interested in historic house museums. The first director, Frances Shively, lived in the house without pay. The museum relied on memberships, donations, and tours.
In 2015, a Fendall family descendant left money to the Trust. This helps with the museum's costs. The museum now focuses on more than just the Lee family. It also shares stories of enslaved people in Alexandria. It covers the Union occupation, medical history, and social changes after the Civil War.
From 1974 to 1976, over 500 women from Alexandria Garden Clubs restored the garden. First Lady Betty Ford helped raise money for the restoration. It was named Alexandria's official Bi-centennial Garden. From 2010 to 2011, archaeologists studied the garden. They found out more about how it was used over time.
The Lee–Fendall House has become a well-known Virginia landmark. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1979. Today, it is an educational museum. It also hosts special events and private rentals.
Images for kids
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View of Alexandria, Virginia in 1845, an 1853 lithograph by E. Sasche & Company, Baltimore
