Interwoven

African and African-descended people have lived and worked in this region since the 17th century. While subject to enslavement, racism and segregation, African Americans have built community and made essential contributions to the City of Fredericksburg and the Commonwealth of Virginia.  African American people and community are deeply interwoven with Fredericksburg’s past, present, and future. 

This itinerary was produced in collaboration with the Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM) and written by Dr. Gaila Sims, Curator of African American History and Special Projects.  Exhibitions at FAM feature a multitude of stories related to African American history and culture in the area.  “These Old Walls: A Town and It’s Stories” includes images from the Fredericksburg sit-ins and dishes from local African American restauranteur, Matthew Buckner’s, Seafood Lunch. Take the self-guided tour “Black Businesses and Entrepreneurship in Fredericksburg, 1787 – Present, or schedule a group walking tour with Dr. Gaila Sims. 

Begin your tour at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center located at 601 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA  22401. 

Next, stop by Fredericksburg’s historic churches to learn more about their unique histories and important community achievements.  Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site) was established in the early 1800s at 801 Sophia Street.  Old Site has been home to several highly influential pastors including Reverend B.H. Hestor who established the Shiloh Herald and Reverend Lawrence A. Davies, the first African American elected to Fredericksburg’s City Council and later the City’s first African American mayor.

A mural created by local artist, Bill Harris, at the corner of William and Sophia Streets features beloved Fredericksburg artist, Johnny P. Johnson.  Originally from North Carolina, Johnson arrived in Fredericksburg in 1959 and spent more than 60 years working as an artist, art teacher, activist, and community leader.  He became the University of Mary Washington’s first black faculty member in 1968.  In 2018, Fredericksburg City Council declared July 7th “Johnny P. Johnson Day.”

Walker-Grant students were involved in one of the earliest Civil Rights events in Fredericksburg’s history.  In 1950, Walker-Grant seniors requested to hold their graduation ceremony at the Dorothy Hart Community Center, but were denied.  Eventually the City relented, but stipulated that students and attendees could only enter through the side of the building.  In response, the students organized a protest, with support from members of Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site).  In 2022, the City of Fredericksburg recognized the importance of this protest by unveiling a marker commemorating the Walker-Grant High School Class of 1950 outside the Dorothy Hart Community Center.

John M. Washington was born enslaved here in Fredericksburg in 1838 and described his experience of enslavement in and around the area in the narrative he wrote later in life; Memorys of the Past.  Visit the newly installed “Great Exodus from Bondage” State Historical Marker at 900 Princess Anne Street to learn more.  Washington was one of over 10,000 enslaved people who freed themselves by escaping behind Union lines during the Civil War.

Visit the 500 block of Princess Anne Street in remembrance of Fredericksburg’s thriving mid-century Black business district.  Situated between the railroad station on one side, Black homeowners, Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site) and Mt. Zion Baptist Church on the other, and located on what was once a bustling thoroughfare of US Route 1, this area housed several Black businesses including the Paris Inn, the Rappahannock and McGuire Hotels, Sonny Dyson’s Record Store and Brown’s Funeral Home.  While few remnants of this community remain, wayside panels mark the landscape including one commemorating the Green Book.  Replica copies of the Green Book are on sale at the Visitor Center.  Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site) still stands at 525 Princess Anne Street, established in 1890.  The first Black high school, the Fredericksburg Normal and Industrial Institute, began in the church’s basement, and Fredericksburg’s first Black physician, Dr. Urbane Bass, was a member of the church.  In 2021, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources unveiled a new marker at 601 Princess Anne Street recognizing it as the first stop of the Freedom Rides.  

“Freedom, A Work in Progress”

Learn more about local Civil Rights efforts by following the Civil Rights Trail.  Divided into two parts, the trail includes a walking tour through Fredericksburg’s historic downtown district and additional stops on the University of Mary Washington’s campus.  The trail tour can be self guided.  Contact the Fredericksburg Tourism Office for more information or search Civil Rights Trail on FXBG.com.  The Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail was officially added to the United States Civil Rights Trail in February 2024.

View the full version of the trail by visiting the Civil Rights Trail page on FXBG.com.