Virginia - Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park
I am trying to visit a National Park Service property in every state. I take road trips, and plan my itinerary based on which NPS properties are on the way. I had been on a solo road trip of the eastern states, and was going to go through Virginia and the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park was on my way to Shenandoah so I stopped in.
The entire area around Fredericksburg is steeped in history on the Civil War. I visited Chatham Manor, which was built in the 1770s. During the Civil War, the Union Army took it over and used it as a base while they planned their attack on the Confederates that were lining up on the other side of the river. The history of Chatham as a Plantation included the use of over 100 slaves at a time. The grounds were up to 6000 acres. After about 150 years, the house was in disrepair, and a series of wealthy families owned it and renovated it. The last owner willed the home to the National Park Service.
After visiting this site, I ventured down to Fredericksburg Main Street. I walked past the home of Mary Washington (George's mom), and the Visitor Center has a short film on the history of Fredericksburg.
