DOWN HOME SERIES AT A GLANCE... Again in the year 2006, we’re making POPULATION: 21,100 as of 2004 66 our way around the region, each Occoquan issue visiting a small town and meeting FREDERICKSBURG LAND AREA: 10.5 square miles some of the folks who make up Waynesboro 95 the heart of electric co-op country. RRaphineaphine Colonial Beach FOUNDED: 1728 Charlottesville BBlloxom 64 On this year’s fifth 81 64 stop, we’ll be ... Richmond Salem ELEVATION: 1,075 feet Roanoke 460 81 Petersburg FUN FACT: The Fredericksburg CCharlotteharlotte 95 77 85 CouCourt House Capron Agricultural Fair is billed as the “Oldest Fair in America.” Held in late July, it will have its 268th anniversary in 2006. DOWN HOME IN FREDERICKSBURG by Lee Woolf, Contributing Writer istory is to Fredericksburg what were to return to Fredericksburg today, where Robert E. Lee watched from the autumn leaves are to the Blue many of the buildings in a 40-block area of heights south of town as his Confederate HRidge Parkway or the ocean is to the city that is designated as a National troops delivered one of the most lopsided Virginia Beach. Register Historic District would look famil- victories of the war. It’s not the only reason to visit, but it iar. Some of those buildings also have scars Some local residents embrace their town defines the region’s character and enhances from an 1862 Civil War battle that included as “America’s Most Historic City.” But all the other aspects of a visitor’s experience. a devastating artillery barrage and deadly other places stake claim to that title, as well. If George Washington or James Monroe house-to-house fighting. Visitors can stand So, when a regional tourism group selected Nestled in a lush green landscape just off I-95, Fredericksburg is about halfway between Richmond and Washington, D.C. 38 Cooperative Living/June 2006 M S I Clockwise from top: While visiting “timeless” Fredericksburg, you can learn about Colonial medical R hannock to present-day Fredericksburg in U O practices at the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, board a 100-foot paddle boat for a cruise on the T 1608, but Native Americans were living in & Rappahannock River, or take a trolley tour highlighting the city’s rich history. T the region as early as 7,000 B.C. Fishing for N E shad and herring is a popular spring ritual M P O a brand name in 2005, they settled on So far, the brand name seems to be work- that links past and present. L E V something simple and to the point: ing. Statistics indicate that about 262,000 Fredericksburg was established in 1728 E D “Fredericksburg Timeless.” The idea was to tourists visited Fredericksburg’s attractions in and was named for Crown Prince C I M link the region’s rich history with opportu- 2005, while revenue from meals and lodging Frederick, the son of George II of O N O nities for shopping, dining, entertainment taxes rose 8 percent over the previous year. England. Local historian Paula Felder C E and recreation. Think old-town charm writes that initially, the town “was a tiny, F O LOCATION, LOCATION … E sprinkled with modern-day conveniences. raw, dusty river port with the same charac- C I F “We were seeking a brand that would Fredericksburg sits roughly halfway be- teristics that we associate with the later F O identify the unique selling points that the city tween Washington, D.C., and Richmond — frontier towns of the West.” G R U has to offer and not focus on just one thing,” about 50 miles from each via Interstate 95 or George Washington came to live at a fam- B S K says David Holder, the city’s director of U.S. 1. The city’s population is about 21,000 ily property across the Rappahannock from C I R tourism and economic development. “We and it is the hub of a fast-growing region that Fredericksburg in 1738 when he was six E D E feel like we have a perfect timeless mix of includes neighboring Spotsylvania, Stafford, years old. The site is called Ferry Farm — R F historic sites and modern amenities. Caroline and King George counties. where legend says young George was able F O Y “This is a place you can visit and be your- Any discussion of the town probably to throw a coin across the river and could S E T self — or be a kid again, if you like — and should begin with the Rappahannock not bring himself to tell a lie about cutting R U have fun any way you choose. I think people River, which represents the city’s northern down a cherry tree. Washington’s family O C can come here and escape the stress of life border as it meanders from the Blue Ridge has a strong connection to Fredericksburg S O T today and lose track of time. And that’s mountains toward the Chesapeake Bay. and he was a frequent visitor as an adult. O H P important with so many busy lifestyles.” Capt. John Smith explored the Rappa- His mother Mary, sister Betty and brother June 2006/www.co-opliving.com 39 Charles all lived in the city, and their for- The city continued to prosper into the Fredericksburg,” wrote John Hennessy in mer homes are among the city’s most pop- 1800s, and in 1837, the Richmond, Fred- an article last year for Blue & Gray magazine. ular attractions today. ericksburg and Potomac Railroad reached as Hennessy is the chief historian for the Another important historic site is the far north as Fredericksburg. According to his- Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National James Monroe Museum and Memorial torian Felder, this was the beginning of the Military Park. Library. Monroe came to Fredericksburg north-south transportation corridor that “No community in America suffered at age 28 in 1787 and stayed for three would dominate the town’s future. longer or more variously at the hands of civil years. He practiced law in Fredericksburg war; its wartime ordeal started as inconven- and served on city council before moving CITY UNDER THE GUNS ience and affront, but ended amidst horror, to Albemarle County on his way to “Of all the Southern towns made famous poverty and death … More than a century national prominence. by blood, none would be more famous than later, the Civil War remains Fredericksburg’s central event — a defining epoch whose imprint remains vivid and visible.” The city became a killing ground in December 1862, when Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside tried to dislodge Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia from the heights south of town. First, he had to eliminate Confederate sharpshooters who were pre- venting his men from constructing pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock. To do that, he directed an artillery barrage that laid waste to the town. Frustrated by tenacious street fighting once they did cross the river, the Federals went on a destructive looting spree as most of the remaining civilians tried to escape through Confederate lines. On Dec. 13, Burnside struck Lee at two points. But Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s men held firm on the Confederate right flank and the Rebels of Gen. James Longstreet slaughtered the Federals during their repeated attempts to capture Marye’s Heights. When silence finally fell over the Beyond its historical appeal, Fredericksburg offers a choice selection of shopping and dining venues. Old Town is lined with a mix of antique stores, galleries, specialty shops and restaurants, while Central Park, just off I-95, houses over 160 retailers and around 50 restaurants. 40 Cooperative Living/June 2006 IF YOU GO ... Cannon fire still rings in the historical hamlet, where the Civil War’s imprint remains vivid. ny exploration of Old Town should begin at St. George’s Episcopal Church, finished in 1849 A the Fredericksburg Visitor Center at 706 in the Romanesque style; and the Presbyterian battlefield, the Federals had suffered more Caroline St., where a 14-minute audiovisual pro- Church, erected in 1833 in the Greek Revival than 12,000 casualties, compared to about gram will provide an overview of the area’s histo- style. All three served as hospitals during the Civil 5,000 for the Confederates. ry. Visitors can stroll the brick sidewalks to nearby War. In addition, Aquia Church in Stafford Three more major Civil War battles — antique shops and restaurants, or journey through County, built between 1751 and 1757, is consid- Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spot- the historic district by trolley or ered one of the finest exam- sylvania Court House — were fought within horse-drawn carriage. Another ples of Colonial architecture 20 miles of Fredericksburg during 1863 option is a riverboat trip down in Virginia. and 1864. Combined, these engagements the Rappahannock. The Fredericksburg and involved more than 750,000 men and pro- Kenmore Plantation and Spotsylvania National Mili- duced 100,000 casualties. The economic Gardens at 1201 Washington tary Park is comprised of impact of the Civil War on the civilian pop- Ave. is one of the finest 18th- about 9,000 acres from four ulation can’t be overstated. It was the 1940s century houses in Virginia. Its major Civil War battlefields. before census figures in the region reached ceilings display some of the Visitor centers at both pre-war levels. most elaborate plasterwork to Fredericksburg and Chancel- In a column marking the anniversary of survive from the Colonial era. lorsville offer films and Lee’s birthday last January, local newspaper George Washington’s only sis- exhibits.