Where the Cherry Tree Grew: The Story of Ferry Farm, George Washington’s Boyhood Home

In 2008, historian and archeologist Levy (Fellow Travelers: Indians and Europeans Contesting the Early American Trail) announced that he and his team had uncovered George Washington’s boyhood home on the banks of Virginia’s Rappahannock River. Levy regales readers with a fascinating tale of a home, a family, and the legends surrounding Washington that grew out of the soil of Ferry Farm. When Washington’s father, Augustine, died, he willed the land to his son; at 11 years old, the young Washington thus became a “landowner and a slaveholder.” Yet Washington’s tenure at Ferry Farm was a brief one—he left the spot when he was 16 to become a surveyor of new territories out west, a job he came to love. As Levy points out, the future first president did not have fond memories of Ferry Farm—his father and sister died on the land—yet his life there hardened him to deal with the ravages of the Revolutionary War. While Levy offers no especially new insights into Washington’s life and times, he does provide a glimpse into the role of land and the power of place in shaping history and identity. 8-page b&w photo insert. Agent: Rachel Sussman, Chalberg & Sussman. (Feb. 12)