Everyone has somewhere that they call home. In my travels around the country I have lived in many places. For more than the last 20 years my home town is Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Located next to Interstate 95 and half way between Washington DC and Richmond, thousands of people pass by Fredericksburg each day. To many, it is a place to stop and spend the night, get something to eat or to decompress after battling their way past Washington’s legendary traffic. For those headed in the other direction it’s a place to do those same things or to gather courage for the traffic that lies ahead.
If you take time to travel a short distance off the Interstate you’ll leave the big box stores and strip malls behind and discover Fredericksburg’s Historic Old Town. One of the railroad bridges has a sign proclaiming Fredericksburg as America’s Most Historic City.
Everyone should take the time to be a sightseer or tourist in their own town, wherever that may be, and Fredericksburg has many opportunities to discover. I’ll be taking a look at many of them in the future. In this post I’ll talk a little bit about some of the things that makes Fredericksburg historic.
Beginnings
Rivers were important to transportation and commerce during Colonial times. Fredericksburg sits on the banks of the Rappahannock River. On one of his expeditions from Jamestown, John Smith traveled up the Rappahannock to the fall line. Located just past the location of today’s downtown, this series of rapids is where navigation from the flat water of the Chesapeake Bay ends. Interest in the area continued to grow and in 1720 a new county, Spotsylvania, was formed. In 1728 Fredericksburg was established as a port for the new county. For about 50 years the new city was also the location of the county courts. Fredericksburg became an incorporated town in 1781.
Colonial Period
Some of Fredericksburg’s most famous residents lived here during colonial times including members of George Washington’s family. Washington was born in Westmoreland County. When he was a little boy Washington’s family moved to Ferry Farm, across the river from Fredericksburg. In later years Washington’s mother lived in Fredericksburg. One of his brothers operated the Rising Sun Tavern and his sister married Fielding Lewis. Lewis operated a store and arms factory during the Revolution and lived at Kenmore plantation one of the grandest colonial structures in the city.
In addition to the Washington family, naval hero John Paul Jones lived in Fredericksburg. Future president James Monroe had a law office in the city and Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom while staying in Fredericksburg.
1800’s and Civil War
During the early and mid 1800’s mills and manufacturing facilities became common in the area. In the 1830’s a railroad was built connecting Fredericksburg with Richmond and ultimately the Washington area. The railroad tracks are still used today by freight, Amtrak and commuter trains.
During the Civil War Fredericksburg was right in the middle of Washington and Richmond, the two war time capitals. This resulted in four major battles being fought in or near Fredericksburg during an 18 month period. I can only imagine what these battles did to the city and surrounding area. In addition to the damage the battles caused, between 100,000 and 150,000 soldiers were present at each of them. The armies had to eat and needed to make shelters. After the battle of Fredericksburg, fought in December, the two armies encamped in the area for the winter. Wood was needed to build more substantial cabins and huts. Wood was also used for heating and cooking. The war brought long lasting damage to the city and countryside. Also, when the war ended it took Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties about 100 years to get back to their 1860 populations.
In Fredericksburg there is also a building where President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis both spoke. Lincoln also visited Chatham Manor, one of only three buildings in the country visited by both Lincoln and Washington.
Present Day
After the war and up to the present day Fredericksburg again became a center for manufacturing, defense industries and activities involving nearby military bases. The early 1900’s brought the establishment of a school which became the University of Mary Washington. In the mid 1960’s Interstate 95 was constructed allowing the area to become a bedroom community of Washington and Northern Virginia. About the same time more than 40 downtown city blocks were designated as a National Historic District. This offered a layer of protection to many of the surviving buildings from the 1700’s and 1800’s.
America’s Most Historic City?
So, is Fredericksburg America’s Most Historic City? People who live in Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Charleston, Santa Fe, St. Augustine or other locations might argue. However, there is a lot of history here and places to visit. Being a sightseer in your own home town can be great fun. I look forward to sharing Fredericksburg and the surrounding area with you!
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