Fredericksburg (Virginia)

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Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia .png
Location in Virginia
Fredericksburg (Virginia)
Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg
Basic data
Foundation : 1728
State : United States
State : Virginia
Coordinates : 38 ° 18 ′  N , 77 ° 28 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 18 ′  N , 77 ° 28 ′  W
Time zone : Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Residents : 22,410 (as of 2009)
Population density : 823.9 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 27.2 km 2  (approx. 11 mi 2 ) of
which 27.2 km 2  (approx. 11 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 18 m
FIPS : 51-29744
GNIS ID : 1494947
Website : www.fredericksburgva.gov
Mayor : Thomas J. Tomzak

Fredericksburg is an independent city in the north of the US state of Virginia on the Rappahannock River , midway between Washington, DC and Richmond area. According to an official estimate from 2006, the city had a population of 22,410, corresponding to a population density of 824 inhabitants per km². The city is rich in historical sites and therefore attracts many tourists. It is also considered the center of the agricultural industry. In addition, some light industry companies are based here.

history

17th century

Fredericksburg was founded in 1671 as a fort to develop the rest of Virginia. In 1714, the governor Alexander Spotswood supported the settlement of some German families from the Siegerland at a place called Germanna on the Rapidan River and two years later led an expedition to the Blue Ridge Mountains .

18th century

Ferry Farm , home of the Washington family

In order to promote the settlement further, the colonial council formed a new county in 1721 , which was named after the then governor Spotsylvania , and whose port was to become Fredericksburg from 1728. The new foundation was named after Frederick , the Prince of Wales , son George II and father George III. of Great Britain. The first streets in Fredericksburg were also named after the names of the royal family.

Fredericksburg overlooking the Rappahannock River after the 1862 bombing

In 1732 the seat of the county court was moved, so that the city was a de facto county seat until 1780, when it was decided to relocate it more to the center of the administrative district. As a county-free city with all judicial and executive rights, Fredericks was set up accordingly in the following year. In 1879 and 1911, the city experienced partial legal reforms that left its administration and jurisdiction always as a free city.

The city has close ties to the George Washington family , who moved to Ferry Farm on the opposite side of Rappahanock in 1738. Other famous residents of this city or this area were the generals of the Revolutionary War Hugh Mercer and George Weedon , the privateer captain John Paul Jones and the later US President James Monroe .

19th century

John Paul Jones

During the 19th century, the city tried various measures to modernize agriculture and industry - but with limited success. So plans were pursued to partially canalize the Rappahanock to make it more navigable and to build a paved road from the interior of the hinterland to the market town. As early as 1837 a railway line running in north-south direction connected the city with Richmond, the capital of Virginia, but what the city needed much more, namely a connection with the region of the farmland, remained unfinished until after the Civil War .

During this Civil War, Fredericksburg gained special strategic importance as the city was only 55 miles south of Washington and 50 miles north of Richmond, which again highlighted how militarily exposed both capitals were.

During the Battle of Fredericksburg from December 11th to 15th, 1862, the city was decisively destroyed: on the one hand by the bombardment, on the other hand by the arson of the Union troops. On May 3, 1863, the so-called Chancellorsville campaign took place in the Fredericksburg area . In May 1864, the battles followed at Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House, also in the immediate vicinity of the city.

After the war, Fredericksburg became a center of agricultural trade again and slowly returned to pre-war levels. The University of Mary Washington (formerly known as Mary Washington College) was founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women. In 1938 the institution was elevated to the status of a college , which for several decades was associated with the University of Virginia as a women's college for "liberal arts" (hardly to be confused with the septem artes liberales ). The college has been approved for men since 1970 and now has independent status. A separate graduate campus is located in Stafford County .

20./21. Century and historical sites

James Monroes Law Office

Today the city is the commercial hub for a rapidly growing region in northern Virginia. Even if the suburbs have grown rapidly over the past few decades, numerous historical sites still exist. Large blocks of flats with more than 350 buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries still exist within the downtown area. Noteworthy are the Kenmore House, home of Washington's sister Betty, and the Mary Washington House, where her mother, Mary Ball Washington, spent the last years of her life.

Other historic buildings and museums illustrate 18th-century city life such as the Rising Sun Tavern , which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

Also noteworthy are Hugh Mercer's Pharmacy and James Monroe's Law Office Museum.

The courthouse from 1852 , designed by James Renwick, Jr. , is also significant. Renwick was the architect of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York . The town hall and the market hall from 1816 are also worth seeing, the last of which now houses a historical museum and a cultural center.

Population development

year Residents¹
1980 15,322
1990 19,027
2000 19,279
2005 20,732
2006 21,273

¹ 1980–2000: census results; 2005–2006: Update of the US Census Bureau

geography

The city extends over an area of ​​27.2 km², which is bordered by the Rappahanock in the north and east. Stafford County joins in the north and east and Spotsylvania County in the south and west .

Waters

The following bodies of water can be found in Fredericksburg:

Demographics

Rising Sun Tavern

According to the 2000 census , Fredericksburg had 19,279 residents in 8,102 households and 3,921 families. The population density is 707.6 people per km² . The city's population is divided into 73.18 percent White, 20.41% African-American, 0.34% Native American , 0.06% former Pacific Islander, 2.56 percent of other races or 1.94 % derive their ancestry from two or more ethnicities. 4.9 percent of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Underage children live with their parents in 21.6% of households, married couples in 31.8%, single mothers in 13.1%, and no families or unmarried couples live in 51.6%. 39.2% of all households are headed by a single person and 12.8% of the apartments have a single person over 65 years of age. The average household size is 2.09 and the average family size is 2.81 individuals.

The age structure of the urban population of Fredericksburg breaks down as follows: 17.8% under 18 years, 23.8% between 18 and 24 years, 27.2% between the ages of 25 and 44, 18.4% between 45 and 64, as well 12.8 percent who are older than 65 years. The average age is 30 years. For every 100 women there are 81.8 men. Assuming the comparative age of 18 years or older, the result is a ratio of 100: 78.4.

The average income of a household that city is 34,585 US dollars , the median income for a family $ 47,148. Males have an income of 33,641 versus $ 25,037 for females. The per capita income for the city is $ 21,527. 15.5 percent of the population and 10.4% of families live below the poverty line . In relation to the total population of Fredericksburg, 19.9% ​​of the under 18 year olds and 8.8% of the over 65 year olds live beyond the poverty line.

Others

The hospital Mary Washington Hospital is named after Mary Ball Washington , mother of the first US president George Washington .

Fredericksburg has an airport, Shannon Airport . The airport has three runways and is also used by the US military.

The private university Strayer University has a campus in Fredericksburg.

The Shannon Green Golf Course , a golf course, is in close proximity to town.

graveyards

There are also some historically relevant cemeteries in Fredericksburg.

Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery

The Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery dates back to the Civil War. A group of widows from the Ladies Memorial Association , a women's organization for widows founded after the war, bought land in 1867 to bury their fallen Confederate husbands.

The cemetery is located on Washington Avenue and is open daily.

Spotsylvania Confederate Cemetery

The Spotsylvania Confederate Cemetery also dates back to the Civil War. In 1866, local widows of the Spotsylvania Memorial Association bought 200 acres of land to bury about 600 dead.

The cemetery is located on Courthouse Road and is open daily.

Fredericksburg National Cemetery

The Fredericksburg National Cemetery was designated a national cemetery. 1865 This Civil War cemetery holds 15,243 soldiers buried. Of these, 2,473 are buried as unknown.

Located on Lafayette Boulevard and Sunken Road, the cemetery is in the Marye's Heights district that was part of the Fredericksburg battles.

Gordon Cemetery

The Gordon Cemetery is a small family cemetery of the Gordon family who owned the Kenmore house and lived there for about 40 years. 12 members of the family are buried in this cemetery. The cemetery is surrounded by a brick wall about 2 meters high and has an entrance gate.

The cemetery is located at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Pitt Street and is in good condition.

Immediately beyond the cemetery is a valley, and on the opposite hill, where Mary Washington College now stands, was the front line of the Confederate States.

Fredericksburg Masonic Cemetery

The Fredericksburg Masonic Cemetery is one of the oldest Masonic cemeteries in the United States and dates back to 1784 when approximately 60 acres of land was purchased by the Lodge to bury its members and their families. It is still operated and maintained today (with the help of the neighboring James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library ).

The cemetery is in Fredericksburg on Charles Street.

St. George Church Cemetery

The St. George Church Cemetery dates back to the first St. George's Episcopal Church . Are buried here among other things.

The cemetery is in Fredericksburg on Princess Anne Street.

Churches

There are a number of churches and religious groups of note in Fredericksburg, including:

  • the Saint Georges Episcopal Church , built in 1849.
  • the Saint Lukes Anglican Church
  • the Saint Marys Catholic Church , founded in 1858.
  • the Shiloh Baptist Church , founded in 1954.
  • Beth Sholom Temple , Jewish Church, 1860.
  • the Trinity Episcopal Church
  • the Fairview Baptist Church
  • the First Christian Church
  • the Mount Zion Baptist Church , founded 1861st

The Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg is of particular historical importance . It was inscribed on March 1, 1984 by the National Register of Historic Places with number 84003534.

Attractions

There are many interesting and cultural sights in and around Fredericksburg. One of these is the Gari Melcher Memorial Gallery (also known as Gari Melcher's Home and Studio ). Today it functions as a museum and memorial to the artist Gari Melchers .

The chimneys offer a special flair . The historic building at 623 Caroline Street now houses a restaurant. The house, which was formerly attached to a larger building and built in 1769, was added to the register on April 3, 1975 by the National Register of Historic Places . Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur , wife of 21st US President Chester A. Arthur , lived here before she met him. The house was privately owned until 1967.

The Ridderhof Martin Gallery is a museum on the campus of the University of Mary Washington . In addition to the approximately 5,000 permanent art objects, exhibitions are organized here each year, including exhibits from other museums in the United States. The museum is open to the public.

The George Washington Masonic Museum, on the other hand, deals with the Freemasonry of George Washington. The main focus of this museum is the drawing of George Washington by the American painter Gilbert Charles Stuart .

At 1300 Charles Street is the Saint James House , built in 1768 . It is one of the only few remaining houses in Fredericksburg to be built in the 18th century.

In the Fredericksburg Historic District is the James Monroe Law Office , where James Monroe had his legal practice. Today the building houses the James Monroe Museum .

Front view Kenmore (2010)

In addition to the James Monroe Law Office, Fredericksburg has two other National Historic Landmarks , the Kenmore Mansion and the Rising Sun Tavern . The National Park Service lists a total of 23 buildings and sites for the city that are registered on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (as of November 30, 2018).

sons and daughters of the town

James Monroe, 5th US President

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.nps.gov (English)
  2. ↑ Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania Confederate Cemeteries at the NPS (English)
  3. ↑ National Park Service: Fredericksburg National Cemetery
  4. ↑ nps.gov/kenmore (English)
  5. ↑ Official website of Masonic Lodge No. 4 AF&AM (English) ( Memento from September 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ Saint Georges Episcopal Church ( Memento of the original from October 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.stgeorgesepiscopal.net
  7. ↑ Ridderhof Martin Gallery ( Memento of the original from June 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.umw.edu (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.umw.edu
  8. ↑ Preservation Virginia ( Memento of the original from November 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apva.org
  9. ↑ List of NHL by State . National Park Service , accessed November 30, 2018.
    Search mask database in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed November 30.

Web links

Commons : Fredericksburg  - album with pictures, videos and audio files