About

Come tour the beautiful home and garden of one of Fredericksburg's early attorneys, James Mercer. He was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the first judge of the General Court in Fredericksburg, and the attorney who drew up the will of Mary Washington. Mercer built the house on land once owned by Fielding Lewis, brother-in-law of George Washington. The house is particularly noted for its fine collection of antique furniture and decorative arts acquired by Daniel Breslin and William Tolerton who, together, restored St. James’ in the mid-1960s and eventually bequeathed it to Preservation Virginia. Washington Heritage Museums then received the property and its collections by deed of gift in 2012. St. James’ House serves as the headquarters for Washington Heritage Museums.