Chatham Chatter, 3rd Quarter, July - September 2026
- Jul 14
- 10 min read
President's Message
Dear Friends,
As I conclude my term as President of the Friends of Chatham, I find myself reflecting with gratitude on all that we have accomplished together over the past two years. It has truly been an honor to serve an organization whose members share such a deep commitment to preserving the beauty, history, and legacy of Chatham.
The gardens have always held a special place in my heart, and they continue to remind us that beautiful things are created through patience, dedication, and teamwork. From the first daffodils and tulips of spring to the vibrant displays of roses, peonies, and summer annuals, the gardens have flourished through the combined efforts of our dedicated gardener, Scott Blake, and our wonderful volunteers. Throughout the seasons, volunteers have helped plant new flowers and shrubs, weed the beds, spread mulch, deadhead spent blooms, and prepare the gardens for each changing season. Their commitment has helped ensure that the thousands of visitors who come to Chatham each year experience these historic gardens at their very best.
During my time as President, Friends of Chatham has continued to build on a strong foundation. Together we have expanded our membership, strengthened our Endowment, hosted successful educational and social events, supported ongoing preservation projects, and continued our close partnership with the National Park Service. One of the highlights of this past year was celebrating the reopening of Chatham following its interior renovation, allowing visitors once again to experience this remarkable historic home while enjoying the surrounding gardens and grounds.
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my fellow Board members—both those completing their terms and those continuing to serve—for their friendship, dedication, and countless hours of service. Serving alongside such talented and caring individuals has been one of the greatest privileges of my presidency. I also want to thank each of our members. Whether you volunteered, attended an event, renewed your membership, contributed to the Endowment, or simply shared your appreciation for Chatham with family and friends, you have helped ensure that this special place will continue to inspire future generations.
Finally, I am delighted to welcome our new Board members and congratulate Sharon Adinolfi as she begins her term as President. Sharon's longstanding commitment to Friends of Chatham, her appreciation for its history and gardens, and her proven leadership make her an outstanding choice to guide the organization into its next chapter. I know Friends of Chatham will continue to flourish under her leadership, and I look forward to supporting the organization as a volunteer and fellow member.
Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving as your President. It has been a joy to work alongside all of you in caring for this extraordinary place that means so much to our community. I hope to see you in the gardens for many years to come.
With warmest regards and a gardener's love,
Carol Hyland, President
Welcome to our 2026-2028 Board of Directors
New (and Returning) President: Sharon Adinolfi
Sharon is a retired Department of Defense Education Activity teacher who spent her career at Quantico Middle High School. She is the proud mother of three sons, grandmother to one granddaughter and one grandson, and great-grandmother to two great-granddaughters. Sharon volunteers at the local library, is an active member of the Woman's Club of Fredericksburg and proudly serves on the Friends of Chatham Board.
Over the years, she has served as both Secretary and President of Friends of Chatham and has contributed to numerous committees. After retiring, Sharon was looking for a new opportunity and attended a Friends of Chatham Member Mingle in 2012.
She often says that Friends of Chatham chose her, because the organization seemed to appear everywhere she turned during her first months of retirement. She joined because of her love for Chatham's rich history and its beautiful gardens.
Returning Vice President - Stephanie Turman
Stephanie has called Spotsylvania County home since 1988. Widowed in 2022, she is the proud mother of a son, stepmother to two daughters, grandmother to one granddaughter, and devoted companion to three feline friends. She retired after a rewarding 40-year career in the business, finance, and marketing fields of labor unions in Washington, D.C. After decades of commuting, she has enjoyed discovering the natural beauty, rich history, vibrant arts, and many attractions of the Fredericksburg area.
Stephanie first visited Chatham during the COVID pandemic, and it quickly became her favorite place to relax, recharge, and enjoy the outdoors. Her interests include photography, acrylic painting, bowling, travel, reading, writing, editing, word games, and trivia.
She joined the Friends of Chatham Board in 2022 as Director of Projects before becoming Vice President, and she is honored to continue serving in that role for another two years. Stephanie values Chatham's historical and educational significance and especially appreciates the year-round photographic beauty of its grounds and gardens.
New Treasurer – Sam Smart
Sam earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from William & Mary in 1967 before receiving his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1971. Following six years of active duty in the U.S. Army, he and his wife, Laura, purchased the optometric practice of Dr. Martin Blatt and moved to Fredericksburg in 1977. They are the proud parents of four daughters and grandparents to ten grandchildren.
Sam has long been active in the community, serving as president of Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc., the Rappahannock Rotary Club, and the Virginia Optometric Association. After retiring in 2018, Dr. Smart volunteered for several years at the Crossover Healthcare Ministry free clinic. Today, he enjoys spending his retirement gardening, fly-fishing, and golfing.
New Secretary - Trina Barton
Trina is an educator with more than 20 years of classroom and educational technology experience. She has taught students in grades 1–8, led teams of teachers in both public and private schools, designed and implemented interdisciplinary curricula in schools across the country, most recently with Stafford County Public Schools, and served on numerous educational and community advisory boards.
Today, she facilitates professional learning for educators across the United States and around the world as part of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Assessment Division. Locally, Trina enjoys serving as a docent at the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library in Fredericksburg.
She is honored to serve as Secretary of the Friends of Chatham Board and looks forward to connecting with members of the greater Fredericksburg community, which she and her family have proudly called home for the past decade. The reopening of Chatham presents an exciting opportunity to engage visitors with the rich history of this remarkable property. Trina is proud to support Friends of Chatham's mission by helping grow its endowment, coordinating Member Mingle events, and promoting this special place to residents and visitors throughout the Fredericksburg region.
New Membership Chair - Aaron Mastin
Aaron is professionally trained as a designer for theater, film, and television, specializing in historically inspired costumes, sets, and props across a wide range of productions.
As a freelance designer, he has overseen every aspect of design, budgeting, and production, creating everything from modern dance wardrobes and scenic installations for New York Fashion Week to hundreds of costumes for feature films and television, as well as scenery, props, interiors, and landscapes for theaters, event venues, and private homes.
Aaron believes in a hands-on, collaborative approach, working alongside others to ensure each project is completed as efficiently, creatively, and elegantly as possible.
When done well, he feels the process is just as rewarding as the finished result. Aaron and his dog, Gracie, are frequent morning visitors to Chatham, where they enjoy walking the grounds and appreciating the beauty of the gardens and landscapes so carefully preserved by the Friends of Chatham.
Returning Marketing and Public Relations Director - Kevin Brown
Kevin is a retired Marine who lives in the City of Fredericksburg with his wife, Susan. They have four children—Kyle (wife Claire), Kirsten (husband Duane), Karina (husband Isaiah), and Paige—and are proud grandparents to grandsons Levi and Lennox and granddaughter Kylie.
An active member of the community, Kevin administers the popular On the Fredericksburg VA Trails Facebook group, which has grown to more than 40,000 members, and serves on the City's Parks, Recreation and Events Committee and Pathways Committee.
He also supports and participates in numerous local organizations and community initiatives. Kevin is passionate about preserving Chatham as the region's premier scenic destination, ensuring that its exceptional gardens and historic grounds remain a welcoming place for the thousands of residents and visitors who enjoy them each year.
Returning Projects Director - Carol Fry
Carol moved to Fredericksburg in 1995 and is the proud mother of two children and grandmother of one grandchild. After a successful 20-year career with GEICO, she retired to embrace a new and rewarding role as her grandchild's full-time caregiver. A lifelong gardening enthusiast, Carol found the perfect opportunity to combine her love of horticulture with community service by joining the Friends of Chatham. She enjoys volunteering to help preserve and enhance Chatham's beautiful gardens, ensuring they remain a treasured destination for residents and visitors to enjoy for generations to come.
Ways and Means (Fundraising) Director: Currently Open
Past President: Carol Hyland
Carol retired in 2012 after a 35-year career with the Social Security Administration. At the suggestion of a close friend, she completed Master Gardener training through the Virginia Cooperative Extension and began volunteering in the gardens at Chatham.
That fortunate opportunity combined her lifelong love of history with her newfound passion for gardening. On her first visit inside Chatham, she picked up a Friends of Chatham membership card, joined immediately, and has remained an active member ever since.
When the Master Gardener volunteer coordinator stepped down, Carol was selected to lead the group, giving her an even greater role in caring for the gardens. Through her work, she developed a deep appreciation for the gardens' history, the vision of their designer, Ellen Biddle Shipman, and their significance in American landscape architecture. As a member of Friends of Chatham, Carol enjoys sharing the beauty and historical importance of Chatham's gardens and grounds while encouraging others to visit and experience this remarkable place.
Recent Events
Photographer’s Meet and Greet at Chatham
on 26 April 2026
A Meet and Greet enjoyed by 20 local photography (camera and cell phone) enthusiasts was held at Chatham. Participants gathered at the picnic tables on the north side of the screened-in summer house. After introductions, and some comradery accompanied by FREE PIZZA and soft drinks, participants strolled Chatham grounds snapping photos for later submission into a winner-takes-all contest - for a $100 DOWNTOWN GIFT CARD PRIZE. The contest theme was Springtime at Chatham on a cloudy day, with photos required to be taken on the day of the event. The judges for the photography contest were the Friends of Chatham Board of Directors. Congratulations to our grand prize winner out of 12 entries was Debbie Stachkunas with her “Peach Roses and Historic Wall” photo which is featured as the cover photo of this newsletter.
Fredericksburg Symphony Concertat the James Monroe High School on 23 May 2026(Summon the Heroes: The Memorial Concert)
Friends of Chatham members joined together in our special seating section for the final Fredericksburg Symphony Concert of the season. In celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary, the FSO “summoned America’s heroes” in a special Memorial Concert, featuring special military guests and uplifting patriotic music.
Friends of Chatham Annual Meeting,
Central Rappahannock Regional Library
at 1201 Caroline St on 9 June 2026
Our annual meeting was held at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library – Fredericksburg Branch, at 1201 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. Members joined together in celebrating this past year’s accomplishments while learning about plans for the upcoming year.
Upcoming Events
Friends of Chatham Board Retreat – August 2026
The newly formed 2026-2028 Friends of Chatham Board of Directors will meet in August 2026 for a half-day retreat to conduct detailed organizational planning for the next two years.
Fredericksburg Symphony Concert at the James Monroe High Schoolon 19 September 2026 (Theme: Symphonic Flashbang)
Friends of Chatham members will be sent a special email invitation to join our group in a special seating section for the first Fredericksburg Symphony Concert of the 2026-27 season. This concert will feature a lineup of thrilling, explosive, and exciting symphonic pieces from Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Tchaikovsky.
From the Garden
Spring brought an abundance of color to the Chatham gardens, with spectacular displays of roses, peonies, daffodils, tulips, and many other flowering plants. As summer arrived and temperatures warmed, our dedicated volunteers turned their attention to planting the annuals that had been nurtured in our greenhouses. Today, the flower beds are bursting with vibrant marigolds, impatiens, vincas, sage, petunias, zinnias, and lantana.
Throughout the remainder of the growing season, our efforts will focus on weeding and deadheading spent blooms to keep the gardens healthy and beautiful. It is truly a never-ending labor of love, and we are deeply grateful for the dedicated volunteers whose time and hard work help ensure that everyone who visits Chatham can enjoy these remarkable gardens at their very best.
Membership
As we conclude the 2025–2026 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2026, the Friends of Chatham Board would like to express its sincere gratitude to all of our members for your continued support. With 106 active members, our organization reflects a strong commitment to preserving the history, beauty, and legacy of Chatham for future generations.
The Friends of Chatham fiscal year ends on June 30 each year, making this the perfect time to renew your membership. Your continued support is essential to advancing our preservation mission and sustaining the gardens, grounds, and educational programs that make Chatham such a special place.
Renewing is easy. Simply mail your membership renewal to Friends of Chatham, P.O. Box 36, Fredericksburg, VA 22404, or visit www.friendsofchatham.org to renew online.
Thank you for your past, present, and continued support of Friends of Chatham. Together, we are helping preserve one of the Fredericksburg area's most treasured historic landmarks.
Endowment Update
Building Chatham's Future
The Friends of Chatham Endowment continues to provide a strong foundation for preserving and enhancing one of the Fredericksburg area's most treasured historic sites. Thanks to the generosity of our members and supporters, the Endowment currently exceeds $650,000 and will help ensure that Chatham's gardens, grounds, and preservation efforts can continue for generations to come.
The Board of Directors remains committed to managing the Endowment responsibly by protecting its principal while allowing prudent use of investment earnings to support priorities such as maintaining the part-time gardener position and funding future preservation projects.
As we look ahead, we invite members and friends to consider including the Friends of Chatham Endowment in their long-term charitable giving plans. Whether through annual contributions, memorial or honorary gifts, or estate planning, every gift strengthens Chatham's future and helps preserve its beauty, history, and educational value for future visitors.
Thank you for your continued support during my tenure on the Board of Directors and as Director of Ways & Means. You have helped ensure that Chatham remains a place of inspiration, learning, and enjoyment for generations to come.
Submitted by: Patsy Thompson, Director of Ways & Means (Term ended 30 Jun 2026)
Website and Social Media Update
We encourage everyone to visit our Friends of Chatham website at www.friendsofchatham.org and see the terrific design and content improvements that have been made with the help of our website manager, Deborah Newman at arts@petitetaway.com. For membership and donations, payment acceptance is provided via Paypal.
Our Facebook page, Friends of Chatham, Inc., is very active with beautiful photos and news related to Chatham being posted and shared on a daily basis. We encourage you to follow our Facebook page, if you are on social media, so you can automatically view our content.
