More than 10,000 African-Americans in the region left slavery for freedom in 1862 alone, getting behind Union lines. The first legal sale of a mixed drink in more than half a century takes place at the Sheraton Motor Inn. Before the war ended, three other major engagements were fought in the areathose of Chancellorsville (April 27May 6, 1863); the Wilderness (May 56, 1864); and Spotsylvania Courthouse (May 821, 1864). The bloody engagement, which occurs in Spotsylvania and Orange counties, has an inconclusive finish. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Males had a median income of $33,641 versus $25,037 for females. In 1900, the two companies merged, with both newspapers continuing publication until 1926, when they merged as a single daily newspaper under the current title. People hold balloons containing gift cards as they wait in line at The Village at Towne Centres grand opening in July 2010. Route 3 (Plank Road) is a major eastwest route that connects downtown Fredericksburg (via the Blue and Gray Parkway bypass), southern Stafford and King George counties, and Route 301 to the east with the large shopping centers, Spotsylvania Town Center and Central Park. The shaped block of stone at the corner is closely associated with these events, and symbolizes Fredericksburg's long . During the Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayettes army on the way to Yorktown is joined by the Spotsylvania Militia near Elys Ford. But they are in the past tense. Considered to be Gen. Robert E. Lees greatest battle, the Battle of Chancellorsville encompasses some of the boldest strategies of the war. A. Smith Bowman Distillery, the states oldest distillery, relocates to Spotsylvania from Reston. [5][6] The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg with neighboring Spotsylvania County for statistical purposes. After the war, many freedmen moved to Richmond and Petersburg, where there had been established free black communities before the war, and there was more work. The city has become the regional healthcare center for the area. The city serves an agricultural region (dairy and beef cattle) and has light manufacturing. The Second Battle of Fredericksburg left more destruction in the town. "We are truly a better community when we come together, get to know each other, and recognize the important contributions of all. Out of the total population, 19.9% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Removal of the stone was first considered by the City Council in 1924, when the local Chamber of Commerce rebutted the block's use for slave auctions and argued that its continued presence reflected poorly on the community. As for myself, the next time Im in town I will revisit these spots with different eyes. All rights reserved. Its older streets still bear the names of members of the British royal family. His arm was later amputatedand the limb is said to be buried at Ellwood Manor in Spotsylvania. The Fredericksburg Baptist Church has an active community and also contains a museum and archive documenting the churchs history. It received its charter as an independent city in 1879 and under Virginia law, was separated from Spotsylvania County. It was named for Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-51), eldest son of King George II of Great Britain and father of King George III. Beginning in 2006, the City of Fredericksburg, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR), sponsored a multi-phase survey (PDF) of all buildings within the current Fredericksburg Historic District and within a potential boundary expansion of the district. A much-needed railroad joining the town to the West's arming region was not finished until after the Civil War. The actorcomedian has appeared in several movies and TV shows. Gordon Jr. and his wife, Melissa, donated the 209 acres that make up Loriella Park to Spotsylvania County in 1978. Important public buildings include the 1852 courthouse designed by James Renwick, whose works include the Smithsonian Institution's castle building in Washington and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, and the 1816 town hall and market house, now operated as the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center. [40] In 2010, the National Park Service, which manages the battlefield, Stafford County, and the City of Fredericksburg worked collaboratively to post new historical markers on either side of the Rappahannock River as part of a "Freedom Trail" to mark this exodus.[15]. The facility represents a new kind of hospital company for the region, a for-profit operation that pays state and local taxes. In 1729, during a trip to England, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Businessman and WWII veteran Sidney L. Shannon Jr. founds Shannon Airport just south of Fredericksburg in Spotsylvania. The photograph brought out the significance everyone had always mentioned about Fredericksburg, but it wasnt until I started comparing the past to the present that I once again fell in love with Fredericksburg, Virginia. Address - 1304 Caroline St, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. In 1833 the Mary Washington Monument was erected but not finished. The John J. Wright Consolidated School opens to all of the countys Black youth. Battle of Fredericksburg - Wikipedia The remaining residents got their first taste of war in December 1862. Many unidentified soldiers were buried in mass graves. Spotsylvanias first public swimming pool opens at Loriella Park. Updates? Hence, the community served as county seat until 1780. Adopting the name of Mary Washington College in 1938, the college was for many years associated with the University of Virginia (then limited to white men) as a women's liberal arts college. The city also benefited from its relative proximity to four military installations: the United States Marine Corps' Quantico Base, the U.S. Army's Fort Belvoir, the U.S. Navy's Dahlgren Surface Weapons Base, and the Virginia National Guard's Fort A.P. [4] "Mary Ball Washington: His Revered Mother," Crookshanks, Barbara, Central Rappahannock Regional Library, last modified March 24, 2009, http://history.librarypoint.org/mary_ball_washington. [citation needed], Most of Fredericksburg's traffic flow is to or from the north (Washington, D.C. metropolitan area) during peak commuting hours, primarily via I-95 and U.S. Route 1. The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, the second major engagement in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grants Overland Campaign, occurs over two weeks in the courthouse area. Naval pioneer Matthew Fontaine Maury was born in Spotsylvania County. George Washington Birthplace National Monument is 38 miles (61 km) east, with James Monroes birthplace also close by. On Jan. 23, 1977, ABC aired Roots, a miniseries based on Alex Haleys novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Haleys best-selling novel, published in 1976, cast his African ancestor, Kunta Kinte, as a slave of a Spotsylvania family. Virginia Electric and Power Co. (now Dominion Energy) starts construction on the Lake Anna Reservoir. On December 31, 2015, the newspaper and associated website were purchased by Berkshire Hathaways BH Media Group. [citation needed], In 2001, the Arbitron media service began listing the Fredericksburg area as a nationally rated radio market. Please subscribe to keep reading. The doors of the first store in Spotsylvania Mall swung open on Feb. 18, 1980. The house hosted Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, and Clara Barton over the course of the war. [3] "The Distinguished Heritage of Fredericksburg Baptist Church," Fredericksburg Baptist Church, accessed July 25, 2013, http://www.fredericksburgbaptistchurch.org/. Two additional campuses for graduate and professional studies and education and research are located in Stafford County and in King George County, respectively. It developed as a port with a busy English trade (mostly of tobacco and iron products). During the Battle of Fredericksburg from December 1115, 1862, the town sustained significant damage from bombardment and looting by the Union forces. The information presented by Historic Court Records are primarily extracts of "loose papers" - the paper trail behind Court Order Book entries. [32] Only Arlington County, Alexandria, and Falls Church in Northern Virginia had a higher percentage of votes for Obama. Lake Anna State Park offers gold-panning activities in the summer. One local television station, NBC affiliate WHFV, was briefly on the air in the 1970s. Heres just a brief overview of some history this burgeoning county has witnessed over the last 300 years. "As our community grows in diversity and looks to our future, I am proud of how we have taken on honest and important conversations to create a more welcoming Fredericksburg," said Fredericksburg Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw. Its exhibits focus on the Black schools history, as well as that of the county and region. As interest in the frontier grew, the colonial assembly formed Spotsylvania County in 1720, named after Royal Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood. In November 1862 Union troops arrived and occupied the town. The river cascading out of the Piedmont powered local industries and brought prosperity. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park encompasses land and sites related to four major Civil War battles. School Superintendent John Neely had relocated his office into what became John J. Wright Middle School in anticipation of integration. A new courthouse is built on 10 acres adjacent to Rawlings Tavern; the area becomes known as Spotsylvania Courthouse. A 7-mile (11-km) looped hiking path connects the prominent sites in the park. The battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House were fought nearby in May 1864. Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department is established. Alexander Spotswood, portrayed by Lynwood Slim Landrum at Spotsylvania Countys 250th anniversary celebration on Oct. 17, 1970. In its first week, 16,000 books, videos, and CDs are checked out. American Viscose Corp. acquires Sylvania. Pop. Caressa Cameron of Spotsylvania was crowned Miss America 2010 in Las Vegas. The state legislature follows the lead of other states to recommend construction of the Rappahannock Canal to open the river to trade. Confederate troops retreated west toward Chancellorsville. History | Fredericksburg, VA - Official Website Fredericksburg operates with a council-manager government, with Mary Katherine Greenlaw as the current mayor, first elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020. Top 8 Historic Sites in Fredericksburg, VA To Visit It contains more than 15,000 Union burials from the area's battlefields. The Virginia General Assembly established a fort on the Rappahannock in 1676, just downriver of the present-day city. 15.5% of the population and 10.4% of families were below the poverty line. Also scheduled to open were Radio Shack, Spencer Gifts, Chess King, Waldenbooks, Cole Books, Thom McAn, Pants Corral, Kay Jewelers and Casual Corner. This happens one day after the Rev. Fredericksburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. The Route 1 bridge over the Rappahannock River is often a traffic bottleneck, and Route 3 has become increasingly congested as residential development grows and as the location of major regional shopping centers. In January 1998, well-wishers congratulate James Farmer after he receives the Medal of Freedom from President Clinton. Regardless of its original purpose, the block is undeniably a feature of this streetscape that witnessed these sales. In 1781, Fredericksburg was incorporated as a town with its own court, council, and mayor. The historic street grid adapts amazingly well to modern automobiles, effectively diffusing traffic, and confounding the vaunted computer models of modern road planners. A bloody battle was fought there on December 13, 1862. Inc. town, 1781; city, 1879. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.5 square miles (27.2km2), 10.4 square miles (27.0km2) of which is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2km2), or 0.67%, of which is water. The historic community of Falmouth lies across the Rappahannock to the north and includes the historic house Belmont, home of American Impressionist artist Gari Melchers. The first of two nuclear reactors go into commercial operation at the power plant run by Virginia Electric and Power Co. (now Dominion Energy) in neighboring Louisa County. Spotsylvania celebrates its 250th year with speakers, presentations, a luncheon and a parade in the courthouse area. Spotsylvania County Museum opens in the Old Berea Christian Church building during the Wilderness and Spotsylvania centennial observance period. FXBG.com has a comprehensive list for tourists of area historic attractions within the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Spotsylvania and Stafford, Virginia. The Second Battle of Fredericksburg was fought in and around the town on May 3, 1863, in connection with the Chancellorsville campaign (April 27, 1863 May 6, 1863). Crutchfield is pictured on a 1920s postcard standing near the block, and his 1931 obituary states that he recalled his sale on the block "distinctly." Nearly 20,000 fighters on both sides of the war were wounded. Spotsylvania marks its 279th birthday with the burial of a time capsule between the historic courthouse and the county administrators office. Four major airports serve Fredericksburg and the surrounding area. History U: Courses for High School Students, http://www.nps.gov/frsp/photosmultimedia/sr.htm, http://www.fredericksburgbaptistchurch.org/, http://history.librarypoint.org/mary_ball_washington. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males. Another site of interest is St. George's Church. Stafford County, Virginia - Wikipedia Under Farmers leadership, CORE organized Freedom Riders to desegregate interstate transportation in the Deep South in 1961. For two years Fredericksburg and its residents were engulfed by the American Civil War. More than one week later, Grant ultimately disengages from the fight and ordered his men to continue their march south. The remaining residents got their first taste of war in December 1862. The last cellophane sheets are spun at the FMC plant. Named for Frederick, Prince of Wales,[13] son of King George II, the colonial town named its streets after the members of the royal family. Fortunately, it appears that most "loose papers" survived the turmoil of the Civil War even though Fredericksburg changed hands a number of times and was decimated during the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. The Gilder Lehrman Collection contains a number of photographs taken after the Second Battle of Fredericksburg. The county court was moved to Fredericksburg in 1732. Tourism is a major part of the economy. [46], Sports at the secondary education level are run through the Virginia High School League. Sidney Shannon Jr. opens the first Shannon Air Museum at the Spotsylvania airport. Danny McBride graduates from Courtland High School. Central Park is a shopping complex in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with 166 businesses. Until June 19, 2014, the Free LanceStar was owned and operated by members of the Rowe family of Fredericksburg. - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more. The Ron Rosner Family YMCA, a branch of the Rappahannock Area YMCA, opens off Smith Station Road. More than 85,000 men wounded; 15,000 killed--most in graves unknown. It moves into the former FMC plant, which is now an industrial park. [note 1] Per state code, the central repository for crime statistics rests with the Department of State Police, which compiles data from all of the participating agencies into an annual publication Archived November 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.[30]. An open house is held in the new Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center in 2010. For the sum of 1,500 pounds of tobacco per year, the court is able to rent Willis stone cellar for a jail and the room above it for a courtroom. The county court has its last meeting at Germanna. Refugees by the thousands forced into the countryside. 8. The Fredericksburg Area Museum, housed in historic Town Hall/ Market House (c. 1816), has been part of the fabric of community life throughout the Fredericksburg area for nearly three decades. These battles are preserved, in part, as the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library is located on the site where Monroe practiced law from 1786 to 1788. About | Fredericksburg United Methodist Church Today the Mary Washington Monument and its surrounding greenery are open for visitors.[4]. In 1732 George Washingtons father, who owned Ferry Farm across the Rappahannock (where according to tradition George cut down the cherry tree), bought three lots in the town and became one of its trustees. Dels. In 2004, the college changed its name from Mary Washington College to the University of Mary Washington. The city has close associations with George Washington, whose family in 1738 moved to Ferry Farm in Stafford County near the Rappahannock River opposite Fredericksburg. The land on which the city was founded was part of a tract patented in 1671. There were mills for grinding flour, processing and weaving cotton, and other manufacturing. The Fredericksburg area is steeped in history. This photograph was the one that broke through my apathy and brought Fredericksburg back to life. Lake Anna State Park, a 2,058-acre tract off State Route 601 on the Spotsylvania shore of Lake Anna, opens. Among the dead are 2,246 Union and 1,495 Confederate soldiers. Historic District | Fredericksburg, VA - Official Website Historians S.J. Parts of the four battlefields, a national cemetery with graves of 17,000 Union soldiers, and a museum are included in the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Princess Anne Street remains the government corridor. A fire destroys the county courthouse near the Po River. Spotsylvania celebrates its 300th anniversary. It is named for Frederick, Prince of Wales. Many national big-box stores, restaurants, and smaller local businesses occupy the Central Park complex. Alexander Spotswoods Iron Mine Co. is founded at Germanna. Historic preservation is important to maintaining a community's character, but should not be viewed as a recreation of the past. The 1960s brought renewed growth and development, fueled by the construction of Interstate 95, which eased commuting and trade. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in Fredericksburg. Jackson died of pneumonia eight days later in Guinea Station in Caroline County. The racial makeup of the city was 54% White, 21% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 4.74 Asian, 0.067 Pacific Islander, 2.56% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In the early 21st century, the local music scene includes a wide variety of genres. It was named for Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-51), eldest son of King George II of Great Britain and father of King George III. Long-distance rail service to the north is available on Amtrak's Northeast Regional trains. [citation needed], In television, Fredericksburg is part of the Washington market. A painting depicts the death of Johann de Kalb at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina during the American Revolution.
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