Fredericksburg has had more history and
more battles than any other small town in
America. With a past that stretches back
to pre-Colonial times and a Civil War legacy
of four major battles that claimed over
100,000 casualties, it is no wonder that
Fredericksburg has been called the most
haunted city, per capita, in the entire
United States.
The steep stepped slopes
of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery.
Fredericksburg National Battlefield, Fredericksburg,
Virginia.
Now, armed with tales of the undead, our
knowledgeable guides will conduct you on
an hour and twenty minute tour through sections
of town that have seen and heard the spirit
remnants from the 18th Century of a phantom
harpist and singer, of the child who died
in a fall from a balcony, and of the frustrated
lover who still strolls along what locals
have named the “Ghost Walk”
once every seven years.
Walk down darkened Caroline Street and
hear stories of long dead Fredericksburg
residents who still inhabit the many historic
buildings, of bizarre “renovations”
that could only be done from beyond the
grave, and of ghostly footprints that suddenly
appeared in a locked room, then, just as
suddenly, disappeared.
Pass the historic tavern where the original
owner still stalks the hall with heavy boots,
where a mysterious “floating glow”
is witnessed in the tavern room, and where
someone unseen pulls upon the skirts of
the women who work there.
 |
See
the modern restaurant in an historic
home where a woman allegedly hanged
herself in shame after being exposed
as a Yankee collaborator. Though dead,
she is still fated to walk the halls
blowing out candles, moving silverware
and appearing out of nowhere to stunned
diners. |
And finally return past the church where
the apparitional “Woman in White”
was first seen in 1858, and made her presence
known once again, just a year ago.
Join us for the most unusual tours you
will find in Fredericksburg at night!
For more information or reservations contact:
Ghosts
of Fredericksburg
623 Caroline Street
P.O. Box 121
Fredericksburg, VA 22404
540.654.5414
www.ghostsoffredericksburg.com
info@ghostsoffredericksburg.com
Excerpt
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fredericksburg is an independent
city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia,
50 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 55
miles north of Richmond, Virginia. As of the
2000 census, the city had a population of
19,279. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines
the city of Fredericksburg with neighboring
Spotsylvania County for statistical purposes.
This city is a part of the Washington-Baltimore
Metropolitan Area.
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.
As interest in the frontier
grew, the colonial assembly responded by forming
a new county named Spotsylvania (after the
governor) in 1720 and establishing Fredericksburg
in 1728 as a port for the county, of which
it was then a part. Named for Frederick, Prince
of Wales, son of King George II and father
of King George III, the colonial town's streets
bore the names of members of the royal family.
The county court was moved to Fredericksburg
in 1732 and the town served as county seat
until 1780 when the courthouse was moved closer
to the county center. Fredericksburg was incorporated
as a town, with its own court, council, and
mayor, in 1781, and received its charter as
an independent city in 1879. The city adopted
the city manager/council form of government
in 1911.
The city has close associations
with George Washington, whose family moved
to the Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock opposite
Fredericksburg in 1738. Washington's mother
Mary later moved to the city, and his sister
Betty lived at Kenmore, a plantation house
then outside the city. 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.
During the 19th century
Fredericksburg sought to maintain its sphere
of trade but with limited success, promoting
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, but a much-needed railroad
joining the town to the farming region to
the west remained unfinished until after the
Civil War.
During the American 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 due to bombardment and looting at the
hands of Union forces. A second battle was
fought in and around the town on May 3, 1863,
in connection with the Chancellorsville campaign
(April 27 - May 6, 1863). The battles of the
Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House were
fought nearby in May 1864.
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 coeducational
in 1970 and is now independent of UVa. 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. The
historic district draws crowds of tourists
to 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.
Significant 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. The latter building
now houses a local history museum and cultural
center.
Nearby points of interest
include George Washington Birthplace National
Memorial, located 38 miles to the east in
Westmoreland County, and the Ferry Farm historic
site in Stafford County where Washington spent
his boyhood across the river from Fredericksburg.
The historic community of Falmouth lies across
the Rappahannock to the north and includes
the historic house Belmont, home of American
artist Gari Melchers.
The area’s Civil War
battles are commemorated in Fredericksburg
and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial
National Military Park. Formed by an act of
Congress in 1927, 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,
is located on Marye’s Heights on the
Fredericksburg battlefield and contains more
than 15,000 Union burials from the area’s
battlefields.
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredericksburg,_Virginia
Fredericksburg
was laid out in 1728 near the falls of the
Rappahannock River on the site of what had
once been an Indian village. It was the
home town of the Lees and the Washingtons.
thomas Jefferson, George Mason and James
Monroe were also familiar faces in the town.
The
Rappahannock River was the military border
during the four years of the Civil War.
Thus, Fredericksburg saw the worst of the
war from Marye's Heights in December 1862
to Chancellorsville, to the Wilderness,
and Spotsylvania Courthouse.
Chancellorsville
Chancellorsville - General Joseph Hooker
crossed the Rappahannock in April 1963 to
get to General Robert E. Lee's flank. Lee
split his army and sent Stonewall Jackson
to attack Hooker's right flank. this was
Lee's greatest victoyr but Stonewall Jackson
was mortally wounded.
Fredericksburg
- General Ambrose Burnside crosssed the
Rappahannock and battled through the streets.
They were confronted by Confederates on
Marye's Heights and in the Sunken Road.
It was nearly a massacre.
Spotsylvania
Courthouse - the Confederate Army held off
the Union Army here at the Bloody Angle.
The
wilderness - In 1864 the Army of the Potomac
under General Ulysses S. Grant once again
crossed the Rappahannock . He tried to push
his army around Lee's right.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/19778/d8587/
Ghosts
of Fredericksburg Tours
Mark Nesbitt's Ghosts of Fredericksburg
Tours: guides carring lanterns lead walking
tours of historic downtown Fredericksburg,
Virginia, telling stories of ...
http://www.ghostsoffredericksburg.com/
Fredericksburg.com
- Fredericksburg, Virginia's homepage
The news and information source for everything
in Fredericksburg, Virginia, VA newspaper,
The Free Lance-Star, Virginia.
http://fredericksburg.com/
Fredericksburg
Battlefield
Information about visiting Fredericksburg
Battlefield.
http://www.nps.gov/frsp/fburg.htm
Fredericksburg
and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial
...
Official National Park Service site with
expanded "inDepth" and "forKids"
sections.
http://www.nps.gov/frsp/
Fredericksburg
- Confederate Victory
Battle of Fredericksburg official records
and battle description.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/fredrick.htm
Official
Web site of the City of Fredericksburg,
Virginia
The Official Web site of the City of Fredericksburg,
Virginia.
http://www.fredericksburgva.gov/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle
of Fredericksburg Commemoration Committee
On
November 7, 1862, as an early snowfall covered
on the Union camps near Warrenton, VA, Maj.
Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside received news that
he would replace George B. McClellan as
commander of the Army of the Potomac. A
week later, the Federals began their march
toward Fredericksburg, establishing camps
on Stafford Heights and along the Rappahannock
at Falmouth VA.
On November 18-19th, Longstreet departed
Culpeper for Fredericksburg, and established
camp on the heights west of town; Jackson
arrived on December 1-3, and deployed downriver
from Fredericksburg.
Burnside formulated attack plans in early
December, including use of pontoon boats
to cross the River and occupy the town.
At dawn on December 11, Union engineers
began constructing the pontoon bridges.
Facing resistance from Barksdale's Mississippians,
they sent over several units to clear the
town of the remaining Confederates. The
city was also bombarded by artillery, which
ignited several fires and destroyed much
of the town.
On December 12 the Union Army crossed the
bridges and formed up in town. Union soldiers
looted that evening the town.
At 8:30 a.m., December 13th, the attack
began. When the battle ended, 1,284 Federals
had been killed; 9,600 wounded, and 1,769
captured/missing. Confederates lost 608
killed; 4,116 wounded; 653 captured or missing.
Defeated and demoralized, the Army of the
Potomac withdrew to Falmouth to spend the
winter in the Union's "Valley Forge".
The
142nd Anniversary Battle of Fredericksburg
Reenactment
Exchange
Across the Rappahannock
Fire in the Streets
Living History Camps and Scenarios
Period Music by the Camptown Shakers
Medical Demonstrations
Period Telegraph
Meet General Lee and his Staff
Meet General Hancock
Children's Activities
http://www.47thva.org/fredericksburg/index.html
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