Travel: Much to see in Fredericksburg
Country’s ‘most historic city’ only 118 miles away
by Celeste H. Breitenbach
news@timesheraldnews.com
Visiting Fredericksburg, Va, which describes itself as “Pleasantly situated on the Rappahannock,” it is almost impossible to believe that mean and bloody battles important to both sides were fought here.
Although I’d come to see Civil War sites, I learned after a stop at the Visitors Center (706 Caroline St.) that there’s so much more to this charming Southern city. When you visit, view the 14-minute film, then ask for a permit to leave your car in its parking lot free of charge while you explore. So much is within walking distance.
I decided that perhaps the best way to visit is to take the Trolley Tour of what our guide Mark called “America’s most historic city” and then go back and see more.
Mark was full of facts and trivia and seemed to be on a friendly wave-to-and-greet basis with almost everyone along the circuitous route.
He informs that John Smith was the first Englishman to explore the area and that the city, laid out as a town in 1727, was named for King George II of England’s eldest son Prince Frederick who was killed in a tennis accident. (Frederick’s son was George III from whom we gained our Independence.) Many local streets also are named for George II’s relatives. The buildings are not reproductions; they are the real thing. Shopkeepers lived upstairs from their stores.
The Rappahannock River is the reason Fredericksburg is here. One of the biggest inland ports in the colonies, it was navigable from the Atlantic Ocean. Quite a bit of the world’s tobacco was produced on farms here and shipped out.
Long before the Battle of Fredericksburg was fought in December 1862, George Washington grew up here and walked these streets as a teenager. He was a member of St. George’s Episcopalian Church at George St. and Princess Anne, now known for its Tiffany windows. From age 6 to 20, George lived across the Rappahannock at Ferry Farm. He was 11 when his father died and left him 10 slaves and 600 acres, which was next to nothing then. The future first president came into his money in 1759 when he married Martha Custis, a rich widow with 100,000 acres.
As the tour passes grand and plain houses (many more than 200 years old), Mark recalls their history and residents. He points out one of the original streets.
In 1815, the gorgeous house at 1201 Princess Anne St. and its whole block sold for $30,000, meriting the term Mackey’s Folly for its new owner. Property was assessed by front width in the early days, so many middle and working class houses were narrow. We then proceed up Caroline Street to a different tax bracket where houses now sell for $1-$2 million.
The nearby house where fifth President James Monroe lived from 1786 to 1789 is now worth $2 million. More of his personal belongings are in this city than anywhere else in the world.
“Old town is a great place to shop,” Mark tells us as we pass through that district. Lewis street is one of the oldest commercial streets in the U.S.
In 1745, Hugh Mercer fought in the French and Indian War and met George Washington. Until 1776, he practiced medicine in his Apothecary Shop (1020 Caroline St.). Bayoneted seven times because the enemy thought he was George Washington, he was mortally wounded in 1777. His only daughter married into the Patton family, ancestors of General Patton.
Women of Fredericksburg raised $5,000 to keep her Mary Washington’s house (1200 Charles St.) from being moved out of state and built a monument to honor her. Mary – who reared 10 children after the death of her husband – died at age 81 in 1779. See her personal possessions and walk on the same floor boards as Washington and others. (Mary herself planted a boxwood out back.)
George Washington surveyed the 1300 original acres for Kenmore (1201 Washington Ave.), one of the great houses in the U.S., built for his sister Betty by Fielding Lewis. They married in 1750, one month before she turned 17. Betty married up. Eight years older, the widowed Fielding brought two children to the marriage. They had 11 during their 25-year marriage; six lived to adulthood.
Built in the 1770s with the finest plaster work in the colonies, the 4,505-square-foot house of Georgian-style symmetry was meant to be stately. Its estimated 317,000 bricks were made on the premises.
The large dining room with wool-flocked wallpaper was one of the most 100 beautiful dining rooms in America. Its size was that of most homes in Fredericksburg at the time.
The grand house eventually had 11 different owners and once served as a boys school.
William Key Howard Jr., a relative of Francis Scott Key, restored the ceilings when he was its owner. The house currently is undergoing a complete renovation which can be visited in progress.
This was the edge of town during the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg and Burnside was on the other side of the river. The house was hit hard many times and severely damaged. A cannonball can still be seen lodged in a wall. In 1989, Marines were called from Quantico to defuse two live explosive shells found in the attic.
Four major battles were fought in this area: Fredericksburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Chancellorsville, which produced 100,000 American casualties. Learn more facts at the Battlefield Visitors Center (1013 Lafayette Blvd.)
From Chatham National Military Park across the river can be seen almost the same skyline that Union soldiers saw. In late November 1862, 118,000 Union troops were here.
Visited by many of the Founding Fathers, Chatham was built 1768-71 by William and Ann Fitzhugh, who were great friends of Washington, Madison and Jefferson, to whom Ann was a second cousin.
Fitzhugh, who served in the House of Burgesses and Continental Congress, supported independence. A social magnate, he entertained graciously and generously. One hundred slaves worked on the plantation, whose stable could house 30 horses. The rhythm of life there continued even after Fitzhugh moved in 1797.
James and Betty Lacy owned it during the Civil War. He supported the Confederacy. As the home of one of the top secessionists, Chatham attracted the Union’s attention and was used as a headquarters. Lincoln, who visited and met with several generals here, watched the Battle of Fredericksburg from the front lawn.
When wounded wandered over for help, the grand home also became a hospital. Clara Barton was a nurse here. The room at the far end (where once George Washington slept) was used for surgery; amputated limbs thrown out the window piled up under trees. A 12-minute orientation video is now shown in this room.
The poet Walt Whitman, who found his injured brother here, said, “Chatham appears to have received the worst cases. Every floor is saturated with blood. All that was elegant is shattered in ruthless barbarism.”
Union soldiers scrawled graffiti on walls, portions of which are preserved behind glass. They also quartered their horses inside the house.
More than 130 Union dead were buried in the yard. The slaves scattered to new lives. Lacy’s fortune, listed as $180,000 in 1860, was reduced to $2,000 after the War. He sold the property in 1872.
General and Mrs. Devore bought it in 1921 and restored it. They installed decorative gardens where once were gravestones. The bodies were reinterred in the National Cemetery in Fredericksburg. Three were missed and remain tucked away, marked with plaques.
The property had been reduced to 30 acres when sold during the Depression to John Pratt of General Motors. After 15 owners, it became part of the National Park Service in 1975.
If walls could speak, they would tell of rebirth, transformation, how floors with playing children replaced the wounded, slaves in fields, hardship, prosperity, sadness, courage.
Now buttercups, goldenrod and Queen Anne’s lace grow where the art and horror of trench warfare reached new levels during the May 8-21, 1864 nearby Battle of Spotsylvania. With 36,000 Union and 24,000 Confederate casualties, this was the War’s bloodiest single battle.
At Bloody Angle on May 12, neither side yielded. Finally after 20 hours, Lee withdrew leaving a landscape of unspeakable horror. Of the nearly 900 farms in Spotsylvania County, none would witness more damage than Neil McCoull’s. Union burials on this farm numbered 1,492; the amount of Confederates are unknown. The North labeled Grant a butcher. Unable to break Lee’s position, Grant moved on to the southeast ending two weeks of heavy fighting.
Opened in 2001, the Civil War Life Museum (4712 Southpoint Pkwy.) is planning a new building to house its outstanding collection of cannonballs, various shot, muskets, rifles, a Gatling gun, medical instruments and slavery exhibit. See photographs and use a magnifying glass to pick out details in prints in its Center for Civil War Photography. Lift a handle to see how a negative changes into a positive image. Don’t miss its 3-D, 20-minute show.
There’s so much to see and do in Fredericksburg which is well worth the visit. Using Routes 301, 206 and 3, Fredericksburg is about 118 miles from Baltimore.
Built in 1770 by architect John Taylow, an original signer of the Declaration of Independence, The Richard Johnston Inn (711 Caroline St.) now is a Bed and Breakfast for those wishing to be a guest in a home that survived both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. (Reservation info: 877-557-0770) Photos by Celeste H. Breitenbach
Where to eat while visiting
In the midst of antique shops and boutiques, Caroline Street Café (1002 Caroline St.) is popular with the locals and is a great place for a good quick lunch stop. Step up to the counter and order one of the specialty sandwiches served with their signature potato salad, coleslaw, kettlechips or macaroni salad. Featured are Rosemary-encrusted Roasted Top Round, Maple-Smoked Pulled Pork and Smoked Turkey Breast with smoked Gouda and cranberry mayonnaise. All are piled an inch high. Priced at $6.75 and $6.95. There are also Salads and Soups as well as yummy desserts.
Another favorite of the locals is the fancier chef-owned La Petit Auberge at 311 William St. An attractive eatery with trellised walls and art, it is known for its use of seasonal and regional produce. Its Crab fritters, gazpacho are exceptional. Lunch prices range from $7 to $15.
Bistro Bethem, next door at 309 William St., is a mod place serving American cuisine with a Southern accent. Enjoy a fresh salad with a hearty sandwich. The Smoked Turkey Breast and Brie with apricot jam is outstanding. Prices range from $6.50 to $15.
For dinner, treat yourself to Claibourne’s at 200 Lafayette Blvd. Housed in a train station where you can still get an Amtrak to D.C. from the outside platform, it is one of the best restaurants in town. The decor features pictures of locomotives and dim lighting. Try a Low Country Crab dipand the thick, tender Special Filet Mignon. Desserts are absolutely decadent.
Also good is TruLuv’s, A Modern American Bistro at 1101 Sophia St., especially in warm weather when a delicious leisurely dinner can be enjoyed on the patio overlooking the Rappahannock River. The steak is good here, too.
The local connection
Having nothing to do with history or battles, nearby Gari Melchers’ “Belmont” (224 Washington St., Falmouth) is a must-see place.
The nationally reputed artist, born in 1860 in Detroit, was instructed by his father before going to Germany’s Royal Academy for formal training. At 21 he moved to Paris to study under French artists and had his work selected for the Paris Salon. Later, he went to the Netherlands and took a home on the sea. His landscapes, rural, religious and honest character of the Dutch caught in daily life caused the Dutch to think he was Dutch. By 1889, his work was in national exhibitions throughout Europe.
Melchers distinguished himself with John Singer Sargeant and won every national medal. Today his paintings go for $20,000 to $100,000 when they come up at auctions.
Gari had a lot of Baltimore connections through his wife Corinne, who was raised in the Mt. Vernon area. Corinne’s mother was a Mackall and her uncle’s murals are in downtown Baltimore.
Also a very talented artist, Corinne wrote in her diary on April 19, 1902 during an Atlantic crossing that she was happy to see Melchers’ name on the passenger list. Although he was 20 years older than she, by December they were engaged.
His work began to change to scenes of married life. In 1909 when he was 49, he accepted a position in Germany where he remained until the clouds of World War I gathered. He returned to the U.S. in 1915 and established a studio in New York City. Seeking a pastoral retreat, he found both Kenmore and Belmont, an 18th century estate, for sale.
Devastated during the Civil War, Belmont remained in a state of disrepair. In 1916, he purchased 20 acres and the home for $12,000. Two of his portraits paid for it.
It is told that when he moved here and went to the store, he was asked what he did and replied, “I paint.” He was told, “You won’t find much work here. We white wash.”
The estate consists of a spring house, stable, cow barn, stone garage and small house under large oak trees. The charming summerhouse overlooks the Rappahannock River. Stroll through the gardens; they are ablaze with multiple hues. (Corinne more or less gave up painting after marriage and turned to gardening.)
Although Melcher did not display his own paintings inside their home, they hang there now – three galleries worth, including “The Sermon” – his masterpiece. Melchers died November 30, 1932 at 72. Corinne deeded the property to the Commonwealth of Virginia upon her death.
They were cremated and remain at their beloved Belmont in the wall behind the plaque of his study.