Off
The Beaten Path The
online source of what to see in Fredericksburg
Every few months, SimplyFredericksburg
will take you on a journey to places that most
people visiting (and many residing in) Fredericksburg don't get to see.
These are places that are "Off The Beaten Path". There are many great sites
to see in the area that are just not highly advertised or publicized. So
sit back and take a short trip "Off the beaten path".
We will, (in most cases), provide you with
photos and a brief description of each location. As always, we encourage
you and others to see these sites in person. We do not try to replace an
actual visit.
Fredericksburg -
The past 100 years
Volume #7
The early years
The year was 1900 and the population
of the City of Fredericksburg has reached a record number of slightly over
5,000 resident.
The first Congress ordered that
a monument be erected in Fredericksburg to honor Hugh Mercer, the monument
still stands today on Washington Ave.
The city streets looked much
different then the now modern streets. Even the names of many of the streets
have since changed. What is now called Caroline was then called Main Street.
The automobile had not yet visited
the area One didn't arrive until April
of 1907, when a local merchant by the name of Robert A. Kishpaugh, had
a 1907 single cylinder
Cadillac shipped via rail to Fredericksburg. That same day, Fredericksburg
would also have it's first tow truck and auto mechanic. Mr. Kishpaugh's
"Caddy" broke down a few miles into the drive and remained in the "shop"
for a year. In the years to come, more and more automobiles arrived in and
around Fredericksburg.
Fredericksburg built a new Post
Office in 1909. (The building is currently used as the City Hall). City
Hall was originally in the building being used currently as the Fredericksburg
Area Museum and Cultural Center.The building in which
the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural
Centeris located was built in 1816 and served as Town Hall and Market Place. You can still see signs of the old "Market Place" when you visit
the first floor of the Museum. There are large hooks on the walls, those
hooks are the original meat hooks used in the "Market Place".
The teens
Artist Gari Melchers, moved
in to Belmont at Falmouth in 1916.
An ice storm, in 1918, wiped out
the Falmouth Bridge.
The Roaring Twenties
The year was 1925 when Fredericksburg
residents saw the railroad bridge crossing the river being rebuilt to it's
current configuration.
In just 20 years the automobile
had become so popular in the area, that the Jefferson
Davis Highway was completed in the Spring of 1927. The highway connected
the old Southern capital of Richmond with the United States Capital City
of Washington D.C.
That same year, Fredericksburg
get's a new hospital. Mary Washington Hospital was built on the
same spot as the original hospital. Today, you can still see this building,
but it is now an apartment building (corner of Sophia and Fauquir streets).
If you look up above the main entrance, you can see the words engraved
in the stone "Mary Washington Hospital".
In the Spring of 1929, residents
of the City were treated to the areas first talking motion picture or "Talkie".
The movie was "The
Voice of the City" directed by Williard
Mack (he also co-starred in the picture). The movie was held at the
Pitt's Colonial Theater (which opened in Feb. 1929) at 907 Caroline Street
(now the Galleria).
The Thirties
In 1930 one of the largest employers
in the local area opens operations in the Fredericksburg area. The Sylvania
Industrial Corporation opens the Cellophane plant, which remained open
for 58 years, closing in 1978.
Over the past 100 years, Fredericksburg
was visited by many famous people to include Henry
Ford and his wife, who visited Fredericksburg in 1932.
The Rappahannock River rose
42 feet in 1937. The flood changed the look of Fredericksburg forever.
The flood also knocked out the "Free Bridge".
September 1939 brought about
another technical innovation for many of the Fredericksburg area residents.
Radio station WFVA 1290 AM
began broadcasting over the local airwaves. WFVA is still broadcasting
today (on 1230 AM) and every morning at 6:30 AM you can hear the same radio
show that was heard in 1939 (Virginia Ramblers). WFVA is Fredericksburg's
oldest operating radio station and it's sister station
WBQB
can be heard on 101.5FM, since 1989.
Some time in the 30's during
restoration of the Kenmore Plantation,
a cannonball was found inside the mansion and later placed in an existing
hole outside the home (the hole was made by another cannon ball during
the Civil War).
Towards the end of the thirties,
the bottom levels of the Old Stone Warehouse on Sophia Street were buried
to accommodate the new Chatham Bridge, which replaced the old "Free Bridge".
The Forties
In 1947 the very popular icon
in Fredericksburg, Carl's
Ice Cream, opened
to serve Ice Cream and Malts. Even today, visitors to the local area, will
make the detour off of the busy Interstate to stop by and have a serving
of Carls' Ice Cream. If you have never been there, don't let the long lines
scare you, you will most likely never be in line for more than 15 minutes.
In 1942, the lazy Rappahannock
River turned "mighty" again and rose 45 feet above normal to cause water
to rise above Princess Anne Street. This flood was the worst in Fredericksburg
history thus far. The river also flooded in 1937 and 1972 (42 feet above normal).
A more recent, but minor flood occured in 1999 with the river rising 15
feet above normal. SimplyFredericksburg was there to take many photos.
The Fifties
By the time 1951 arrived, Fredericksburg outgrew it's Hospital and the third hospital was built. The site of the third Hospital was on the corner of Fall Hill Ave. and Washington Street, across from James Monroe High School. The building is currently occupied
by the Fredericksburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
In 1955, the first color television
arrived in town, and in 1956, you could get a gallon of gas for around
20 cents, plus someone would pump it for you. Today the low prices and
the full service stations are all but gone. The local area still has 4
such service stations.
The Sixties
Shopping Malls came to Fredericksburg
in the early 60's with the Fredericksburg Shopping Center arriving in 1963,
followed closely by the Fredericksburg Park and Shop.
The Seventies
In the early 70's the face of
movies in Fredericksburg was going to change. RC Theaters (now Regal Cinemas)
bought most of the movie houses in Fredericksburg. By 1972, they had built
the Virginians Theater (was still in operation on Lafayette Blvd. until
2001) and owned all the theaters in Fredericksburg. The cinemaplex was
here to stay.
The first and only television
station to broadcast from Fredericksburg was WHFV-TV (or "Historic Fredericksburg,Virginia") channel 69, started to broadcast in 1973. The station was an NBC affiliate but was only on the air until 1975, stating financial difficulties as the reason for going off the air. The station was never to broadcast again.
The Eighties
Shopping in Fredericksburg was
forever changed in Feb., 1980, when Spotsylvania
Mall opened it's doors. Many of the large stores downtown left and
moved to the mall location. Plank Road (Route 3) would never be the same.
In Feb., 1983, Fredericksburg
(and the entire East Coast) are rocked by the "Blizzard
of '83". The winter storm drops 30 plus inches on the area, stopping
traffic for over a day.
Later that same year, the Fredericksburg
Agricultural Fairgrounds, attracted a record crowd of screaming rock n'
roll music fans. 27,000 fans showed up to see Molly
Hatchet perform on stage.
The Olde Towne area also goes
through a major reconfiguration. Wires are buried, trees are planted and
parking meters are removed.
The Nineties
Once again Fredericksburg had
outgrown it's hospital and in 1993, the current hospital was built.
Two years later, growth was
still very evident when The Silver's Company opened
the Central
Park Shopping Center. Plank Road (Route 3) traffic was then officially
a mess and on some days it was a parking lot.
The Virginia Renaissance Faire
opened for the first time in 1996 and remained until it was closed due to financial difficulties.
In 1998, VDOT made major improvements
to Route 3, but it has helped very little.
With growth still being very
evident, Simply Web Services
launched YourNuHome.Com to assist
locals in finding new home builders, they also launched SimplyFredericksburg
to assist locals in finding just about everything else in Fredericksburg.
The Silver's Company announced
in 1999, the Celebrate Virginia
project.
We
hope that you enjoyed this issues feature. Previous issues are available
online.
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Off
The Beaten Path The
online guide of what to see in Fredericksburg a
service of Simply Web Services
of 1907, when a local merchant by the name of Robert A. Kishpaugh, had
a 1907 single cylinder
Cadillac shipped via rail to Fredericksburg. That same day, Fredericksburg
would also have it's first tow truck and auto mechanic. Mr. Kishpaugh's
"Caddy" broke down a few miles into the drive and remained in the "shop"
for a year. In the years to come, more and more automobiles arrived in and
around Fredericksburg. 
opened
to serve Ice Cream and Malts. Even today, visitors to the local area, will
make the detour off of the busy Interstate to stop by and have a serving
of Carls' Ice Cream. If you have never been there, don't let the long lines
scare you, you will most likely never be in line for more than 15 minutes. 
