Published Articles

Landon Carter’s Uneasy Kingdom: A Book Review - January 2005

Rhys Isaac’s new book, Landon Carter’s Uneasy Kingdom, tells the story of the life and times of Landon Carter (1710-1778), a wealthy Virginia planter and near contemporary of John Carlyle. The book is primarily based on the extensive diaries kept by Carter himself, with surviving volumes covering 1752-1758, 1764, 1766, 1767, and 1770-1778. Like John Carlyle, Carter lived in a grand Georgian House (Sabine Hall), situated on the banks of a river (in Carter’s case the Rappahannock), owned a number of plantations, was a major slaveholder, served as a justice of the peace and a colonel in the Virginia militia, and had the misfortune of losing more than one wife (in Carter’s case, three). Like Carlyle, he even had his portrait painted by John Hesselius and this portrait graces both the book’s dust jacket and its front matter. Unlike Carlyle, Landon carter was Virginia-born (the son of Robert “King” Carter), although he spent about eight years in England getting what Carlyle would have agreed was a fine education. Carter also differed importantly due to his elected service in the Virginia House of Burgesses and as a vestryman for a nearby Church of England parish.

Carlyle House Honored by American Association of Museum - February 2005

The Carlyle House has again been awarded the highest honor a museum can receive—accreditation by the American Association of Museums. Accreditation provides museums with national recognition and certifies that the institution is operating on all levels according to the highest and most current professional standards and practices. The designation gives assurance that the museum fulfills its obligations to the public as set forth in its mission. Carlyle House was first accredited in 1994. The museum must undergo a subsequent review every ten years to maintain accredited status.

INTERPRETATION OF FORMAL DINING ROOM - March 2005

As we approach the anniversary of General Braddock's visit to the Carlyle House our guests will be increasingly interested in the events that took place in our formal dining room and those that immediately followed.

Prologue to the “Grandest Congress” and Braddock’s Ill-Fated Expedition” - April 2005

John Carlyle tendered his resignation from the Ohio Company in 1749 – two years after it was formed in 1747 in order to secure substantial land holdings in the Ohio Valley area for its investors. No reason was provided for his departure from this venture, but perhaps he had the foresight, as a prudent businessman, that his Ohio Valley investment would prove to be too risky given the competing French, Indian and British designs on this region. Such confrontation provided a spark for the start of the “first” World War—a war that spanned over three continents and seven years.

What is a Furnishing Plan Anyway? - May 2005

When John Carlyle and his wife Sarah Fairfax completed their new residence in Alexandria, it was undoubtedly meant to be the most impressive house in town. It was the kind of house owned by only the top 2% of colonial Virginia society. When John Carlyle died, in 1780, a lengthy inventory of his personal belongings was filed with the Fairfax County Court. Cumulatively, this document lists nearly 460 items that belonged to Carlyle – furniture, silver, ceramics, prints, maps, etc. – yet it fails to tell us where a single one of them was located. Over twenty years ago, in 1984, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority commissioned a Furnishing Plan to help interpret the inventory and give the staff direction on how to furnish the house during the time period of Col. Carlyle’s occupancy.

Private Places - June 2005

Perhaps the reason history is intriguing to so many people is because it is like a jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle pieces are bits of information. When arranged or interpreted by different scholars, they can give the picture in the puzzle a different look. Occasionally fortune shines on us and new pieces of the puzzle are found which change our concept of events in the past.

Braddock’s Ill-Fated Expedition: the Disaster at Duquesne - July 2005

The April 2005 Docent Dispatch set forth the prologue of General Edward Braddock’s “Grandest Congress” and expedition to and defeat near Ft. Duquesne. This article focuses on his journey into the Ohio Valley, the famous battle against the French and Indians and the immediate impact on the British Colonies in North America due to the rout of General Braddock’s troops outside Ft. Duquesne 250 years ago this month.

121 North Fairfax Street: A House in Mourning - September 2005

From 1753 through 1780, Death visited the Carlyles no less than nineteen times. At his residence on Fairfax Street, John mourned the loss of six of his eleven children, two wives, and at least ten of his enslaved “famely” until September 1780 when Death came calling for him. In the twenty-seven year period that John Carlyle and his family occupied his Aquia sandstone residence, there was a death associated with the household about every one and a half years.

Requiem for John Carlyle - October 2005

Soon after Colonel John Carlyle’s death in September 1780, his body was likely measured for his coffin, then washed and dressed in a white linen or a flannel winding-sheet (strips of cloth wound around the corpse and pinned in place) or possibly a coffin sheet. When the construction of his coffin was complete, the earthly remains of Colonel Carlyle were most certainly deposited inside to await the late Colonel’s final journey to the burial yard of the Presbyterian Meeting House, just a few blocks down Fairfax Street from his home.

The Center Passage - November 2005

In two previous articles of the Docent Dispatch we discussed the usage of the private spaces in colonial homes. Our new furnishings study has led to changes in the way we interprete the rooms on the south side of the first floor. There has been no change in the furnishings of the center passage at this point, but it is a very important space and this article will review what we know about its usage in the 18th century and how it will be furnished in the future.

Festive Occasions - December 2005

During the holiday season of 1774, we find John Carlyle entertaining friends and family at his grand stone mansion. This year it is likely that the festivities at John Carlyle’s house would be enhanced by the excitement of the courtship and engagement of his daughter Sarah to William Herbert. The guests will be shown into the elegant candlelit dining room where the table is set for a sumptuous late supper. Using the description of a late supper at a home near Philadelphia, the Carlyles’ table is decorated with an abundance of greens, flowers and an orange tree. Both sweets and savories are displayed on the table but the highlight of the meal is the popular syllabub.