Welcome to Fredericksburg, Va
Stone Tools to Seltzer Bottles
Commuters and rail passengers hurry to their trains over asphalt paving that is only the most recent layer in Fredericksburg's history. These travelers cross over prehistoric work sites, eighteenth-century shops and dwellings, a Civil War battleground, and the debris and fill left by the twentieth-century railroad that continues to tie the City to neighboring communities and the nation at large.
Fredericksburg's preparation to provide commuter rail service presented the opportunity to explore a portion of this area's history. At the City's request, the Center for Historic Preservation at Mary Washington College conducted an archaeological and historical assessment of two City blocks at the railroad station. They recovered artifacts representing the period from 4000 BC, when the Rappahannock valley's early inhabitants occupied this area, to 1992, when the parking lot was paved.
Marker is on Frederick Street, on the right when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
