Stafford County(213) ► ADJACENT TO STAFFORD COUNTY Caroline County(64) ► Culpeper County(167) ► Fauquier County(119) ► Fredericksburg(360) ► King George County(22) ► Prince William County(660) ► Spotsylvania County(407) ► Charles County, Maryland(150) ►
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The sketch below, done by a Union soldier, shows the landscape in front of you as it looked in 1863. During the Civil War, this was the rear of Chatham—a functional space unadorned with gardens or architectural finery. Union soldiers had . . . — — Map (db m35387) HM
Near Washington Street (County Road 1001) 0.1 miles south of Warrenton Road (Business U.S. 17), on the right when traveling south.
Joseph Burwell Ficklen purchased Belmont in 1824, just as he began making his mark as a mill operator in Falmouth. He did not marry until 1843, at age 43. Ellen McGehee Ficklen died in 1845. Her grieving husband buried her here along with their . . . — — Map (db m171445) HM
On Carter Street near Cambridge Street (U.S. 17), on the right when traveling east.
His second day of freedom,
Former Slave
John Washington
wrote about seeing the “side-by-side” burial of seven Union soldiers April 19th, 1862, in Falmouth’s Union Church Cemetery.
“The soldiers had a sad duty to perform…The funeral was . . . — — Map (db m49673) HM
On Washington Street (County Road 1001) 0.1 miles south of Warrenton Road (Business U.S. 17), on the right when traveling south.
The farm implements you see remind us that Gari and Corinne Melchers were farmers as well as artists and world travelers. With the help of caretaker Mason Dillon, who lived in the cottage across the road, they ran a small farm with cows, . . . — — Map (db m171439) HM
Union soldiers and officers gazing upon Fredericksburg from this spot in 1862 saw many of the same landmarks visible today. The skyline of this peaceful river town, population 5,000 in 1860, is still dominated by the three steeples of City Hall . . . — — Map (db m35390) HM
Slaves did virtually all the work that kept Chatham worthy of its widespread reputation for productivity, elegance, and hospitality. Before the Civil War, it’s unlikely that white residents ever amounted to more than 20 percent of Chatham’s . . . — — Map (db m35386) HM
When Confederate sharpshooters blocked his efforts to span the Rappahannock River with pontoon bridges, General Ambrose E. Burnside ordered his artillery to bombard the town. For eight hours more than one hundred cannon, some as large as the . . . — — Map (db m35392) HM
Near Washington Street (County Route 1001) 0.1 miles south of Warrenton Road (Business U.S. 17), on the right when traveling east.
From construction of the main house ca. 1880, until the end of the Civil War, life at Belmont was intertwined with the institution of slavery. An 1815 Falmouth property list shows that then resident Susannah Knox owned four slaves over age 12. . . . — — Map (db m97372) HM
On Butler Road (Virginia Route 218) at Castle Rock Drive, on the left when traveling west on Butler Road.
James Monroe High School
• Class of 1982
• Linebacker and Tallback
• Top 100 National Recruit
• Free Lance-Star Player of the Year - 1980-1981
• Inducted into the first class of the JM Hall of Fame
• First Team All District, . . . — — Map (db m242227) HM
Chatham has watched quietly over Fredericksburg for almost 250 years—an imposing, 180-foot-long brick manor house once visible from much of town. It has witnessed great events and played host to important people. George Washington, Thomas . . . — — Map (db m35385) HM
On Ridge Point Lane just east of North Point Drive.
This site, once part of the Phillips property and occupied by the Union Army in the winter of 1862-1863 became the launch site for Aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe reconnaissance balloons. The tethered balloon Eagle with General Edwin Sumner's staff officer, . . . — — Map (db m76275) HM
On River Road (County Road 607) 0.3 miles east of Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. 1), on the left when traveling east.
Conway House was the home of Moncure Conway who freed himself from the dogmas of his culture and became an abolitionist. He is the only descendent of one of our nation’s Founding Fathers to actively lead escaping slaves to freedom, thereby . . . — — Map (db m23147) HM
On Butler Road (Virginia Route 218) at Castle Rock Drive, on the left when traveling west on Butler Road.
• James Monroe H.S, Quarterback, Class of 1970
• VA Tech Starting Linebacker, 1972, Class of 1974
• Received the Frank Loria Award for dynamic leadership Work ethic for Academic & Athletic Success, 1974
• Dodson State Farm . . . — — Map (db m242240) HM
The Green family was established in Virginia when Duff McFuff Green's great-great grandfather, Robert Green, settled in Orange County in 1710. Duff McDuff Green was born in Stafford county on 2 August 1832 to Capt. Duff Green and Elizabeth Ann Payne . . . — — Map (db m76690) HM
On Warrenton Rd (U.S. 17) at Samson St., on the right when traveling north on Warrenton Rd.
Approximately one mile east at the junction of U.S. Route 17 and U.S. Route 1 is the town of Falmouth, which was established at the falls of the Rappahannock River and incorporated in 1727. Although a small town, Falmouth was one of the most . . . — — Map (db m48761) HM
On Cool Springs Road (County Route 607) 0.3 miles south of White Oak Road (Virginia Route 218), on the left when traveling south.
During the Civil War, a railroad station stood on this site. The station consisted of a warehouse, a platform, quartermaster tents, and several sidings. Trains arrived and departed on the hour traveling to and from Aquia Landing. The station . . . — — Map (db m75944) HM
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania—this is the bloodiest landscape in North America. No place more vividly reflects the Civil War’s tragic cost in all its forms. A city bombarded, bloodied, and looted. Farms large and . . . — — Map (db m35378) HM
On River Road, 0.3 miles east of Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. 1), on the right when traveling east.
”The soldier assured me that I was now a free man…I never would be a slave no more.”
- John Washington, a Fredericksburg slave
”Our camps are now flooded with negroes, with packs on their backs and bound for . . . — — Map (db m32391) HM
Near Washington Street (Route 1001) 0.1 miles south of Warrenton Road (Business U.S. 17), on the right when traveling south.
Artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne were booklovers. Despite the demands of his studio schedule, Gari Melchers devoted his morning to newspapers, made time for a good novel, and enjoyed studying the pages of his many art books. Corinne . . . — — Map (db m171444) HM
Near Washington Street (County Route 1001) south of Warrenton Road (Business U.S. 17), on the right when traveling south.
Overlooking the Falls of the Rappahannock River on a major 17th and 18th century trade route, this site became the setting for the artist's internationally acclaimed early 20th century paintings celebrating the lives and character of the citizens of . . . — — Map (db m77688) HM
On White Oak Road (Virginia Route 218) at Kendalwood Drive, on the right when traveling east on White Oak Road.
Just northeast, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, kept his headquarters, Jan. - June 1863, amid a vast city of tents and camps. It was here he rehabilitated he Union army after its catastrophic defeat in the First . . . — — Map (db m9216) HM
On West Cambridge Street, on the right when traveling south. Reported permanently removed.
Founded in 1727 as a trading center for the Northern Neck. Hunter’s iron works here were an objective in the Virginia campaign of 1781. The Army of the Potomac camped here from November, 1862 to June, 1863 and moved hence to Chancellorsville and . . . — — Map (db m1671) HM
On West Cambridge Street, 0.1 miles south of U.S. 1, on the right when traveling south.
The town of Falmouth was established here in 1727 at the falls of the Rappahannock River. One of Virginia's busiest ports during the 18th and early 19th centuries, the town offered a tobacco inspection station, tobacco and cotton warehouses, flour . . . — — Map (db m171437) HM
In 1930, this 1880s log cabin was moved to its present location from the corner of Butler Road and Carter Street. The Falmouth historic community saved it with the help of noted architect Edward Donn, for they believed it was similar to the type of . . . — — Map (db m49662) HM
On Warrenton Road (U.S. 17) at Olde Forge Drive, on the right when traveling east on Warrenton Road.
Located south of here on the Rappahannock River, stood Hunter’s Iron Works, founded by James Hunter and was in operation by the 1750s. With the outbreak of the American Revolution, the Rappahannock Forge there supplied the Continental army and navy . . . — — Map (db m2729) HM
Near Butler Road (Virginia Route 218) at Colonial Avenue.
Owner of the famed Hunter Iron Works in Stafford County, which manufactured most of the camp utensils and weapons for the Virginia forces during the Revolutionary War.
A true patriot, he received little, if any, compensation. — — Map (db m32392) HM
On Butler Road (Virginia Route 218) at Castle Rock Drive, on the left when traveling east on Butler Road.
• 2001 Honorable Mention, All State Offensive Tackle, King George H.S.
• All-Atlantic 10, Left Tackle Towson State University, Class of 2007
• Inducted into the Towson Hall of Fame 2021
• Played 12 Years in the NFL
• Super Bowl . . . — — Map (db m242226) HM
On Butler Road (Virginia Route 218) at Castle Rock Drive, on the left when traveling west on Butler Road.
Special Olympics
Virginia Athlete of the Year 1994
#1 Player Special Olympics Virginia 1993-2018
#1 Player in the U.S. 1995-2016
#1 Player in the World 1995-2010
World Summer Games
1995 Gold Singles Gold . . . — — Map (db m242239) HM
On King’s Highway (Business Virginia Route 3) at County Route 1402, on the right when traveling east on King’s Highway.
On 11 December 1862, Union engineers began the construction of pontoon bridges here so the army could cross the Rappahannock River to Fredericksburg. They began in the morning, hidden by fog. Soon the fog lifted, however, and Confederate . . . — — Map (db m1674) HM
On West Cambridge Street at Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. 1), on the right when traveling south on West Cambridge Street.
The Magistrate’s Office is the oldest existing municipal building in Stafford County. Originally built for the town of Falmouth, the structure has been used as a courthouse (magistrate’s office) and voting place. Traditionally referred to as the . . . — — Map (db m2545) HM
On King Street (County Road 607) just west of Rowser Road, on the left when traveling west.
In the spring of 1862, a passing Union soldier was shot and wounded, allegedly by someone at this house. His enraged comrades broke down the door to ransack and burn the place, but one who had known Moncure Conway earlier recognized his portrait. . . . — — Map (db m148080) HM
On Butler Road (Virginia Route 218) at Castle Rock Drive, on the left when traveling west on Butler Road.
Three Stafford High graduates competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Jeff Rouse won a gold and a silver medal swimming. Mark Lenzi received a gold medal in diving. Conrad Adams was the captain of the U.S. Olympic Pentathlon Team. In . . . — — Map (db m75946) HM
On Butler Road (County Road 664) 0.1 miles west of Cambridge Street (U.S. 1).
Guard Duty in Falmouth:
Eight members of Company "F" 2nd Regt. U.S. Sharpshooters pose for a photograph in front of the O'Bannon House on Caroline St. (current day Butler Road) in Falmouth, Virginia, about May or June of 1862. They are . . . — — Map (db m36873) HM
This cottage is an example of an 18th century working man's home and was named for the family that owned it for several generations. A unique feature of the cottage is a central fireplace, more commonly seen in New England. — — Map (db m76276) HM
Near Chatham Drive near Chatham Heights Road. Reported permanently removed.
For most of its existence, Chatham had an unchanging rhythm: sow, tend, and harvest, each according to the crop. Most of Chatham’s slaves lived out their lives to this seasonal cadence, year after year. More than 50 enslaved workers—sometimes more . . . — — Map (db m35389) HM
On Chatham Drive, 0.2 miles north of Pratt Street, on the left when traveling north.
For most of its existence, Chatham had an unchanging rhythm: sow, tend, and harvest, each according to the crop. Most of Chatham's enslaved residents lived out their lives to this seasonal cadence, year after year. More than 50 enslaved . . . — — Map (db m148079) HM
On Carter Street near Cambridge Street (U.S. 17), on the right when traveling east.
“A group of soldiers detached from the main group for a very dangerous mission.”
On December 11, 1862, from the north side of the Rappahannock River in Stafford County, the 7th Michigan Infantry led an amphibious assault . . . — — Map (db m23146) HM
Near Washington Street (Route 1001) at Ingleside Drive, on the right when traveling south.
Below are the falls of the Rappahannock River. Long before Europeans arrived, this was an important meeting point for Algonquian peoples from the East and Siouan speakers from the West — all of whom were masters at using area waterways. . . . — — Map (db m171443) HM
Near Washington Street (Route 1001) 0.2 miles Warrenton Road (Route 17).
The building in front of you was built by the Melcherses to improve the water supply to the house. It contained a pump that pushed water to an underground cistern accessible from the basement of the house. The pump house and new cistern replaced . . . — — Map (db m171690) HM
Near Washington Street (County Route 1001) 0.1 miles south of Warrenton Road (Business U.S. 17), on the right when traveling east.
The trails at Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont fulfill the wishes of Corinne Melchers, who hoped visitors could someday walk the estate’s beautiful woods and riverside setting.
One-and-a-half miles of paths cover a varied terrain to the . . . — — Map (db m97375) HM
