This natural rise in the landscape…

This natural rise in the landscape…. . , This natural rise in the landscape was once part of a larger earthen mound that was used for thousands of years, first by Native Americans and later by Fredericksburg residents. The site was a prime vantage point above the Rappahannock River and less prone to flooding due to its height. A trench likely used by both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War cut across the mound and extended to the southwest. The site was also part of a field hospital during the Civil War. The remains of at least three Union soldiers were found nearby. A substantial expansion of the mound occurred in 1920, when fill was added to prepare the site for construction of a two-story residence. Designed by noted local architect and builder E.G. Peck Heflin, the home served as a rental residence, the Fredericksburg Day School, and, by 1972, the headquarters for the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge #61., [Sidebar:] , Prince Hall Masonic Lodge #61, named for the father of Black Freemasonry in the United States, purchased the residence that sat atop this mound in 1972 (right). Though chartered in 1891, Lodge #61 did not own a building before this one. The picture at far right shows the building during a major flood in 1937. A series of changes were made under the Lodge's ownership, including removing the front porch and installing a brick veneer. The Lodge sold the property to the City of Fredericksburg in 2011. It was demolished in 2015 as the City Council and its Riverfront Task Force began to implement the decades-long vision of a downtown riverfront park., [Caption:] , The dark line of a Civil War trench angles across the site,, now within the play area, during a 2017 archaeological study. Artifacts from the prehistoric period through the 20th century were identified during a series of studies. Image at left courtesy of Dovetail Cultural Resource Group.