On Sale: Daisy Turner's Kin
On Sale: The Circle Unbroken
On Sale: Fredericksburg Memories
Volume 13, Issue 3
March, 2022
Central Rappahannock Heritage Center 
Newsletter
A place that loses its history loses its soul
Message From The Chairman

I am delighted that we will have our 15 March board meeting at the Heritage Center. We will finally have an opportunity to meet face to face with the new directors that were elected at the Annual Meeting in December.

The two new committees (fundraising and space/ recognition), that were appointed at the January meeting, have met and will be giving their reports for the first time. There are indications that we may have our next social event in late spring or early summer. Perhaps at the Center!

An area of continuing concern is that of membership. Obviously, the pandemic has had a significant impact. But we have been neglectful in pursuing corporate memberships. We will focus on how we can improve, particularly with those renewals of current members that could have been expanded to corporate memberships. This will be a major topic at our meeting.

One of our current directors, has brought to the attention of the nominating committee, a potential candidate for one of the projected vacancies on our board. I make this point because we need input, not only from board members, but also from our general membership.
Although my message each month is focused on the Board of Directors, it is also intended to keep each of you informed. Even if you may not be able to accept the position of director, we would welcome your service on one of our committees.

Jack A. Apperson, Chairman
Welcome New Members!

A sincere than you to the following who have joined with us to save our history!

Jennifer Grimm Henricksen
Debbie Baker

Heritage Center memberships support the important work done by The Center.
 
The Central Rappahannock Heritage Center is a non-profit, all-volunteer archive 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 
2022 HERITAGE CENTER SPONSORS

Barbara Barrett
Linda M. Billard
Jeanette and Nick Cadwallender
Barbara H. Cecil
Dovetail Cultural Resources Group
Jim and Betsy Greene
Lucy and Wayne Harman


It's that time! Please become a 2022 sponsor! Corporate and private contributions are welcomed! Help us continue to save our history!
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 Exchange Hotel Circa 1890



From the Archives


The Exchange Hotel Circa 1866 was located at the corner of Caroline and Hannover Street. In later years it was also known as the Hotel Frederick (1915-1920) and Hotel Maury (1920-1973). In 1887, two men from Connecticut took over management of the Exchange. Leander Cotton hailed from East Hartford, Connecticut and was a veteran of the 21st Connecticut Infantry. His partner, William A. Hills, was from Glastonbury, Connecticut and a mere 22 years-old. 

Whether by intent or happenstance, Cotton started to purchase artifacts from local citizens for display. Over time the collection would consist of over 480 pieces and Cotton went so far as to publish a catalogue of the collection. In 1891, the two men decided to sell the collection which was purchased by Grand Army of the Republic Post 92 in Newton, Massachusetts. Over time the collection disappeared and today only a few artifacts are in the Newton City Hall.

Among the collections in our archives is a photograph of a section of tree from the McCoull farm at Spotsylvania Courthouse. Damaged during the fighting in May 1864, it was a center piece of the collection. Popularly known as war logs, these relics of the war were impressive examples of the impact of war on the environment. If it could only talk, the story it would tell!

Although we do not know where the tree is today, because of the work at the Center, we do have a photographic memory. To read more about the Exchange Hotel, check out Eric Mink’s fine article Fredericksburg's War Museum at the National Park Service “Mysteries and Conundrums” site on the web.

The McCoull Tree

The Exchange Hotel today



Collections Update

New Additions

Book:  Tracing Footsteps. The Frasers of Scotland To Frazers of Virginia and West Virgina.

Correspondence, photographs, news articles, announcements, and copies of the Garden Club of Virginia pamphlets, and yearbooks from The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club.

A ledger from the Female Orphan Asylum detailing the Female House and School beginning in 1925 and extending to 1983. Assorted notes and reports of the Asylum with additional years added are included.

A research report on Glassell's Warehouse. Included are copies of various plats and Gray's Map of 1878 showing the apparent location.

A photograph taken in the 1930's showing George Benoit participating in a horse show at Snowden.

Numerous photographs, VHS tapes and cassettes containing genealogical information, correspondence, and miscellaneous records of the Wheat Family and associated family members. 

The Center would like to thank James B. Hearn, Jr. for his contributions over the years, plus his willingness to go the extra mile in alerting us, giving his own time, and providing access to a rather large collection of family records that would have been relegated to the landfill. Hats off to a Center Ambassador!  

Please remember that we are always accepting collections. Contact me at jreifenberg@crhcarchives.org for more information. Your contributions are important! 

Thank you for your interest in the Center's collections.

John Reifenberg
Collections Manager
The Heritage Center gladly provides research services. Please contact The Center for research requests and rates at contact@crhcarchives.org
 
Hours  
 
Open by Appointment.

Location
   
900 Barton Street #111
Fredericksburg, VA
22401 
(540) 373-3704

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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