It's October and the Center is still closed. What will we do to fill our time and satisfy our hunger for history?

It is the perfect time of year to observe history outside and there is plenty of it in this area. We think of the Civil War, since it made an indelible mark on the area - a mark which continues to present day. But, there is so much more. Long before European settlers arrived, Native peoples inhabited the area. In Stafford County there is a burial ground on the south side of Aquia Creek and Marlborough Point had an Indian village. There are Colonial reminders everywhere - churches are an example. Fredericksburg's St. George's Episcopal Church celebrated its 300th anniversary this year - the current church was built later, but the congregation dates from 1720. Stafford's Aquia Church was built in 1758; the congregation is about 100 years older. Cemeteries are full of history. Anyone of the five counties in the central Rappahannock area contain hundreds of early cemeteries. Many are small, some are on private land, and they are full of stories.

Civil War history is most evident on the National Park Service holdings. It is documented and interpreted; it is everywhere. Nearly every street or road in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County and southern Stafford County has a connection to a battle or an encampment. Caroline County has pre-history - in the visitors' center, there is a 14 million-year-old whale skeleton that was found near Carmel Church. There are also several stately homes with interesting tales; don't forget, Lincoln assassin, John Wilkes Booth was killed in Port Royal. The Naval Surface Weapons Center at Dahlgren is more modern history. Established in 1918, the King George facility began as a proving ground. It has evolved into a research and development center for naval warfare and is a major employer.

On these nice early fall days, you can drive, walk, hike, or ride a bicycle to explore history and still be safe and healthy. If you have a computer or better yet, a smart phone, you can learn details on the spot. There are several free online sites that give you starting points. Three of these are created and maintained by self-directed volunteers. The Historical Marker Data Base, www.hmdb.org, Find A Grave, www.findagrave.com and Wikipedia, www.wikipedia. Sometimes there are no sources or citations and more substantive research is needed. Ancestry.com, Genealogy Bank and others are subscription services. Family Search is free, but requires users to establish an account.

Even though the Center is closed, as are a lot of research sites, it is still possible to enjoy and learn about our local history.

 

Beth Daly

Volunteer