Rising Sun Tavern (Fredericksburg, Virginia)

Rising Sun Tavern

Rising Sun Tavern
Location 1304 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Coordinates 38°18′24″N 77°27′42″W / 38.30667°N 77.46167°W / 38.30667; -77.46167Coordinates: 38°18′24″N 77°27′42″W / 38.30667°N 77.46167°W / 38.30667; -77.46167
Built 1760
Part of Fredericksburg Historic District (#71001053)
NRHP Reference # 66000919
VLR # 111-0088
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHL January 29, 1964[2]
Designated CP September 22, 1971
Designated VLR September 9, 1969[3]

The Rising Sun Tavern is a historic building in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It was built in 1760 as a home by Charles Washington, younger brother of George Washington, and became a tavern in 1792.

History

This house, built by the younger brother of George Washington, was a popular stop for many, including John Marshall, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and John Paul Jones, among others, during the American Revolutionary War.[4] It was the site of George Washington's "great reception"[4] after the Battle of Yorktown. It was also the site of the first meeting of the Virginia Chapter of the Society of Cincinnati in 1783. The property was sold to Larkin Smith in 1791and in 1792 was bought by Colonel Gustav Wallace who turned the building into a tavern.

The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, which is now called Preservation Virginia, purchased the building in 1907 and it was given to the Fredericksburg Branch of that group to operate. In 1933, the Society of Cincinnati hosted a Sesquicentennial celebration on the property and presented Preservation Virginia with a bronze medal in appreciation of their preservation efforts.[4] The building is filled with period furnishings and stories of early life in Fredericksburg.[5] In mid-2012, Preservation Virginia signed an agreement passing ownership to the newly created "Washington Heritage Museums" group by 2013. The site continues to be open as a museum.

It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964[2] and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.[1][6][7]

No longer serving food and drink, "Tavern Wenches" and male "Indentured Servants" provide visitors with a lively interpretation of eighteenth-century tavern life. The site is open daily.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "Rising Sun Tavern". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  3. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Couture, Richard (1984). To Preserve and Protect. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 91. ISBN 0-917565-01-0.
  5. ↑ "Rising Sun Tavern". Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  6. ↑ Stephen Lissandrello (February 10, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Rising Sun Tavern" (pdf). National Park Service. and Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1969 (32 KB)
  7. ↑ Frank S. Melvin (June 30, 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Rising Sun Tavern" (pdf). National Park Service. (at Virginia DHR, with topographical map showing location)

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