Written by Nancy Moore Fifty years ago this month, the Central Rappahannock Regional Library was launched as a demonstration library serving Fredericksburg and surrounding counties. Trustees of Fredericksburg’s Wallace Library, established in 1908, realized that the small city library could not adequately serve the area’s growing population. The Wallace trustees considered building a new library on Washington Avenue […]
Written by Wendy Migdal, Edits by Linda Billard, HFFI Volunteers Soon after the Revolutionary War, a small one-and-a-half story wooden house was built on Sophia Street. Its address would not become 813 until years later. It rested on a shelf of shale by the river and had two levels of basements. Other than that, it […]
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 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 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 […]
(CONTINUED) Feature on Candlelight Tour House—704 Prince Edward Street Blog Post by Wendy Migdal Edited by Linda Billard Principal Marker Researcher: Roger Engels Kaufman and Hannah Hirsh were not the original owners or builders of the house, however. That distinction belongs to James Turner, who worked as a manager for a local merchant and later […]
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 […]
Application period is now closed. Resumes are being reviewed and interviewees will be contact over the next two weeks. If no suitable applicant is found, the application period will reopen. Volunteer and Event / Fundraising Coordinator The Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. is seeking a Volunteer & Events/ Fundraising Coordinator to work 25 hours per […]
1210 Sophia Street – Can it be Saved? By HFFI Staff (Updated 5/1/2017) 1210 Sophia Street is in danger of being demolished. If the clock runs out—it will be gone. But there is a chance to relocate this 100+ year old property to a new location. YOU can help save it! Located within […]