Pick up the self-guided walking tour brochure for “Walk Through History…Lower Caroline Street” at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center.
The development of this handsome old street into one of the most graceful residential areas in Fredericksburg began with the vision of 18th century lawyer and entrepreneur Roger Dixon. Dixon, who came to the area in 1749 to practice law, soon became interested Fredericksburg real estate. In January 1752, he purchased 330 acres outside the town’s lower limits. Dixon’s purchase encompassed the mouth of a Rappahannock River tributary, Hazel Run and was across the river from George Washington’s boyhood home, Ferry Farm.