HistoryPoint - The rich history of Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Westmoreland in VA

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- Enjoy informative feature articles on Fredericksburg's past written by CRRL librarians and local historians.

Feature Article Archive

Lunch with History Archive

Great Lives Archive

- Selected from various local publications, these dispatches will give you a true feel for the olden days.

Dispatch Archive

- The people that have shaped the day-to-day history of our region.

1885 Business Directory

Census Index

Confederate Soldier Burial Index

Obituary Index

Pieces of Our Past Oral Histories

Spotsylvania Marriage Bond and Registers

- The places that define our area's history.

Area Museums

Fredericksburg Port Records

Postcard Collection

Sanborn Maps

Walking and Driving Tours

- Other sources to aid in exploring history.

African American Resources

Community Calendar

Historical Organizations

Local Newspaper Indexes and More

Local Research Projects

Primers to the Past: Teaching Our History

Virginiana Room Information

Virginia Vital Records Bibliographies

About HistoryPoint

Finding Local Confederate Military Unit Information

The Central Rappahannock region was definitely Confederate country in 1861. The town sent much of its white male population off to fight for the Confederate cause. The 30th and 47th Virginia Infantry Regiments and the 9th Virginia Calvary Regiment were largely composed of local folks. There are some excellent sources on these local Confederate soldiers available at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library or on the Internet.

Read the article.

Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier
By Louis Leon

"We are all boys between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one."

Louis Leon joined North Carolina's Charlotte Grays in April 1861. He was to serve throughout the war and spent considerable time in Virginia. Captured at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, he spent the war's last months imprisoned at two notorious facilities: Point Lookout, Maryland and Elmira, New York. He published his war-time diary in 1913.

Read the article.

New in Virginiana!

John Washington's Civil War: A Slave Narrative
edited by Crandall Shifflett

Unlike the W.P.A. narratives collected in the 1930s, this memoir of a Virginia slave was written only seven years after the Civil War and is full of vivid memories. Contextual notes are provided by Virginia Tech history professor Crandall Shifflett, who unearthed this forgotten treasure at the Library of Congress.

HistoryPoint Calendar

Click here to see the HistoryPoint calendar of local events!

One Search - We make it easy to search all our databases, or just a few. All you need is your library card!

Postcard Collection

This image is from our postcard collection. Click on the image or title to find out more about this postcard or browse the entire collection.

State Teachers College

State Teachers College, Fredericksburg, VA

Area Museums

Find location, hours, contact information, and web sites for local museums. Browse our list!

Aquia Episcopal Church

The historic Aquia Episcopal Church is a well-preserved colonial church, including the original three-tiered pulpit and much of the original interior.