The Ebert House and Store

The Ebert House and Store. The Battle of Fredericksburg. You could smell the gingerbread and candy when you went into the store. It was utterly quiet, the only noise was the ticking of a clock...and an elderly lady knitting and rocking. , A local resident, On this corner stood the home of the Ebert family, Henry and Sophia Ebert emigrated from Prussia in the 1840s, joining a growing and prospering community of German entrepreneurs in Fredericksburg. The Eberts opened a small grocery store in their home on this corner, catering to travelers entering or leaving Fredericksburg along the Telegraph (Sunken) Road. The Eberts, their children, and their grandchildren lived in and operated the store for nearly 100 years., The Ebert house stood amidst a cluster of middle-class homes on the western edge of Fredericksburg. All of these families - Sisson, Ebert, Innis, Stephens, and Hall - lived lives largely disrupted by war. Before the battle on December 13, 1862, Confederate officers ordered the Eberts to leave their home. The family took refuge at Mrs. Ebert's brother's house several miles west of town. They returned days later to find dead bodies "all over the property" and their home badly scarred by eight hours of combat.