Fredericksburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Historic Footsteps
Fredericksburg: Timeless.
Abraham Lincoln walked these steps. The wartime president travelled to Fredericksburg on May 23, 1862. After a visit to Union camps on Marye's Heights, he stopped at the Farmer's Bank, then serving as headquarters for the occupying Federal troops. Lincoln probably entered the building through the residential entrance on George Street, up these steps. After visiting with the provost marshal for about half an hour, he left through the bank's main entrance on Princess Anne Street.
John Washington walked these steps, too. Born a slave to the family who managed and lived in the Farmer's Bank, Washington spent most of his youth living in the building. When the Union army arrived opposite Fredericksburg on April 18, 1862, John Washington's owner urged him to flee with her. Instead, Washington walked down these steps for the last time and quietly left. Later that day he crossed the Rappahannock River into Union lines—to freedom.
[Captions:
These steps once led to the residential entrance of a former bank building on Princess Anne Street, a block away directly in front of you. These steps were a gift to the Fredericksburg Area Museum & Cultural Center from JON Properties and FoodE Restaurant.
The Soldiers assured me that I was now a free man...[that] I never would be a Slave no more.... Life had a new Joy awaiting me.
—John
this page online
According to a local resident, President Lincoln stopped to give a brief speech as he departed the bank at its main entrance on Princess Anne Street (although this painting shows the George Street entrance). Painting courtesy of PNC Bank.
After escaping bondage, John Washington became a sign painter in Washington, D.C. and later wrote a vivid memoir of his experience from slavery to freedom.
The steps in their original location, at the George Street entrance to the bank building. President Lincoln walked up these steps just 35 days after John Washington had walked down them for the final time as a slave.
Erected by Fredericksburg Economic Development and Tourism Office.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Government & Politics • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the Virginia, Fredericksburg: Timeless. series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is April 18, 1862.
Location. 38° 18.198′ N, 77° 27.629′ W.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Emancipation Proclamation Memorial (here, next to this marker); Presented to the City of Fredericksburg (within shouting distance of this marker); Lafayette's Tour (within shouting distance of this marker); Market Square (within shouting distance of this marker);
Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 17, 2016
3. George Street Steps At The Farmer's Bank
Other markers no longer nearby. Gun from the CSS Virginia (was here, next to this marker but has been confirmed missing); Auction Block (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Second Town Hall / Market House (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named The Market Square (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,863 times since then and 138 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 12, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on February 14, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. 4. submitted on April 12, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
