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LOCATION
Frederickburg,
Virginia
Located on the
Rappahannock River near the head of
navigation at the fall line,
Fredericksburg developed as the frontier
of colonial Virginia shifted west out of
the coastal plain. The land on which the
city was founded was part of a tract
patented in 1671. The Virginia General
Assembly established a fort on the
Rappahannock in 1676, just below the
present-day city. In 1714, Lt. Gov.
Alexander Spotswood sponsored a German
settlement called Germanna on the Rapidan
River, a tributary of the Rappahannock
upstream from the future site of the city,
and led an expedition westward over the
Blue Ridge Mountains in 1716.
During the Civil War,
Fredericksburg gained strategic importance
due to its location midway between
Washington and Richmond, the opposing
capitals of the Union and the Confederacy.
During the Battle of Fredericksburg
(December 11–15, 1862) the town sustained
significant damage from bombardment and
looting by the Union forces. A second
battle was fought in and around the town
on May 3, 1863, in connection with the
Chancellorsville campaign (April 27, 1863
– May 6, 1863). The battles of the
Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House
were fought nearby in May 1864. Today
Fredericksburg welcomes millions of
tourists every year who walk the
battlefields and cemeteries to pay homage
to those who fought and died on both sides
of the conflict.
After the war,
Fredericksburg recovered its former
position as a center of local trade and
slowly grew beyond its prewar boundaries.
The University of Mary Washington was
founded here in 1908 as the State Normal
and Industrial School for Women. Adopting
the name of Mary Washington College in
1938, the college was for many years
associated with the University of Virginia
as a women’s liberal arts college. The
college became independent of UVA and
began to accept men in 1970. Recently, the
college changed names from Mary Washington
College to The University of Mary
Washington. A separate campus for graduate
and professional studies is located in
suburban Stafford County. Today
Fredericksburg is the commercial hub of a
rapidly growing region in north central
Virginia.
Despite recent decades of
suburban growth, reminders of the area’s
past abound. A 40-block national historic
district embraces the city’s downtown area
and contains more than 350 buildings
dating to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Notable homes include Kenmore, home of
Washington’s sister Betty, and the Mary
Washington House, where his mother spent
her final years. Crowds of tourists are
drawn to the historic district of
Fredericksburg during the summer months.
Other historic buildings and museums
include the late 18th century Rising Sun
Tavern, Hugh Mercer apothecary shop, and
the James Monroe law office museum.
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.
Surprisingly, the city
does not have a museum dedicated
specifically to the Civil War. (The
Fredericksburg National Military Park has
a Visitor's Center with a small gallery
that is run by the National Park Service.)
Therefore the National Civil War Museum
will not only fill a void, it will also
contribute to the area's economic growth,
while complimenting the existing
attractions that Fredericksburg is already
known for.
For more on one of
America's most historic cities, visit
Travel Host magazine's
website.
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