Exhibitions in the Town Hall/Market House

British Heritage, American Style: Decorative Arts of the Rappahannock River Region, 1730–1860

Permanent Exhibition

Featuring numerous pieces from the Museum’s holdings and private collections throughout the region, this exhibit highlights the accomplishments of the skilled artists and artisans who settled here from the early eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth century. For over one hundred years, the Rappahannock region employed brick masons, stonecutters, carpenters, cabinetmakers, ironworkers and silversmiths capable of producing items of the finest quality for the middle and upper class residents of the area. This exhibit, based on groundbreaking research conducted by the staff of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, features examples of paintings, silver, furniture, ironwork and masonry.

George Washington and the Masonic Tradition

Permanent Exhibition

Drawing from the collection of Fredericksburg Masonic Lodge, No. 4, A.F. & A.M., the exhibit features over two dozen objects on special loan to the Museum, many with a direct connection to George Washington. Some of these pieces have been displayed before, but not since the early 1990s has the entire collection been shown as a group. A painting of Washington by renowned artist Gilbert Stuart, the Bible on which Washington took his Masonic oath and beautifully carved chairs are just a few of the objects on view. Also presented are exciting new findings into the origins of the Masonic Master’s armchair. Here is the history of Masonic Lodge No. 4, as well as one of the finest private collections of decorative arts objects owned in Fredericksburg.

Exhibitions in the Catherine W. Jones McKann Center

Fredericksburg at War

Permanent Exhibition

This exhibit will present the personal stories of Fredericksburg residents during the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World Wars I and II through the objects they left behind: a circa 1820 drop-leaf table scarred by Civil War shelling, diaries, letters, uniforms and other personal items. Special emphasis is placed on the harrowing experiences of area civilians during the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg and the war years that followed. Included in the exhibit will be selections from the Johnson Gun Collection of Civil War weapons, on view for the first time in over a decade.

Not So Current Currency

Permanent Exhibition

This small exhibit will look at three centuries of money once used in this area, including Continental notes, Confederate currency, notes printed by local banks and a variety of gold and silver coins. A brief discussion of how we came to use the money we are familiar with today is also included. To make the experience even more special, this exhibit is housed inside an actual vault left intact during the renovation of the Museum’s newest facility, a former bank building.

Portal, Passage, Power: An American River Town

Permanent Exhibition

The story of the Rappahannock River begins with the Algonquian-speaking peoples who lived in this area prior to European contact. Geared especially toward families with children, this portion of the exhibit will have several areas where visitors are encouraged to touch. Displays featuring reproduction plants, animal tracks and a scaled down replica of a traditional Virginia Indian home will encourage hands-on learning. Themes such as cooking, the making of tools and the use of the river and the land will help visitors understand more about the first inhabitants of this area. The story continues with the river’s relationship to Fredericksburg from the Colonial period to the present day. Interpretation in this portion of the exhibit is multi-media faceted and includes audio, video and other interactive components. Included are several custom-made maps of river-based industries and other historic sites, as well as original objects that illustrate the history of Fredericksburg when it was a bustling port town. Visitors will gain a greater understanding of the river as Fredericksburg’s lifeline to the world and its ever-evolving use as a method of transportation, water power and entertainment.

Railways and Roadways

Permanent Exhibition

Also important to the Rappahannock region is the history of the area’s railroads, interstates, and highways. The Railways and Roadways exhibit focuses on the railroads and U.S. Route One. The exhibit will demonstrate how transportation by rail became an important way to travel, both for commercial and personal use. Railroads opened up a whole new era for the Fredericksburg region, helping to define the area as an important north-south route. The story of the development of U.S. Route One and Interstate 95 will also be told using original images and objects from the Museum’s collection. A slide show featuring various types of transportation from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries will illustrate how much our methods of getting around have changed.

Our Community

Permanent Exhibition

The story of Fredericksburg continues with three separate themes from our recent past: African-American experiences during the Civil Rights era, the role women have played in our community’s preservation efforts and perspectives on our community today.

Fredericksburg Area Battlefields: Old Times Here Are Not Forgotten

Documents Gallery
March 1 - July 31

Kicking off our celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, this exhibit will focus on the interest in the area's Civil War battlefields that was created soon after the fighting stopped.  Included in the displays will be post war images of local battlefields, and photos of the monuments erected by veterans.  Early attempts at preservation, and documentation on local veterans' reunions will also be featured.