Entries by HFFI Staff

It Takes a Village…To Save an Old House

It Takes a Village…To Save an Old House By Wendy Migdal, HFFI Volunteer Sometimes houses, like people, fall on hard times. Life throws challenges their way, and they don’t always have the resources to keep up. If they have a network of people willing to labor on their behalf, they can bounce back. If not, […]

Cooperation for Preservation of Historic Properties

Cooperation for Preservation of Historic Properties by David James, HFFI Board President Since 1955, the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI) has been devoted to protecting and preserving historic structures and landscapes of our city that give it a true sense of place and authenticity. Recognizing that each modification of an historic building could impact the […]

Ducking Stools in Fredericksburg

Ducking Stools in Fredericksburg By: Michael Spencer   Ducking stools, “an instrument of punishment for nags, gossips, witches, and difficult individuals”, often consisted of a “…chair suspended from a sweeplike pole” that would be lowered into water.[1] While used throughout Europe during the medieval period, it was also used here in Virginia until the 19th […]

Feature on Candlelight Tour House – 704 Prince Edward St

Feature on Candlelight Tour House – 704 Prince Edward St Blog Post by Wendy Migdal Principal Researcher: Roger Engels     The house at 704 Prince Edward Street, built in 1855, has been home to families large and small, some who were there for years and some for only a short while. But if walls […]

Job Listing – HFFI Volunteer and Event / Fundraising Coordinator

Volunteer and Event / Fundraising Coordinator The Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. is seeking a Volunteer & Events/ Fundraising Coordinator to work 25 hours per week. Duties would include, but are not limited to the following: Recruiting & Managing Volunteers Monitor volunteers running office during hours of operation Monitor and assist volunteers working on independent projects […]

Wet or Dry: A History of Prohibition in Fredericksburg

  Wet or Dry: A History of Prohibition in Fredericksburg By Barbra Anderson “The saloon is the devil’s headquarters on earth,” declared the Anti-Saloon League in the late 1800s. Alcohol was blamed for every social problem: poverty, domestic violence, crime, ill health, and moral turpitude. The average American man drank 88 bottles of whiskey a […]