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75-567: In 1929, Dr. William J. Chewning, having amassed over 100,000 Civil War artifacts, opened The National Battlefield Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia . This private museum operated under his direction from 1929 until his death in 1937. In his final years, Chewning tried to find a local buyer for the collection, but neither the National Park Service nor the City of Fredericksburg opted to purchase

150-474: A #1 hit by Al Jolson. The river thus being internationally famous much beyond other rivers of its size and importance, the Suwanee is presumably the referent in the idiom "go down the swanny" (a variation of "go down the river"), meaning "finished, used up, gone to hell". "Swanee whistle", another name for slide whistle , is also probably based on "swanee" as a variant spelling of "Suwanee". The Suwannee River

225-575: A German settlement called Germanna on the Rapidan River , a tributary of the Rappahannock upstream from the future site of the city. In 1716, he led an exploratory expedition westward over the Blue Ridge Mountains . As interest in the frontier grew, the colonial assembly formed Spotsylvania County in 1720, named after Royal Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood . In 1728, Fredericksburg

300-464: A building made up of three individual structures, constructed at different times, beginning in 1816. Near the historic district is the Lewis Plantation, later named Kenmore, the plantation home of George Washington's sister Betty and her husband, Fielding Lewis . Civil War battles are commemorated in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park . Formed by an act of Congress in 1927,

375-595: A party label. Like the rest of Northern Virginia , Fredericksburg has trended strongly Democratic in the early 21st century. In the 2008 presidential election , voters in Fredericksburg gave Barack Obama a total of 63.6% of the vote. Only Arlington County , Alexandria , and Falls Church in Northern Virginia had a higher percentage of votes for Obama. No Republican presidential candidate has carried Fredericksburg since George H. W. Bush did so in 1988 . In

450-498: A single subsequently released by Wray & His Ray Men. This innovation became widely used by rock guitarists. In the early 21st century, the local music scene includes a wide variety of genres. A commuter rail line – the Virginia Railway Express  – was established in the 1980s, providing passage to Washington, D.C. and other cities north of Fredericksburg. The city has become the regional healthcare center for

525-670: A strong interest in Civil War history. He combined those interests in 1959 when he opened Cliff Arquette's Soldiers Museum (later Charley Weaver's American Museum of the Civil War) in Gettysburg. The museum stood along Baltimore Street on Cemetery Hill and displayed Civil War dioramas and figurines created by Arquette. The notion of buying such a large collection of artifacts that the Richards's offered for sale did not appeal to Arquette. He instead passed

600-726: Is 'happy to know' that it will be permanently in Virginia. Florida native Julius T. Richards was a commission merchant in Washington, D.C. A Marine Corps veteran of World War One , Richards also collected Civil War artifacts. He added the Chewning artifacts to his own collection and built a $ 20,000 museum on the Manassas battlefield to display the relics. An additional $ 3,000 went into the exhibits that covered 180 square feet (17 m) of wall space. The museum stood along Lee Highway (State Route 29) to

675-461: Is a diverse and rich ecological space, hosting varied aquatic and wetland habitats. It is home to a large number of temperate and subtropical species, including unique and endangered ones. The Suwannee alligator snapping turtle , described scientifically only in 2014, is endemic to the Suwannee river basin. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, "The Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge

750-475: Is a four-year public university within the city. Germanna Community College , established in 1970, is a public two-year program with a campus in Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg's daily newspaper is The Free Lance–Star . The Free Lance was first published in 1885, and competed with two twice-weekly papers in the city during the late 19th century, the Fredericksburg News and The Virginia Star . While

825-526: Is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km ), or 0.67%, of which is water. The city is part of the boundary between the Piedmont and Tidewater regions, and as such is located on the fall line , as evident on the Rappahannock River . US 1 , US 17 , and I-95 all pass through the city, which is located 53 miles (85 km) south of downtown Washington, D.C. The city is bounded on the north and east by

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900-437: Is part of the Washington market. One local television station, NBC affiliate WHFV , was briefly on the air in the 1970s. Studio Ironcat , A small publishing company based in Fredericksburg, Virginia, dedicated to publication of manga and later, Amerimanga. Suwannee River The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River or Swanee River ) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in

975-400: Is unlike other refuges in that it was not established for the protection of a specific species, but in order to protect the high water quality of the historic Suwannee River." The Suwannee River Wilderness Trail is "a connected web of Florida State Parks, preserves and wilderness areas" that stretches more than 170 miles (274 kilometers), from Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park to

1050-449: The 2016 presidential election , then-candidate Donald Trump garnered the lowest percentage of the city's vote for any Republican candidate since 1936; about two percent fewer votes were garnered in 2020 . Fredericksburg operates with a council-manager government , with Kerry Devine as the current mayor, first elected in 2024. The following is the current makeup of City Council. Despite recent decades of suburban growth, reminders of

1125-502: The Arbitron media service began listing the Fredericksburg area as a nationally rated radio market. As of the fall of 2014, the area ranked 146th out of 272 markets surveyed, with a total market population of more than 325,000. Large broadcast companies like Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Broadcasting are not active in the local market; almost all of its stations remain locally or regionally owned. In television, Fredericksburg

1200-718: The Civil War , Fredericksburg was strategically important because of its port location midway between Washington and Richmond, the opposing capitals of the Union and the Confederacy . During the Battle of Fredericksburg from December 11–15, 1862, the town sustained significant damage from bombardment and looting by the Union forces. During that engagement, nearly 10,000 enslaved people left area plantations and city households to gain freedom by crossing

1275-539: The Civil War , and the sulphur springs at White Springs became popular as a health resort, with 14 hotels in operation in the late 19th century. The Suwanee (given as "Swanee") is the locale of the protagonist's longed-for home in two famous songs: Steven Fosters 1851 " Old Folks at Home ", which is commonly called by its first line ("Way down upon the Swanee River") or just "Swanee River", and George Gershwin's 1919 song " Swanee " (partly inspired by Foster's song) made

1350-627: The News folded in 1884, the Star moved to daily publication in 1893. 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. Until June 19, 2014, the Free Lance–Star was owned and operated by members of the Rowe family of Fredericksburg. At that time, Sandton Capital Partners purchased the paper. On December 31, 2015,

1425-502: The Rappahannock River near the head of navigation at the fall line , Fredericksburg developed as the frontier of colonial Virginia shifted west from the coastal plain into the Piedmont. 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 downriver of the present-day city. In 1714, Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood sponsored

1500-598: 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. Another site of interest is St. George's Church . The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library is located on the site where Monroe practiced law from 1786 to 1788. The museum is housed in

1575-573: The Southern United States . It is a wild blackwater river , about 246 miles (396 km) long. The Suwannee River is the site of the prehistoric Suwanee Straits that separated the Florida peninsula from the Florida panhandle and the rest of the continent. Spelled as "Swanee", it is the namesake of two famous songs: " Way Down Upon the Swanee River " (1851) and " Swanee " (1919). The headwaters of

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1650-564: The State Normal and Industrial School for Women , to train white women for teaching K-12 and industrial skills. 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 college officially desegregated in 1964. The college became independent of the University of Virginia and began to accept men in 1970. In 2004,

1725-533: The United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg with neighboring Spotsylvania County for statistical purposes. Located near where the Rappahannock River crosses the Atlantic Seaboard fall line , Fredericksburg was a prominent port in Virginia during the colonial era . During the Civil War , Fredericksburg, located halfway between the capitals of the opposing forces,

1800-522: The Wayback Machine . By long-standing tradition (dating back to the Federal Hatch Act of 1939 , which prohibited government employees from participating in partisan politics), local elections in Fredericksburg are officially non-partisan. Neither the mayoral and council elections nor local constitutional positions (e.g. sheriff, Commissioner of Revenue, Commonwealth Attorney) list candidates with

1875-568: The Yustaga , who lived on the west side of the river; and the Northern Utina , who lived on the east side. By 1633, the Spanish had established the missions of San Juan de Guacara, San Francisco de Chuaquin, and San Augustin de Urihica along the Suwannee to convert these western Timucua peoples. In the 18th century, Seminoles lived by the river. The steamboat Madison operated on the river before

1950-471: The urban heat island present in the nation's capital make for significantly cooler low temperatures. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. As of the census of 2020, there were about 29,000 people, 8,102 households, and 3,925 families residing in

2025-592: The "Washington Heritage Museums": the Mary Washington House , where George Washington's mother lived in her final years; the late 18th-century Rising Sun Tavern , and the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop (the fourth, the St. James House (built 1768), is open to the public only during Historic Garden Week ). Important public buildings include the 1852 courthouse designed by James Renwick , whose works include

2100-510: The 10,000 slaves crossing the Rappahannock for freedom with the Union in 1862 was John Washington. A literate slave from Fredericksburg, he settled in New York and wrote an account of the wartime events several years later. His manuscript was discovered in the 1990s. It was published as the basis of two books, David W. Blight 's A Slave No More (2007), and John Washington's Civil War: A Slave Narrative (2008), edited by Crandall Shifflett. In 2010,

2175-568: The Chewnings. Regardless of its size, the museum remained in Vicksburg for about seven years before Richards once again hit the road. The collection's destination after Vicksburg remains a little uncertain. California newspaper announcements from 1957 indicate that Richards intended to reopen the museum in Santa Cruz. A brochure exists for The National Civil War Museum of Santa Cruz that lists Richards as

2250-490: The Civil War, Richards admitted, made it a natural location for his business. The museum sat at 4005 Washington Street and the local newspaper referred to it as "a mecca for tourists." The centerpiece of the collection remained the Stonewall Jackson amputation table. Mrs. Richards later stated that the collection's storage during the war dealt a blow to the collection's provenance. "During its storage," she claimed, "many of

2325-834: The Continental Army. Other significant early residents include the Revolutionary War generals Hugh Mercer and George Weedon , naval war hero John Paul Jones , and future U.S. president James Monroe . Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in Fredericksburg. During the 19th century, mills continued to be developed along the Rappahannock River, which provided water power. There were mills for grinding flour, processing and weaving cotton, and other manufacturing. Fredericksburg sought to maintain its sphere of trade, but with limited success. It promoted

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2400-458: The National Park Service museum and administrative building at Manassas in 1945 created competition for Richards. Hoping to find a more suitable location, he took his collection and moved it to another Civil War site. Whereas the Chewnings always fretted about keeping the collection close to its origin, Richards opted to move it out of Virginia. Vicksburg, Mississippi proved to be the new home for The National Battlefield Museum. Vicksburg's role in

2475-445: 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. Notable 20th-century sites and structures include the campus of the University of Mary Washington (begun in 1908), and Carl's Ice Cream , an Art Moderne roadside ice cream stand, listed on

2550-776: The National Register of Historic Places. Nearby points of interest include Ferry Farm historic site across the Rapahannock in Stafford County where Washington spent his boyhood, and the George Washington Birthplace National Monument , located 38 miles (61 km) to the east in Westmoreland County on the Northern Neck. The historic community of Falmouth lies across the Rappahannock to

2625-462: The Rappahannock River to Stafford County and join the Union lines, part of a movement by enslaved people throughout the South in wartime. John Washington, a literate enslaved person who shortly crossed to freedom, wrote later about people watching the approach of Union troops across the river from Fredericksburg: "No one could be seen on the street but the colored people. and every one of them seemed to be in

2700-420: The Rappahannock River; across the river is Stafford County . The city is bounded on the south and west by Spotsylvania County . Fredericksburg has a four-season humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), with cool winters and hot, humid summers. Daytime temperatures for much of the year average slightly higher than in Washington, D.C. due to the southerly aspect, although the inland location and distance from

2775-567: The Suwannee . Different etymologies have been suggested for the modern name. The Suwannee River area has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years. During the first millennium it was inhabited by the people of the Weedon Island culture , and around the year 900 a derivative local culture known as the Suwanee River Valley culture developed. By the 16th century, the river was inhabited by two closely related Timuca -speaking peoples:

2850-667: The Suwannee River are in the Okefenokee Swamp in the town of Fargo, Georgia. The river runs southwestward into the Florida Panhandle, then drops in elevation through limestone layers into a rare Florida whitewater rapid. Past the rapid, the Suwanee turns west near the town of White Springs, Florida , then connects to the confluences of the Alapaha River and Withlacoochee River . The confluences of these three rivers form

2925-421: The age of 18 living with them, 31.8% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.6% were non-families. 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. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.8% under

3000-427: The age of 18, 23.8% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males. According to data from the US Census, the median household income in the city is $ 83,445 and the median income for a family is $ 121,781. The per capita income for

3075-643: The area's past abound. The 40-block Fredericksburg Historic District , listed on the National Register of Historic Places , embraces the city's downtown area and contains more than 350 buildings and locations dating to the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Fredericksburg Town Hall and Market Square , Lewis Store , and former site of the Slave Auction Block . Within the historic district, four 18th-century historic sites have been managed by

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3150-480: The area's population in the 1940s. The 1960s brought renewed growth and development, fueled by the construction of Interstate 95 , which eased commuting and trade. By the 1970s, the city and the area had become a bedroom community for jobs in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Headquarters agencies, lobbyists , consultants , defense and government contractors , and a range of other businesses were part of

3225-492: The area. Retail, real estate, and other commercial growth exploded in the early 21st century, eventually slowing during the Great Recession beginning in 2007. Hispanic growth skyrocketed from 2011 to 2020, with Chancellor Green in nearby Spotsylvania County becoming a local enclave. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 10.5 square miles (27.2 km ), 10.4 square miles (27.0 km ) of which

3300-463: The artifacts. With his passing, Chewning's widow and son inherited the collection. They, however, did find a buyer. The April 30, 1938 edition of The Free Lance-Star carried an editorial entitled "Fredericksburg Loses." The column announced the sale of the Chewning Collection to a buyer in Manassas, Virginia . The local paper lifted this editorial from The Suffolk News-Herald . In announcing

3375-548: The battle and the Civil War and built for himself an impressive collection. The Richards's asked $ 60,000 for their collection, but George appears to have been quite a negotiator as he was able to talk the Richards's down in price. On June 15, 1961, the Richards's sold the contents of their museum, which numbered 60,000 items, to the Gettysburg National Museum, Inc. for $ 30,000 – half the asking price. The Rosensteels maintained their museum for another ten years following

3450-775: The battlefield park, the downtown visitor center, events, museums, art shops, galleries, and many historical sites. Fredericksburg is home to Central Park (as of 2004, the second-largest mall on the East Coast ). The Spotsylvania Towne Centre is located in Spotsylvania County, adjacent to the city. Major employers include the University of Mary Washington (named for the mother of George Washington , who lived here), Mary Washington Healthcare, and GEICO . Many Fredericksburg area residents commute to work by car, bus, and rail to Washington, D.C. , and Richmond , as well as Fairfax , Prince William , and Arlington counties. At

3525-568: The best of humors." 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). The battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House were fought nearby in May 1864. The Washington Woolen Mill, a large three-story building, was converted to use as a hospital during the war. After

3600-551: The city is $ 43,063. 18% of the population is below the poverty line . The Fredericksburg Police Department tracks crime information under the state-level system of the Uniform Crime Reporting program. 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

3675-619: The city, and his sister Betty lived at Kenmore , a plantation house then outside the city. Several citizens played active roles during the American Revolution (1763–1781). For example, a number of locals signed the Leedstown Resolves, which formed an association to protest the Stamp Act in the 1760s. In the 1770s, Fielding Lewis , owner of Kenmore Plantation and brother-in-law to George Washington , also operated an arms factory for

3750-508: The city. The population density was 1,833 inhabitants per square mile (708/km ). There were 8,888 housing units at an average density of 845 per square mile (326/km ). 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. There were 8,102 households, out of which 21.6% had children under

3825-533: The college changed its name from Mary Washington College to the University of Mary Washington. Two additional campuses for graduate and professional studies and education and research are located in Stafford County and in King George County , respectively. Musician Link Wray invented the power chord of modern rock guitar in Fredericksburg in 1958 during an improvisation of the instrumental piece "Rumble" ,

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3900-512: The development of a canal on the Rappahannock and construction of a turnpike and plank road to bind the interior country to the market town. By 1837, a north–south railroad, which became the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad , linked the town to Richmond, the state capital. A much-needed railroad joining the town to the West's arming region was not finished until after the Civil War. During

3975-426: The east of the famous Stone Bridge along Bull Run. Richards retained the name The National Battlefield Museum and opened his business on May 8, 1938. Unfortunately for Richards, hopes for a thriving tourism business proved fleeting. World War Two greatly affected tourism to the battlefield and Richards ultimately put the collection into storage. The end of the war brought its own concerns for the museum. Construction of

4050-553: The letter on to his friend, George D. Rosensteel, IV of Gettysburg's National Museum. The Rosensteel family began collecting artifacts associated with the Battle of Gettysburg almost as soon as the smoke cleared from the battlefield. In 1921, George D. Rosensteel, IV opened the Gettysburg National Museum along Taneytown Road , directly across from the Gettysburg National Cemetery. He actively tracked down artifacts related to

4125-411: The museum in Fredericksburg could be located. Mr. Chewning added that Fredericksburg had made no attempt to acquire the collection and, in fact, 'had evidenced little real interest in it.' For these reasons, he said, he and Mrs. Chewning deemed it advisable to accept Mr. Richards' 'highly attractive proposition. Mrs. Chewning said that while she regrets the removal of the collection from Fredericksburg, she

4200-463: The national military park preserves portions of the battlefields of Fredericksburg , Chancellorsville , the Wilderness , and Spotsylvania Court House . The Fredericksburg National Cemetery , also part of the park, was developed by the federal government after the war on Marye's Heights on the Fredericksburg battlefield. It contains more than 15,000 Union burials from the area's battlefields. Many unidentified soldiers were buried in mass graves. Among

4275-836: The nearby region have several radio stations, including (on the FM dial) WQIQ (88.3, "Radio IQ", public radio, licensed to nearby Spotsylvania), WLJV (89.5, contemporary Christian), WPER (90.5, Christian), WFLS (93.3, country), WGRQ (95.9, "SuperHits", classic hits, licensed to nearby Fairview Beach), WWUZ (96.9, classic rock, licensed to nearby Bowling Green), WVBX (99.3, contemporary hit radio, licensed to nearby Spotsylvania), WBQB ("B-101.5", adult contemporary) and WGRX ("Thunder 104.5", country, licensed to nearby Falmouth). Fredericksburg AM stations include WFVA (1230, news and talk) and WNTX (1350, talk, news, and sports). WGRQ and WGRX are owned locally by Telemedia Broadcasting. WFLS, WWUZ, WVBX, and WNTX are owned by Alpha Media . In 2001,

4350-410: The new owner of the massive collection. In announcing the transaction, The Fauquier Democrat described the disappointment the Chewnings felt in selling the artifacts out of Fredericksburg: In announcing the sale Mr. Chewning stated that both he and his mother, Mrs. Anne Page Chewning, regretted the necessity of depriving Fredericksburg of this rare collection. No prospective purchasers who would keep

4425-446: The newspaper and associated website were purchased by Berkshire Hathaway 's BH Media Group. Fredericksburg Today , an online hyperlocal news site began operation following the 2014 bankruptcy of The Free Lance–Star . In 2024, Fredericksburg Today was replaced by The Fredericksburg Free Press , a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing impartial and nonpartisan digital news to the Fredericksburg region. Fredericksburg and

4500-437: The north and includes the historic house Belmont, home of American Impressionist artist Gari Melchers . Public parks run by the city include: Central Rappahannock Regional Library The Fredericksburg City Public Schools are run independently of the surrounding counties. The public primary and secondary schools include: Private schools include: The University of Mary Washington , established in 1908 and opened in 1911,

4575-423: The owner. However, a 1961 Florida newspaper article about Richards states that he moved the collection to that state in 1957. Perhaps Richards intended to open the museum in Santa Cruz, but never quite made the move. Maybe he did go to California only to immediately turn around and take the collection to Florida. Either way, by 1960 the National Civil War Museum sat along the Suwannee River in Old Town, Florida . As

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4650-450: The papers were lost, destroyed or stolen, including a complete file on each item and its description and identity." Nonetheless, The Vicksburg Sunday Post Herald reported that Richards "can provide an interesting story about almost every object." It's possible that Richards sold some of the collection around this time, as the paper reported the museum contained 60,000 relics, whereas it had been reported that he obtained 100,000 artifacts from

4725-456: The public. It is in many respects educational. Fredericksburg has lost a rare chance to capitalize it along with its sacred shrines. But that city's loss is Manassas' gain. The place that gets it has something. Just as Dr. Chewning had not wanted to see the collection leave Fredericksburg, neither did his family. With no local buyers, however, keeping the collection in the community proved impossible. Julius T. Richards of Manassas, Virginia became

4800-429: The purchase from Richards, but in 1971 the family that had been collecting Civil War artifacts for over a century chose to sell. The new steward was the National Park Service in 1967. Over 89,000 artifacts and the museum building passed into the hands of the government. The Jacobs-Agan-Chewning-Richards-Rosensteel Collection makes up the bulk of the National Park Service artifacts preserved and on display today. The building

4875-410: The regional economy influenced by the U.S. government . 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. Hill . The University of Mary Washington was founded in Fredericksburg in 1908 as

4950-435: The sale, the editor mourned Fredericksburg's loss of the collection. The master collection belonged in Fredericksburg and there it should have remained. These relics will be of immense value historically and intrinsically no matter where they are but they will fit nowhere like in the place of their origin. We have no hesitancy in saying that this collection should be acquired by the Federal government and made more accessible to

5025-427: The southern borderline of Hamilton County, Florida . The Suwanee then bends southward near the town of Ellaville , followed by Luraville, then joins together with the Santa Fe River from the east, south of the town of Branford . The river ends and drains into the Gulf of Mexico on the outskirts of Suwannee . The Spanish recorded the native Timucua name of Guacara for the river that would later become known as

5100-427: The time of European encounter, the indigenous inhabitants of the area that became Fredericksburg were a Siouan -speaking tribe called the Manahoac . English colonists recorded the name of the Manahoac village there as Mahaskahod . Siouan tribes occupied much of the area of the Piedmont. The Tidewater areas of the coastal plain had primarily Algonquian -speaking tribes making up the Powhatan Confederacy . Located on

5175-414: The war, Fredericksburg recovered its former position as a center of local trade and slowly grew beyond its prewar boundaries. Neither the city of Fredericksburg nor the surrounding counties reached the 1860 level of population again until well into the 20th century. After the war, many freedmen moved to Richmond and Petersburg , where there had been established free black communities before the war, and there

5250-491: The years advanced, Richards and his wife took less and less interest in the collection. Richard suffered a heart attack and he and his wife contemplated the future of the museum and its contents. A waning interest in the artifacts, coupled with ailing health, the Richards decided to sell the collection. On December 12, 1960, the Richards's wrote a letter to entertainer and television personality Cliff Arquette . Known for his comedic character "Charley Weaver," Arquette also pursued

5325-469: Was declared a port for the county, of which it was then a part. Named for Frederick, Prince of Wales , son of King George II , the colonial town named its streets after the members of the royal family. The county court was moved to Fredericksburg in 1732. Hence, the community served as county seat until 1780. The court was then moved to Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia  – closer to the geographical center of Spotsylvania County. In 1781, Fredericksburg

5400-466: Was expanded numerous times to accommodate increases in tourists (e.g., an auditorium for the electric map). Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city in Virginia , United States. As of the 2020 census , the population was 27,982. It is 48 miles (77 km) south of Washington, D.C. , and 53 miles (85 km) north of Richmond . The Bureau of Economic Analysis of

5475-486: Was incorporated as a town with its own court, council, and mayor. It received its charter as an independent city in 1879 and under Virginia law, was separated from Spotsylvania County. The city adopted its present city manager/council form of government in 1911. 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. Washington's mother, Mary , later moved to

5550-605: Was more work. In the early 20th century, as the Jim Crow era continued in the South, there was widespread population movement. Many African-Americans left rural areas of the South for work and other opportunities in industrial cities of the North and Midwest in the Great Migration . Some settled in Washington, D.C., where there were more opportunities, or further north. War-related buildup at defense facilities for World War II added to

5625-432: Was the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg and Second Battle of Fredericksburg . These battles are preserved, in part, as the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park . More than 10,000 African-Americans in the region left slavery for freedom in 1862 alone, getting behind Union lines. Tourism is a major part of the economy. Approximately 1.5 million people visit the Fredericksburg area annually, including

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