FREDERICKSBURG'S ORIGINS
and a History of Its Neighborhoods

 Chapter 7
1760s:  A NEW ERA FOR FREDERICKSBURG

By Paula S. Felder

A Brief Review of the Earlier Decades

From the beginning of colonization in Virginia, the English government had been eager for towns to be established.  Between 1680 and 1706, acts were passed by the Virginia Assembly creating twenty towns. (A similar effort was underway in Maryland.)

Towns were intended to stimulate trade and stabilize the economy, which suffered when tobacco crops were poor. They also provided the Crown with more control over its collection of customs.
But although a few survived—Norfolk and Hampton being conspicuous examples, and Tappahannock closer to home — as many did not. Towns were simply not popular; land was the objective of almost every Virginian.

In his first year as governor (1710), Alexander Spotswood signed the repeal of the last town act and the program lapsed.  Still, the Crown gave Fredericksburg protection and encouragement after it was created in 1728, even though its establishment was the result of local politics and the ex-governor’s controlling machinations.

The  Assembly pre-empted the fifty acres of the Buckner-Royston river front  and ordered the owners to be paid from the sale of the lots (an arrangement which, for lack of interest, would have failed but for Henry Willis’ rescue mission in 1729).  After that, events took a promising turn. In 1730, Fredericksburg was a logical site to be chosen as one of the 70 official tobacco inspection stations, which the Crown designated throughout the colony for reforming and controlling the tobacco trade.

Then, in 1732, Fredericksburg was named the county seat of Spotsylvania, a move that remained unpopular with southern residents for the next half century, while the governor and his council denied their petitions for a more central location. By the middle of the 18th century, other towns had sprung up in response to the increase in trade and the westward migration. Even without a formal effort, the Crown still wished to encourage their prosperity.

Perhaps it was ingenious landowners who promoted the idea of having original town boundaries extended to include some of their adjoining lands. In February 1759, the Assembly in Williamsburg passed an act authorizing the enlargement of Fredericksburg, Winchester, Williamsburg, and Dumfries.  Thus, by a stroke of the governor’s pen at the end of the session, Fredericksburg quadrupled in size—-from 50 acres to more than 200.
 
“Annexation” Not the Same in the 18th Century as Today

The legislation was certainly advantageous for the landowners.  They were allowed to keep the profits from the sale of their town lots, which remained under the jurisdiction of the county.  Fredericksburg was admirably suited for such an expansion; the lands surrounding it were in the hands of only three families—the Lewises, Willises, and Dixons. And at least two of them  - Fielding Lewis and his cousin Roger Dixon - had done thorough advance preparation.  The instructions in the legislation enlarging Fredericksburg  were quite specific on boundary dimensions and street widths.

The Hunters’ land around the ferry and public wharf was exempted from being laid off as town lots, and remained so for the rest of the century. The only detail evidently left to the devising of the two developers was the naming of the new streets. We do not know how Fielding Lewis made his choices, which are intriguing - Hawke, Fauquier, and Pitt. But he also chose two royal names for major streets— Charles and Prince Edward. Roger Dixon stuck with the royal family -  Frederick, Princess Elizabeth, Princess Augusta, and Princess Mary. (The latter two eventually became extensions of Charles and Prince Edward Streets.) But he also chose two non-royal names for his cross streets - Wolfe and Prussia (the original seat of the Hanovers). 

The Willis land within the new boundaries, however, now belonged to private owners who evidently declined to be included. Hence the prescribed rectangular plan had to be modified by additional legislation. Considering that only 20 years earlier, almost 30% of the original 64 lots still remained unsold, this was an astounding enlargement. The landowners, however, were at no great risk, as they could harvest the full receipts of their sales with no obligations to the buyers for services. (And the buyers were not required to build immediately.)
 
The New Neighborhoods

Fredericksburg’s population was growing rapidly, but it would be many decades before it caught up with this ambitious expansion.  (The consequences of the empty lots would not be felt for many years - not, in fact, until after the town was incorporated in 1782 and needed real estate tax revenues to provide municipal services.) The laying out of the streets and the sale and recording of deeds must have been the major topic of interest for many months. And it also created something of a building boom. Even George Washington came to the June Fair in 1761 to buy two lots, though he was not able to coax his mother to move from the farm for another decade.

The Lower Addition to the Town

At the south end of town, Roger Dixon had to accommodate the 17 lots that Willis' executors had laid off in 1740. Some of these lots had diagonal boundary lines where they adjoined his land. Dixon now squared off these lots from his own property. Some of the early deeds for these lots cite their joint origins. And naturally, they are not all the width of 335 feet mandated for town blocks. Still, it was resourcefully done.

Dixon may have been utilizing the original plan for his half, for in 1755 he had already gained permission to turn the river road (now Route 2) downward toward Caroline Street, a path it still follows today.  Unlike Fielding Lewis' end, which was symmetrical, Dixon's plan accommodated some physical realities that were already in place. Thus the blocks are not identical in size.

He built his home on the present site of 206 Caroline Street, where his establishment covered two acres. His house lay directly opposite a street he named Berkeley (and we call Rocky Lane) leading to his wharf lot (No. 270).  Berkeley was a full sized street, later encroached on by property owners.

The Washington children did not use Berkeley Street to commute from the farm to school in town, for it did not exist during their childhood.  By the time Dixon's suburb was laid off for sale in 1761, the children were all grown and gone from home. In any case, the Washington children would have crossed via their uncle Willis' ferry, which ran to the public wharf.

213 Caroline Street was built by Roger Dixon on lots purchased by his brother John who was on the faculty of  William and Mary College. It probably fulfilled Dixon’s vision of an upscale neighborhood. But his prospects were doomed by his deteriorating finances.      The “handsome brick house” was advertised for sale in the spring of 1768 with the outbuildings and garden still unfinished. It was purchased by Dr. John Mortimer, who moved to Fredericksburg from Essex County and soon became a prominent town leader.  This house  probably resembled Roger Dixon’s own home, which was on the site of present day 206 Caroline Street, overlooking Berkeley Street (Rocky Lane)      Dixon’s home was elaborately furnished, with valuable mirrors, tables, silver, and accessories. Two plaster of paris flower pots hanging on brackets, probably in the hall, together with a very expensive clock, set an elegant tone.

The Lower Ferry
 
Since 1726, the ferry that came attached to the 330 acres of land Dixon now owned had been situated at the lower end of his property at the mouth of Hazel Run. There it had run across to the lower end of the farm that Augustine Washington purchased in 1738. (The Washingtons considered it a nuisance, and Henry Willis once tried unsuccessfully to have it closed down for his brother-in-law.)  When Dixon began his new suburb in 1759, he saw the ferry’s potential as an amenity for his new  neighborhood  In 1763, he received the Spotsylvania court’s permission to move the route to his new suburb. It still ran to the Washington farm, but now it was “opposite Mrs. Washington’s.”

There is no record of what the Washingtons thought of this (all were now gone except the widow herself), but actually, it came in handy for the Washington family. In December 1764, George gave his mother

10 shillings for ferriage fees. Later he used it over many months to transport her belongings to her new home in town. So the ferry was finally useful to the Washingtons after all.  Mrs. Washington moved to town in 1771, which was shortly before Roger Dixon died. His insolvent estate was not settled for severaldecades, and there is no record of ferry service during the rest if the century. [Note: The ferry was revived early in the next century, but the ownership of the route shifted to the Stafford landowner. In the middle of the 19th century, the ferry landing on the former Washington farm was sold separately from the farm. The parcels were re-joined in 1910 by James B. Colbert.]

The Chimneys 623 Caroline Street

Conceptual Drawing of The Town House

“The Chimneys” at the corner of Charlotte and Caroline streets was probably erected in the late 1760s by Charles Yates, who seemed to relish the role of builder.  It became the residence of John Glasell, a leading Scottish tobacco merchant Announcement of Concert and Ball by John Schneider.  On the Thirtieth of December, 1766, will be a CONCERT of MUSICK in Fredericksburg, for the Entertainment of all Gentlemen and Ladies, who will favour the Subscriber with their Company.  Several of the best Hands in Virginia will assist in the Concert, which will be compased as follows, vix. 3 Violins, 1 Tenor, 1 Bass, 2 Fluits, 1 Hautboy, 1 Horn, 1 Harpsichord.  The concert to begin precisely at Six o”Clock in the Evening.  A genteel Supper, and Liquor suitable for such an Occasion, will be prepared.  After Supper, a BALL, which will be free to all Encouragers of the above Scheme, as long as the ladies stay.  Tickets at 7p 6d, which may be had at Port Royal, Fredericksburg, Falmouth, and of the Subscriber. JOHN SCNHEIDER Transcription Virginia Gazette  December 1766.

Although it was a private and exclusive organization, the new Masonic lodge, founded by the Scottish merchants in Fredericksburg and Falmouth in 1752, had an important impact on the social scene.      Because the local gentry – Fielding Lewis, Charles Dick, and young George Washington among others – became early members, there was a cordial blending of the two cultures.     The affluent merchants were surely the originators and financiers of a meeting place to be built on the market lot.  By early 1758, they had launched a fundraising drive.      Although it was not an official building, the town trustees obviously approved.  George Washington, who was in town on January 28, gave his brother-in-law, Fielding Lewis, 5 pounds “for my subscription to build a {sic} market house at Fredericksburg.  This informative entry in his cash ledger shows that plans were well along.      The Masons began holding their meetings in the new building in 1763.  A concert and ball was advertised in the Virginia Gazette for December 1776 by John Schneider.  The occasion must have been a success for John Schneider repeated the event the following year.      Toward the end of the 18th century, to accommodate its dual purpose, the building was referred to as the Town Hall and Market House, as was its replacement built in 1816, still standing on Princess Anne Street.

An Unidentified Neighborhood: The School for the Children of Slaves      Between 1765 and 1770, there was a school in Fredericksburg for the children of slaves. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, a missionary organization in London headed by Dr. Thomas Bray, had been active in fostering such schools in Virginia.      The Rev. James Marye Jr., son of the minister of St. George's Parish was now a minister himself in neighboring Orange County and was working (unsuccessfully) to establish a school there. Feeling the need of such a school in his home county, where he estimated that there were as many as 1,000 black adults and as many more children, he approached Fielding Lewis.      At the young minister's urging, Lewis was enlisted in the movement, and with the assistance of the senior Rev. Marye,  opened a school in Fredericksburg in April 1765, modeled after one already established in Williamsburg.      The school was in a rented room or building, using books and supplies furnished by the London organization. There were sixteen students in attendance under the tutelage of a school mistress. The library contained books "against Swering[sic] & Gaming," and there was emphasis on religious training.  Within a few months, Lewis reported that the students "have improved beyond my expectation." But the slave owners were not supportive, removing students as soon as they could read "tolerably." Enrollment fell off, especially during planting season. By 1768, there were only nine pupils, and the number dropped to four in the summer.      Lewis visited the school regularly, but after another year, he reluctantly ended the effort. "A school will never succeed in a small town, as the number of Negroes are few and many believe that learning them to read is rather a disadvantage to the owner."     The site of this early school for African Americans in Fredericksburg is unknown.

The Upper Addition

At the other end of town, Fielding Lewis’ venture went more smoothly and profitably— this in spite of his inefficiency in executing the sales. There were many errors and omissions in his deeds, some of which he had to reconvey when the owners sold their lots.  Lewis had many friends at all levels, and both merchants and artisans were pleased to invest in his venture. His brother-in-law, Charles, barely of age and newly married, managed a purchase.  Lewis himself built a cottage at a most convenient corner for his mother-in-law, Mary Washington, although it was another decade before she agreed to leave the farm and live in town.  In all, Lewis grossed more than £1,000 in sales. He may have acquired more new neighbors than he bargained for. It was not too many years afterward, that he began planning for a new home that would place him just over the town line on his remaining 1,100 acres.

Charles Washington's House Now 1306 Caroline Street      In 1757, nineteen year old Charles Washington proposed to his cousin Mildred Thornton. This caused some turmoil in both families.      Mildred’s father Francis was deceased, and her mother requested some written assurance of her daughter’s future well being from the head of the Washington family. This was 25 year old  George Washington, now permanently residing at Mount Vernon, who viewed her request for a written contract as an aspersion on his “principles of conduct.”      Fielding Lewis, now his brother-in-law,  worked out an accommodation with John Thornton which satisfied both families —and George Washington. Thornton, Mildred’s uncle and the former manager and now owner of the deceased Col. John Lewis’ store, became  his niece’s legal guardian.      Lewis assumed  Washington’s obligation as titular head of the family by having himself named Samuel’s legal guardian. The wedding then proceeded in October.      In the summer of 1761, Charles was one of the first purchasers of the lots in Lewis’ addition. But the seller was Fielding’s older brother Warner Lewis from Gloucester County, who came here in August to record the transaction.      Warner may have been serving as an intermediary or donor, since Fielding had until recently been Charles’ guardian. As with many of Fielding Lewis’ lot sales, we are left to untangle  the confusion caused by missing deeds, incorrect  or undesignated lot numbers, and other errors. .      The house on Caroline Street, where Charles Washington lived until his move west to Jefferson County in 1780, was the scene of visits from many friends and relations, including his mother and George and Martha Washington.    Charles Washington’s home became a  late 18th century tavern, and in the 19th century it was known as The Rising Sun.      [Washington’s home is owned and administered by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. It is currently restored to its late 18th century use as a tavern, and  is open to the public. There is an admission fee.]

In 1768, James Mercer, a young lawyer,  moved to Fredericksburg and bought ten lots in Fielding Lewis’ new addition. He dubbed his new home “St. James” in honor of the street in Dublin, Ireland on which his family had lived.      Mercer was the son of the prominent and colorful, John Mercer, also a lawyer, who had many interests in the region. He was a special friend of Charles Dick. (They were brothers-in-law.)      James Mercer became a part of the Washington, Lewis, Thornton circle. In 1772, he married Charles Dick’s daughter, Eleanor.  He was Mary Washington’s closest neighbor and he wrote her will in 1788.      James Mercer was an active patriot serving in a variety of government positions. He was a member of Virginia’s Committee of Safety, the  executive council created by the Virginia conventions to guide the colony toward statehood and independence. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1779.      After the war, he became the first president of the Fredericksburg Academy.      [James Mercer’s home is owned and administered by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. It has been meticulously restored and furnished with antiques of the period. The house is open to the public on designated occasions.]

In 1761, George Washington came to Fredericksburg during June Fair and bought two lots from his brother-in-law, Fielding Lewis. The lots were at the corner of Charles and Lewis Streets in the new addition.      The two men clearly had in mind arranging for Mrs. Mary Washington, who now lived alone at the farm, to move to Fredericksburg to be near her daughter Betty.      Lewis had already started construction of a cottage on the lots (nos. 107 and 108). But Mrs. Washington proved disinclined to move.      Needing to recover his investment, Lewis then sold  the house and lots in October to Michael Robinson for £250.  A decade later, Mrs. Washington was ready to move at last, and Washington wrote that he had purchased “a commodious house, garden and Lotts (of her own choosing).”      It was the very same cottage that her son-in-law had built for her ten years earlier.      Mrs. Washington resided in the house until her death in 1789.      [The Mary Washington house is owned and administered by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. It is open to the public. There is an admission fee.]

Troubles Ahead

By the mid-1760s, troubles with the mother country were already brewing. Governor Dinwiddie had warned his superiors in England as early as 1759 that new taxes would meet with great resistance.  In 1765, there was a protest meeting at Leeds Town on the Rappahannock River against the hated stamp tax, and the new governor, Francis Fauquier, reported on "the present unhappy state of this colony."  "I have heard," he wrote, "that very indecent Language was used by a Mr. Henry a young Lawyer, who had not been a month a Member of the House."

Fauquier further warned that "the Colony is greatly indebted to Great Britain… which renders them uneasy, peevish, and ready to murmur at every Occurrence."  The customs records showed  that the  consumer goods being imported into the colony substantially exceeded the value of the colony's exports. "The private distress which every man feels,” Gov. Fauquier wrote, "encreases [sic] the general Dissatisfaction at the Duties laid by the late Stamp Act."

By 1767, the governor was pinning his hopes on the "cool old  members" in the Assembly, who he prayed would regain the lead in the house that they formerly had but lost to "the young hotheaded unexperienced members." (Patrick Henry was 31, and Richard Henry Lee was 32. Thomas Jefferson was a mere 24 and not yet on the scene.)

Though the decade of the 1770s were to prove tumultuous from beginning to end, these earlier years of tension seem to have bypassed Fredericksburg— Charles Washington and Lewis Willis were the only Fredericksburg participants at the Leeds Town protest against the stamp tax. Fredericksburg apparently was still absorbing the changes that had occurred during its most dynamic decade, with burgeoning growth and the new cultural scene at the Town House.

A further local preoccupation was a growing difference between the urban population and the rural southern conservatives. Three votes to divide St. George’s parish at the Po River were taken during the decade before the division was finally accomplished in April 1769.  It was a step that roused deeply felt emotions on both sides, for it was the first major political change for the county in nearly 40 years. But in the years ahead, Fredericksburg and the county  would unite in the patriotic fervor which led to war.