Chatham Manor of Fredericksburg Virginia: The Haunting of the Lady in White

Chatham Manor is part of Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park and is open 9:00 am to 4:30 pm for the small admission price of $3. Chatham Manor is located at 120 Chatham Lane Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405. Five of the manor's ten rooms are fully restored and open to the public. The grounds, gardens, and surrounding outer buildings are open to visitors as well. Chatham has a long history, only a few other buildings in America have seen so many famous visitors and historical events. One notable guest during the time of Fitzhugh's ownership of Chatham was General George Washington's. Indeed Washington's diaries confirm that he was often a guest at Chatham. There is also evidence that James Monroe and Thomas Jefferson. Chatham was originally Chatham was built in 1771 by William Fitzhugh. The house was named after William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham and a school friend of William Fitzhugh. The mansion was part of a large and successful 1,280 acre plantation supported by more than 100 slaves. Along with the main building there was a barn, stables, a dairy, an ice house, and a fishery down stream. There was also a racetrack, mill, and orchard.