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Daisy Turner's
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The Circle
Unbroken
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Fredericksburg Memories
Can you help identify this photo?
Central Rappahannock Heritage Center 
Newsletter
A place that loses its history loses its soul
Message From The Chairman
 
The Heritage Center would not exist without the City of Fredericksburg, from which we rent our space in Maury Commons, and the donors, sponsors, and members who financially support our operations. Equally critical are our volunteers who keep the Center open. They respond to researchers' requests, receive and process collections donated throughout the year, enter data on our website, prepare the newsletter, maintain membership lists, raise funds, and engage in other not so often visible activities. The Board is very grateful and extends a hearty thank you to all.
 
A major reorganization of our collections was recently undertaken by John Reifenberg and Diane Ballman, chairmen of our Collections and Information Technology Committees, respectively. They moved some records to the Barry McGhee Room and many flat boxes to other stacks within our main room. Collections in half empty large archival boxes were put in smaller boxes in the Small Collections area. Then they recorded the new locations of these collections in our Past Perfect database so staff know where to look in responding to researchers' requests. John and Diane's yeoman efforts have significantly extended our storage space for collections given in the coming years. Well done, and many thanks, John and Diane!
 
With inclement weather likely in the upcoming months, check the Fredericksburg Public School's website (www.cityschools.com) for closures and delays. The Center follows the school's schedule.
 
Happy New Year!


  
Barbara Barrett, Chairman
The Heritage Center 
 
Welcome New Members
Bernard Collins





Heritage Center memberships support the important work done by The Center.
 
The Central Rappahannock Heritage Center is a non-profit, all-volunteer archives whose mission is to preserve historically valuable material of the region and make it available to the public for research. 
 
Please join us as part of the Heritage Center's preservation team.  As a  member, you will be helping to preserve our priceless local history.
 
Click here to become a member today!


Thank you for your support,
The Heritage Center
 
MANY THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS 
HERITAGE CENTER SPONSORS

Bill Vakos, Jr.

Jon and Meredith Beckett

Lucy and Wayne Harman

Kitty Farley and Vic Ramoneda

The Cohen Family 

The Greene Family








To become a Heritage Center Sponsor, please visit our website.  If you have any questions, please contact The Heritage Center at (540) 373-3704.

The Heritage Center Volunteers

The important preservation work of The Heritage Center would not be possible without our dedicated volunteers.

The Center currently has a staff of over 45 volunteers.  If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at The Center, please email Meredith Beckett.

Palmer Hayden

Palmer Hayden, born in Widewater, Stafford County January 15, 1890, was an artist during the Harlem Renaissance, an intellectual, social, and artistic movement in the 1920s. Largely forgotten after his death in 1973, he was rediscovered by chance. Stafford resident and historian, Frank White, was visiting his brother in Hampton and saw a painting by Palmer Hayden of Wide Water (original spelling). No one at the museum had any information. Later, Mr. White visited Oak Grove Baptist Church in Widewater and saw a painting of a baptism by Hayden in the church basement. Reverend Granville Butler, pastor of Oak Grove at the time, said the painting had been donated, but had no details. Mr. White encouraged Rev. Butler to find out more. A few months later, Mr. White heard that Janet Payne, the head of fine arts for Stafford schools had seen the Hayden painting at Hampton. She too recognized Wide Water. She was delighted to learn that the talented artist was from Widewater. She encouraged Rev. Butler to have the painting, Baptizing Day (1945), restored. The painting of the baptisms on Aquia Creek now has a place of honor in the church.

In 1999, Janet Payne and the staff at Belmont, home of Gari Melchers, arranged for a Palmer Hayden exhibit. Hayden was a contemporary of Melchers, but with a very different style. The exhibit reintroduced Palmer Hayden to the area. Hayden didn't return to Widewater after becoming famous. He had been born Peyton Cole Hedgeman; at some point his name changed, some say it was a sergeant during Hayden's World War I service, who couldn't pronounce his name another story was that someone Hayden used as a reference got his name wrong. Whatever, Palmer Hayden is now known as a son of Widewater, Stafford County.

On Saturday, February 1, 2020, a historical marker, recognizing Palmer C. Hayden, will be dedicated at Widewater State Park.

To learn more about Hayden and his art, visit the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center.


Palmer C. Hayden's Baptism at Wide Water. Click on picture to enlarge.

Beth Daly
Volunteer, The Heritage Center

Collections Report

The following collections were accessioned during the Collections Committee Meeting on December 19, 2019 from generous and community-minded donors.
 
Fredericksburg Police Department
-          1940 Fredericksburg Police Department Ledger
 
Noel Harrison
-          1984 - 1985 Photographs of the Fredericksburg area.
 
Betsy Shelton Spradlin (Shelton Collection)
-          1932 - 1934 Photographs of Fredericksburg High School.
 
Wanda Deitmeyer
-          1976 Photograph of the Fredericksburg Singers.
 
William T. Garnett
-          Undated copy of a photograph of The What-Not-Store at 1101 Sophia Street.
 
Mary Giunca (heir of Duff M. Green)
-          Photographs of the J. W. Masters Lumber Yard and Retail Shop.
-          Photograph of Duff McDuff Green, Jr.
-          Newspaper articles.

Jeanette Cadwallender
-          1952 Receipt from C. H. Montgomery. 
-          186? Receipt from Old Dominion Steamboat Company.
 
Matthew Longo
-          2003 - 2007 Collection of about 20 Stafford High School Smoke Signal newspapers.
 
Dennis Sacrey
-          Photographs of the old Firestone Store on the corner of William Street and Prince Edward St.
-          Fredericksburg Baptist Church directories.
-          1926 Fredericksburg Baptist Church cookbook.
-          200th Anniversary programs.
 
Florence Barnick
-          Undated real estate statement for Spotsylvania County.
-          1942 Robert B. Payne, Inc. receipt.
-          1942 Fuel oil usage of the Free Lance-Star.
-          1920 Program of a production at the Opera House.
 
James B. Collins, Jr.
-          2008 Volume 1 on Caroline County history.
-          2018 Volume 2 on Caroline County history.
 
Jacqueline Rorrer
-          Slides of the 1972 flood in Fredericksburg.
 
With thanks for all these great additions to our collections,

John Reifenberg
Collections Manager, The Heritage Center
Can you identify this photo?

Click on picture to enlarge

Can you help identify these people at the 1981 opening of Farmers and Merchants State Bank's Spotsylvania Mall branch?

The photo is from Farmers & Merchants State Bank collection.

Please contact Sharon Null at snull@crhcarchives.org with any information concerning this picture.
 
.

From the Stearns Collection.  Click on picture to enlarge.


Update: Thank you to  Brad Cooper and John Cowan for identifying an early 1900's photo of the Rising Sun Tavern.
 


The Heritage Center gladly provides research services.  Please contact The Center for rates.
 
Hours  
 
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 
10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturdays by appointment
Please call to schedule during weekday business hours
Location
   
900 Barton Street #111
Fredericksburg, VA
22401 
(540) 373-3704 
 
Join our mailing list!

Click here to join the CRHC mailing list and stay up to date with what is happening at The Center!
 


The Circle Unbroken: Civil War Letters of the Knox Family of Fredericksburg  
 
On sale now at The Heritage Center 
$29.70 for members 
$33.00 for non-members  

Daisy Turner's Kin
An African American Family Saga
Jane C. Beck 
 
On sale now at The Heritage Center 
$25.00  

Fredericksburg Memories
A Pictorial History of the 1800s through the 1930s

On sale now at The Heritage Center
$35.00

Central Rappahannock Heritage Center | contact@crhcarchives.org  540.373.3704 | crhcarchives.org
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