APPENDIX D4

ARCHITECTURAL INTENSIVE INVESTIGATIONS

REPORT A
March 2018 

Architectural Intensive Investigations for the 

Washington, D.C. to Richmond Southeast High 

Speed Rail (DC2RVA) Project 

Report A 
Architectural Intensive Investigations for the Washington, D.C. 

to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail (DC2RVA) Project

(Report A)

DHR #2014-0666

by

Kerri S. Barile, Kristine A. Chase, Sean Maroney,

Adriana T. Moss, Danae Peckler, and Heather Dollins Staton 

Prepared for

Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

600 E. Main Street, Suite 2102 

Richmond, Virginia 23219 

Prepared by

DC2RVA Project Team

801 E. Main Street, Suite 1000 

Richmond, Virginia 23219 

March 2018 

Kerri S. Barile, Principal Investigator Date 

March 23, 2018
 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail i Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

ABSTRACT 

Dovetail Cultural Resource Group (Dovetail), as a member of the Washington, D.C. to Richmond 

Southeast High Speed Rail (DC2RVA) Project Team and on behalf of the Virginia Department of 

Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), conducted an intensive-level architectural survey of the 

DC2RVA Project. The proposed Project is being completed under the auspices of the Federal 

Railroad Administration (FRA) in conjunction with DRPT. Because of FRA’s involvement, the 

undertaking is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. The Project is being 

completed as Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) File Review #2014-0666. Dovetail 

and the DC2RVA Team completed 16 reports detailing the results of the reconnaissance-level 

survey and coordinated the results with the DHR between 2015 and 2017. 

Subsequent analysis included an investigation-level evaluation of architectural resources 

recommended potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) 

during the reconnaissance-level survey that are located within the Preferred Alternative of the 

DC2RVA Project. The goals of this investigation were to: first, document the architectural and 

landscape features of the properties; second, gather archival data on the properties; and third, 

examine the physical and historical information collected within the appropriate context(s) to 

properly evaluate each property under established criteria for the NRHP. The fourth goal of this 

investigation was to propose NRHP boundaries for any property should it be recommended 

eligible for listing. Work on this project was conducted in 2017 and 2018, in accordance with 

relevant state and federal regulations as part of the compliance process established in Section 106 

of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800). 

In total, the DC2RVA Project Team surveyed 54 historic architectural resources at the evaluation 

level, 13 of which are detailed in the current report (the remaining 42 resources will be presented 

in subsequent reports). Of those 13 resources, the DC2RVA Project Team is recommending that 

11 are individually eligible for listing in the NRHP (088-0254, 111-0009, 111-0009-0795, 111-0132-

0020, 111-0132-0025, 111-0132-0522, 111-0132-0704, 127-6792, 127-6793, 500-0001, and 500-0001-

0022) while two (111-0023 and 127-6840) are recommended not individually eligible. 
 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail ii Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................. i

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ ii

LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................... iv

LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................................... xii

1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1-1

1.1 Project Location .......................................................................................................................... 1-4

1.2 Project Description ..................................................................................................................... 1-6

2. METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................... 2-1

3. SURVEY RESULTS .................................................................................................................... 3-1

3.1 RF&P Bridge Over Occoquan River (500-0001-0022) ............................................................ 3-1

3.1.1 Historic Context ........................................................................................................... 3-3

3.1.1.1 Gustav Lindenthal ....................................................................................................... 3-6

3.1.1.2 Phoenix Bridge Company .......................................................................................... 3-6

3.2.1 Architectural Description ........................................................................................... 3-6

3.1.3 NRHP Evaluation ........................................................................................................ 3-9

3.2 Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge (111-0132-0025) ...................................................... 3-13

3.2.1 Historic Context ......................................................................................................... 3-13

3.2.1.1 John E. Greiner ........................................................................................................... 3-18

3.2.1.2 Reinforced Concrete Open Spandrel Arch ............................................................ 3-18

3.2.2 Architectural Description ......................................................................................... 3-19

3.2.3 NRHP Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 3-22

3.3 Dixon House (111-0023) .......................................................................................................... 3-25

3.3.1 Historic Context ......................................................................................................... 3-25

3.3.2 Architectural Description ......................................................................................... 3-31

3.3.3 NRHP Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 3-34

3.4 Fredericksburg Train Station (111-0132-0704) ..................................................................... 3-34

3.4.1 Historic Context ......................................................................................................... 3-34

3.4.2 Architectural Description ......................................................................................... 3-41
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D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail iii Architectural Intensive Survey 

3.4.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior ....................................................................................... 3-41

3.4.2.2 Primary Resource Interior ........................................................................................ 3-45

3.4.2.3 Secondary Resources ................................................................................................ 3-45

3.4.3 NRHP Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 3-47

3.5 Purina Tower Complex (111-0132-0020) ............................................................................... 3-51

3.5.1 Historic Context ......................................................................................................... 3-51

3.5.2 Architectural Description ......................................................................................... 3-58

3.5.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior ....................................................................................... 3-58

3.5.2.2 Primary Resources Interior ...................................................................................... 3-63

3.5.3 NRHP Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 3-66

3.6 George Aler House (111-0132-0522) ...................................................................................... 3-69

3.6.1 Historic Context ......................................................................................................... 3-69

3.6.2 Architectural Description ......................................................................................... 3-76

3.6.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior ....................................................................................... 3-76

3.6.1.2 Primary Resource Interior ........................................................................................ 3-79

3.6.3 NRHP Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 3-80

3.7 Pulliam’s Service Station (111-0009-0795) ............................................................................. 3-84

3.7.1 Historic Context ......................................................................................................... 3-84

3.7.2 Architectural Description ......................................................................................... 3-90

3.7.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior ....................................................................................... 3-90

3.7.2.2 Primary Resource Interior ........................................................................................ 3-93

3.7.2.3 Secondary Resources ................................................................................................ 3-93

3.7.3 NRHP Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 3-95

3.8 Fredericksburg Historic District Extension (111-0009) ....................................................... 3-98

3.8.1 Historic Context ......................................................................................................... 3-98

3.8.2 Architectural Description ....................................................................................... 3-103

3.8.3 NRHP Evaluation .................................................................................................... 3-110

3.9 Slaughter Pen Farm (088-0254) ............................................................................................. 3-113

3.9.1 Historic Context ....................................................................................................... 3-113

3.9.2 Architectural Description ....................................................................................... 3-118

3.9.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior ..................................................................................... 3-119

3.9.2.2 Secondary Resources .............................................................................................. 3-119

3.9.3 NRHP Evaluation .................................................................................................... 3-126
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D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail iv Architectural Intensive Survey 

3.10 The City of Richmond Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard (127-6840) ... 3-129

3.10.1 Historic Context ....................................................................................................... 3-131

3.10.2 Architectural Description ....................................................................................... 3-136

3.10.3 NRHP Evaluation .................................................................................................... 3-137

3.11 Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Segment (127-6793) ............................................................ 3-137

3.11.1 Historic Context ....................................................................................................... 3-137

3.11.2 Architectural Description ....................................................................................... 3-141

3.11.3 NRHP Evaluation .................................................................................................... 3-143

3.12 Southern Railway Segment (127-6792) ................................................................................ 3-145

3.12.1 Historic Context ....................................................................................................... 3-145

3.12.2 Architectural Description ....................................................................................... 3-152

3.12.3 NRHP Evaluation .................................................................................................... 3-154

3.13 Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac Railroad Historic District (500-0001).............. 3-156

3.13.1 Historic Context ....................................................................................................... 3-156

3.13.2 Architectural Description ....................................................................................... 3-163

3.13.3 NRHP Evaluation .................................................................................................... 3-166

4. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................... 4-1

5. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 5-1

APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES ..................................................................................................... A-1 

LIST OF FIGURES 

Figure 1-1: SEHSR Corridor .................................................................................................................. 1-3

Figure 1-2: DC2RVA Project Corridor .................................................................................................. 1-5

Figure 1-3: DC2RVA Project Corridor Showing Phase II Properties Within Current Report 

from North to South (Map 1 of 3) ................................................................................ 1-10

Figure 1-4: DC2RVA Project Corridor Showing Phase II Properties Within Current Report 

from North to South (Map 2 of 3) ................................................................................ 1-11

Figure 1-5: DC2RVA Project Corridor Showing Phase II Properties Within Current Report 

from North to South (Map 3 of 3) ................................................................................ 1-12

Figure 1-6: DC2RVA Project Corridor Showing 500-0001 ............................................................... 1-13

Figure 3-1 : Location of The RF&P Bridge Over the Occoquan River (500-0001-0022) ................. 3-2

Figure 3-2: Excerpt of Map of Prince William County, Virginia, 1901 ............................................ 3-4
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D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail v Architectural Intensive Survey 

Figure 3-3: View of the Bridge, CSXT Tracks Over Occoquan River in Background, Looking 

Northeast, After Agnes in 1972 ...................................................................................... 3-4

Figure 3-4: View of the Bridge, CSXT Tracks over Occoquan River on the Left of the Image, 

Looking South, After Agnes in 1972 .............................................................................. 3-5

Figure 3-5: A Pre-1981 Photograph Looking South Toward the Railroad Bridge ......................... 3-5

Figure 3-6: View of the West Elevation of the Bridge, Looking Southeast From 

Route 1 (Left); Looking Northeast From Route 1 (Right) ........................................... 3-7

Figure 3-7: Close-up of the Riveted Connections Along the Top Chords at the Northern 

Approach (Left); Close-up of One of the Poured Concrete Solid-Wall Piers, 

Looking Southeast (Right) .............................................................................................. 3-7

Figure 3-8: Sketch of a Pratt Through-Truss Bridge, Noting the Parts of a Truss ......................... 3-8

Figure 3-9: Sketch of a parker Truss Bridge ........................................................................................ 3-9

Figure 3-10: Sketch of a Through Camelback Truss Bridge .............................................................. 3-9

Figure 3-11: Proposed NRHP Boundaries of RF&P Bridge over 

Occoquan River (500-0001-0022) .................................................................................. 3-12

Figure 3-12: Location of the Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge (111-0132-0025) .................. 3-14

Figure 3-13: Confederate Soldiers Observe Union photographer Capt. Andrew Russell 

Across the Ruins of the Original Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge Prior 

to the 1863 Campaign Season ....................................................................................... 3-15

Figure 3-14: A 1924 Proposed Drawing of the Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge 

(Greiner and Company 1924): Overview (Top); Detail of Spans (Bottom) ............ 3-16

Figure 3-15: Photograph of the Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge Under Construction 

in 1926 (Blackwell 2016) ................................................................................................ 3-16

Figure 3-16: The Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge, Circa 1945 .............................................. 3-17

Figure 3-17: The Fredericksburg Train Station (111-0132-0704) Modified in the 1920s 

During RF&P Railroad Improvement Project ............................................................ 3-17

Figure 3-18: An Open Spandrel Rib Concrete Arch ......................................................................... 3-18

Figure 3-19: View of Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge, Looking Northwest from 

City Dock ......................................................................................................................... 3-20

Figure 3-20: Spandrel Detail, Looking Northwest ............................................................................ 3-20

Figure 3-21: Sophia Street Bridge, Looking Northwest (Left); Caroline Street Bridge, 

Looking Northwest (Right) ........................................................................................... 3-21

Figure 3-22: Princess Anne Street Bridge, Looking Southeast (Left); Charles Street Bridge, 

Looking Southeast (Right) ............................................................................................ 3-21

Figure 3-23: Proposed NRHP Boundaries for the Rappahannock River Railroad 

Bridge (111-0132-0025) ................................................................................................... 3-24

Figure 3-24: Former Location of the Dixon House (111-0023) ....................................................... 3-26
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D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail vi Architectural Intensive Survey 

Figure 3-25: MAS Insurance Policy Acquired by Anthony Buck in 1818 for the Original 

Dwelling on Lot 274 ....................................................................................................... 3-27

Figure 3-26: The Rear of the House at What Was Then Known as 401 Sophia Street 

During the Civil War ..................................................................................................... 3-28

Figure 3-27: The House at 401 Sophia Street in 1887 During the Jenkins’ Ownership ............... 3-29

Figure 3-28: The Property as Shown in the 1902 Sanborn Map ...................................................... 3-29

Figure 3-29: Circa 1913 Plat Showing the Proposed RF&P Rail Spur Snaking Around 

the House at 401 Sophia Street ..................................................................................... 3-30

Figure 3-30: The House at 401 Sophia Street Captured in 1938 During the WPA Project .......... 3-30

Figure 3-31: Primary (West) Elevation of the House as Photographed in the Summer of 

2015 Just Before Demolition .......................................................................................... 3-31

Figure 3-32: Southwest Oblique Captured in the Summer of 2015. ............................................... 3-32

Figure 3-33: The House During Demolition ...................................................................................... 3-32

Figure 3-34: Sample of Framing and Fasteners from the 1843 Core .............................................. 3-33

Figure 3-35: Former Location of the Dixon House, Looking East from the Intersection of 

Sophia and Frederick Streets ........................................................................................ 3-33

Figure 3-36: Location of the Fredericksburg Train Station (111-0132-0704) ................................. 3-35

Figure 3-37: Civil War Soldiers Sit on the End of the Rail Tracks in Fredericksburg 

Circa 1863 ........................................................................................................................ 3-36

Figure 3-38: Circa 1888 Fredericksburg Train Station ...................................................................... 3-37

Figure 3-39: Location of the 1850s and Later 1888 Depot in Relation to the Circa 1910 

Fredericksburg Train Station Location as Shown on an 1890 City Map ................ 3-38

Figure 3-40: New Station as it Appeared at its Opening in November 1910 ................................ 3-38

Figure 3-41: Renovations to the Fredericksburg Train Station in 1927 .......................................... 3-39

Figure 3-42: The Fredericksburg Train Station as Originally Designed (Top, Circa 1912) 

and After Renovations and Elevation of Tracks (Bottom, Circa 1927) ................... 3-40

Figure 3-43: Site Plan of the Fredericksburg Train Station (111-0132-0704) ................................. 3-42

Figure 3-44: Fredericksburg Train Station, Northwest Oblique ..................................................... 3-43

Figure 3-45: Fredericksburg Train Station (111-0132-0704), Northeast Oblique .......................... 3-43

Figure 3-46: Fredericksburg Train Station, Northwest Oblique of Circa-1927 West Wing ........ 3-44

Figure 3-47: Fredericksburg Train Station, Detail of Projecting Bay and Palladian 

Window on North Elevation ........................................................................................ 3-44

Figure 3-48: View of Dining Room, Looking East ............................................................................ 3-45

Figure 3-49: Northwest Oblique at Left and East Elevation of Freight Tower ............................. 3-46

Figure 3-50: Northwest Oblique of Passenger Waiting Station ...................................................... 3-47
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D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail vii Architectural Intensive Survey 

FIGURE 3-51: NRHP Boundary Map for the Fredericksburg Train Station (111-0132-0704) .... 3-50

Figure 3-52: Location of Purina Tower Complex (111-0132-0020) ................................................. 3-52

Figure 3-53: The Location of Present-day 314-316 Frederick Street as Shown on a Map of 

Lower Fredericksburg in 1768 ...................................................................................... 3-53

Figure 3-54: Property Associated with Present-day 401 Charles Street as Shown on an 

1886 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map ................................................................................ 3-53

Figure 3-55: Property Associated with Present-Day 401 Charles Street as Shown on a 

1919 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map ................................................................................ 3-54

Figure 3-56: 401 Charles Street Property Shown on a 1927 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map .......... 3-55

Figure 3-57: Hall Family Walking to Church on Lafayette Boulevard in 1949 ............................ 3-56

Figure 3-58: 401 Charles Street as Shown on a 1941 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map ...................... 3-57

Figure 3-59: Site Plan of 401 Charles Street (111-0132-0020), Fredericksburg, Virginia, as 

Shown on a 2014 Aerial Photograph ........................................................................... 3-58

Figure 3-60: Southeast Oblique View of Purina Tower Complex .................................................. 3-59

Figure 3-61: Southwest Oblique View of Purina Tower Complex ................................................. 3-60

Figure 3-62: Northeast Oblique View of Purina Tower Complex .................................................. 3-60

Figure 3-63: West Elevation of the One-story Addition on West Elevation of Warehouse 

Block at Purina Tower Complex .................................................................................. 3-61

Figure 3-64: Detail View of Metal Casement Window .................................................................... 3-62

Figure 3-65: Close-up View of Grain Elevator Roof and Cupola of Purina Tower ..................... 3-63

Figure 3-66: View of Office Spaces in Warehouse, Looking North ................................................ 3-64

Figure 3-67: View of Office Spaces in Warehouse, Looking South ................................................ 3-65

Figure 3-68: Interior of Warehouse Space, Looking South .............................................................. 3-65

Figure 3-69: Interior of Grain Elevator Tower, Looking West-Northwest .................................... 3-66

Figure 3-70: Part of the Original Machinery in the Grain Elevator ................................................ 3-66

Figure 3-71: NRHP Boundaries for Purina Tower (111-0132-0020) ............................................... 3-68

FIGURE 3-72: Location of George Aler House (1121-0132-0522) ................................................... 3-70

Figure 3-73: The Location of Present-day 314–316 Frederick Street Shown on a Map of 

Lower Fredericksburg in 1768. ..................................................................................... 3-71

Figure 3-74: Sketch Map Recorded on a Mutual Assurance Policy (#25) Issued to William 

Harvey in 1796 Depicting a Two-story, Wood-frame Dwelling on a Portion 

of City Lot 219 (Present-day 310 Frederick Street) .................................................... 3-71

Figure 3-75: Dwelling at Present-Day 314–316 Frederick Street Shown on an 1886 Sanborn 

Fire Insurance Map ........................................................................................................ 3-74

Figure 3-76: George Aler House, 314–316 Frederick Street Shown on a 1902 Sanborn Fire 

Insurance Map ................................................................................................................ 3-74
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D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail viii Architectural Intensive Survey 

Figure 3-77: George Aler House, 314-316 Frederick Street Shown on a 1941 Sanborn Fire 

Insurance Map ................................................................................................................ 3-75

Figure 3-78: Northeast Oblique View of 314-316 Frederick Street Taken in 1958 ........................ 3-76

Figure 3-79: 1949 Photo Showing Rear (South) Elevation of 316 Frederick Street, Looking 

North Along Charles Street (Strobel 2015) ................................................................. 3-76

Figure 3-80: Site Plan of George Aler House, 314–316 Frederick Street (1121-0132-0522) .......... 3-77

Figure 3-81: Primary (North) Elevation of George Aler House, 314–316 Frederick Street ......... 3-78

Figure 3-82: First Floor Living Room and Brick Fireplace on the East Wall, 

Looking Northeast ......................................................................................................... 3-79

Figure 3-83: Staircase on West Wall of First Floor Living Room, Looking Southwest (Top); 

Overview of Kitchen and Brick Fireplace in Southeast Corner, Looking Southeast 

(Middle); South Bedroom on Second Floor, Looking Northwest (Bottom) ........... 3-81

Figure 3-84: NRHP Boundary for George Aler House (111-0132-0522) ........................................ 3-83

Figure 3-85: Location of Pulliam’s Service Station (111-0009-0795) ............................................... 3-85

Figure 3-86: The 411 Lafayette Boulevard Lot Shown on a 1927 Sanford Fire 

Insurance Map ................................................................................................................ 3-86

Figure 3-87: 1938 Photograph of 411 Lafayette Boulevard, Looking West ................................... 3-86

Figure 3-89: Former “House-Style” Gas Station at 100 William Street .......................................... 3-88

Figure 3-90: The 411 Lafayette Boulevard Property Shown on a 1941 Sanborn Fire 

Insurance Map ................................................................................................................ 3-88

Figure 3-91: Early-Twentieth Century Photo of Horton's Esso Filling Station and Dining 

Room (301 Lafayette Boulevard) .................................................................................. 3-89

Figure 3-92: Site Plan of Pulliam’s Service Station (111-0009-0795) ............................................... 3-91

Figure 3-93: Primary (South) Elevation of the Former Filling Station at 

411 Lafayette Boulevard ................................................................................................ 3-92

Figure 3-94: Southeast Oblique View of the Former Filling Station at 

411 Lafayette Boulevard ................................................................................................ 3-92

Figure 3-95: One-story, Concrete-Block Rear (North) Addition ..................................................... 3-93

Figure 3-96: Southeast Oblique View of the Circa-1940, One-Story Garage ................................. 3-94

Figure 3-97: Southeast Oblique of the Circa-1950 Service Garage ................................................. 3-94

Figure 3-98: Two Early Twentieth Century, Mission Revival-styled Gas Stations in 

Warrenton (Left) and Winchester (Right) ................................................................... 3-95

Figure 3-99: NRHP Boundaries of Pullium’s Service Station (111-0009-0795) ............................. 3-97

Figure 3-100: Location of the Fredericksburg Historic District Extension (111-0009) ................. 3-99

Figure 3-101: Location of the Fredericksburg Historic District Extension (111-0009) in 

Relation to other NRHP-Listed Historic Districts in Fredericksburg ................... 3-100
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D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail ix Architectural Intensive Survey 

Figure 3-102: View of Hanover Street Corridor and Marye’s Heights (Rear) During the 

Civil War, Looking West ............................................................................................. 3-101

Figure 3-103: Map of Subdivision Development in Southern Portion of the Historic 

District Extension Area ................................................................................................ 3-103

Figure 3-104: 1794 Federal Hill Dwelling at 504 Hanover Street (111-0030) ............................... 3-104

Figure 3-105: South Elevation of the 1828 Federal-Style Rowe House at 

801 Hanover Street (111-0107) .................................................................................... 3-105

Figure 3-106: Southwest Oblique of Italianate-Style Dwelling at 601 Spottswood Street ........ 3-105

Figure 3-107: View of Queen Anne-style Dwellings on the Southwest Corner of 

Lewis and Winchester Streets, Looking Southeast .................................................. 3-106

Figure 3-108: View of Several Foursquare Houses Along the 800 Block of 

Charlotte Street, Looking East .................................................................................... 3-106

Figure 3-109: Turn-of-the-Century, Vernacular Worker Housing at 602 and 604 George 

Street, Looking East. Block of George Street, Looking Southeast ......................... 3-107

Figure 3-110: Primary (North) Elevation of a 1935 Colonial Revival-Styled, Cape Cod 

Dwelling at 529 George Street (Left) and Southeast Oblique View of 

1920 Dutch Colonial Revival Dwelling at 810 Hanover Street (Right) ................. 3-107

Figure 3-111: South Elevations of a 1940 Craftsman Bungalow at 907 William Street (Left) 

and a 1946 Colonial-Revival-Styled Cape Cod Home at 

905 William Street (Right) ........................................................................................... 3-108

Figure 3-112: East Elevation of a Tudor Revival-Styled Dwelling at 914 Hanover Street ........ 3-108

Figure 3-113: Southwest Oblique of a Former 1930s Filling Station (Pulliams Auto) at 

401 Lafayette Boulevard (111-0009-0795) (Left) and Southwest Oblique 

View of Mr. Dee’s Restaurant at 701 Lafayette Boulevard (Right) ....................... 3-109

Figure 3-114: East Elevation of the Matthew Fontaine Maury School at 

900 Barton Street (111-0009-0014)............................................................................... 3-109

Figure 3-115: North Elevation of the Fairview Baptist Church at 900 Charlotte Street 

(Built 1925) (Left) and South Elevation of Church at 821–823 Lafayette 

Boulevard (Built 1930) (Right) .................................................................................... 3-109

Figure 3-116: Overview of Apartments at Cobblestone Square at 627 Cobblestone Circle, 

Looking East ................................................................................................................. 3-110

Figure 3-117: NRHP Boundaries for the Fredericksburg Historic District (111-0009) .............. 3-112

Figure 3-118: Location of Slaughter Pen Farm (088-0254) ............................................................. 3-114

Figure 3-119: Location of Slaughter Pen Farm as Shown on a Circa-1860s Map of 

Spotsylvania County .................................................................................................... 3-115

Figure 3-120: Plan Map of the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 13, 1862 

with Structure on Slaughter Pen Tract ...................................................................... 3-116

Figure 3-121: 1893 Plat Map of 1,141.66-Acre Bernard Estate ....................................................... 3-117
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D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail x Architectural Intensive Survey 

Figure 3-122: Site Plan for Slaughter Pen Farm (088-0254) ........................................................... 3-120

Figure 3-123: Slaughter Pen Farm, View of Façade or Northeast Elevation ............................... 3-121

Figure 3-124: Slaughter Pen Farm, Rear or Southwest Elevation ................................................. 3-121

Figure 3-125: Slaughter Pen Farm, View of Domestic Outbuildings Looking Northeast ......... 3-122

Figure 3-126: Slaughter Pen Farm, South Oblique of Cold Storage Shed ................................... 3-122

Figure 3-127: Slaughter Pen Farm, East Oblique of Granary (Top); Slaughter Pen Farm, 

Southwest Elevation of Granary (Bottom) ................................................................ 3-123

Figure 3-128: Slaughter Pen Farm, Southeast Elevation of Barn .................................................. 3-124

Figure 3-129: View of Central Aisle and Feedway at Right in Barn Looking Southeast .......... 3-125

Figure 3-130: Northeast or Rear Elevation of Tenant House ........................................................ 3-125

Figure 3-131: View of Ditch Fence and Fields Crossed by General John Gibbon’s 

Union Troops During the Battle of Fredericksburg, Looking Northeast 

from Driveway ............................................................................................................. 3-126

Figure 3-132: Slaughter Pen Farm (088-0254), View Across Fields Towards RF&P 

Railroad and Jackson’s Confederate Troops During the Battle of 

Fredericksburg, Looking Southwest along Driveway ............................................ 3-126

Figure 3-133: NRHP Boundaries of Slaughter Pen Farm (088-0254) ............................................ 3-128

Figure 3-134: Lot of the Former City of Richmond Department of Public Works 

Maintenance Yard (127-6840), Looking South from Avenue of Champions ....... 3-129

Figure 3-135: Location of The City of Richmond Department of Public Works 

Maintenance Yard (127-6840) ..................................................................................... 3-130

Figure 3-136: City of Richmond Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard 

in 2016 (Top) and in 2017 After Demolition (Bottom) ............................................. 3-131

Figure 3-137: 1895 USGS 15-Minute Topographic Map of Richmond, Virginia ........................ 3-132

Figure 3-138: Announcement of the Construction of the Railroads to the New 

State Fair Site ................................................................................................................. 3-133

Figure 3-139: Advertisement for the 1912 Virginia State Fair ....................................................... 3-133

Figure 3-140: 1934 7.5-Minute USGS Topographic Map ............................................................... 3-134

Figure 3-141: City of Richmond Department Public Works Buildings Along 

Hermitage Road in 1950 .............................................................................................. 3-135

Figure 3-142: Detail of the City of Richmond Department Of Public Works Maintenance 

Yard At 2728 Hermitage Road In 1950 ...................................................................... 3-135

Figure 3-143: 1974 Aerial Map (Right) ............................................................................................. 3-136

Figure 3-144 : Location of the C&O Railroad Segment (127-6793) ............................................... 3-138

Figure 3-145: Circa-1860 Map of Virginia Central West of the Blue Ridge Mountains ............. 3-139
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D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail xi Architectural Intensive Survey 

Figure 3-146: The New C&O Locomotive “Edward Randolph” Before Going 

into Service, 1935. ......................................................................................................... 3-140

Figure 3-147: CSXT Engine and Rolling Stock, circa-1980 (CSXT 2017) ...................................... 3-141

Figure 3-148: A C&O Elevated Steel-Plate-Girder Bridge at South 14th Street, 

Richmond, VA, Looking Southwest .......................................................................... 3-142

Figure 3-149: Elevated Substructure of the Rail line in Richmond, Looking West 

from the Virginia Capital Trail ................................................................................... 3-142

Figure 3-150: Proposed NRHP Boundaries for the C&O Railroad Segment (127-6793) ........... 3-144

Figure 3-151: Location of the Southern Railway Segment (127-6792) ......................................... 3-146

Figure 3-152: Excerpt of a Map of Virginia, Showing the R&D Railroad in Red ....................... 3-147

Figure 3-153: Circa-1863 Map of Richmond, Virginia, Showing the R&D Railroad ................. 3-147

Figure 3-154: Section of O&A Railroad in Manassas ..................................................................... 3-148

Figure 3-155: An advertisement for the Piedmont Air-Line System, 1882 ................................. 3-148

Figure 3-156: Map of the Southern Railway and its Connections, 1896 ...................................... 3-149

Figure 3-157: The Triple Crossing in Richmond with the C&O Railway on the Top, 

the SAL in the Middle, and the Southern Railway Segment on the 

Ground (Left); A Southern Railway Company advertisement 

from 1924 (Right) .......................................................................................................... 3-150

Figure 3-158: Southern Railway Company System Map, 1921 ..................................................... 3-150

Figure 3-159: A 1962 Map of the Southern Railway Company’s network .................................. 3-151

Figure 3-160: Norfolk Southern Train Crosses the James River South of 

Richmond, Virginia ...................................................................................................... 3-152

Figure 3-161: Norfolk-Southern Railroad Steel-Plate Pony Truss Bridge in Richmond, 

Looking Southwest Toward a Through Truss (left); View of Southern 

Railway Segment’s One Track, Looking Southwest (Right) .................................. 3-153

Figure 3-162: View of the Through Truss Bridge Carrying the Southern Railway Segment 

Across the James River, Looking Southeast (Left); View of the James River 

Bridge Carrying the Southern Railway Segment, Looking Northeast (Right) .... 3-153

Figure 3-163: Proposed NRHP Boundaries for the Southern Railway Segment (127-6792) ..... 3-155

Figure 3-164 : Location of the RF&P Railroad Historic District (500-0001) ................................. 3-157

Figure 3-165: Map Depicting the Length of the RF&P Railroad from Richmond to 

Washington, D.C. ......................................................................................................... 3-158

Figure 3-166: Map of 1835 Plans for South End of RF&P Railroad .............................................. 3-159

Figure 3-167: Sketch of a RF&P Train Leaving the 8th and Broad Street Station ........................ 3-159

Figure 3-168: Ruins of North Anna River Bridge, May 25, 1864 by 

Timothy H. O’Sullivan ................................................................................................ 3-159

Figure 3-169: Aerial View of Potomac Yard Circa-1945 ................................................................ 3-161
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail xii Architectural Intensive Survey 

Figure 3-170: Interstate 95 in Richmond, 1958 ................................................................................ 3-162

Figure 3-171: An RF&P Freight Train in Ashland Circa-1970, After Passenger Service was 

Discontinued ................................................................................................................. 3-162

Figure 3-172: The Circa-1945 Aquia Creek Bridge (500-0001-0028) ............................................. 3-163

Figure 3-173: View of the RF&P Railroad Crossing at Paige Road in Woodford, 

Looking West ................................................................................................................ 3-164

Figure 3-174: View of the Elevated Track of Charles Street Bridge in Fredericksburg, 

Part of the Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge (111-0132-0025) ...................... 3-164

Figure 3-175: A Railroad Bridge Over the North Anna River (042-0731), North Oblique 

(Left); A Railroad Culvert Over a Stream Near Lorton Market Road 

(500-0001-0019), Looking East (Right) ....................................................................... 3-165

Figure 3-176: A Railroad Culvert West of Dabney Road, Used to Allow Livestock to 

Pass (500-0001-0023), Looking West (Left); Bridge at Taylorsville Road 

(042-5306), Looking East (Right) ................................................................................ 3-165

Figure 3-177: Proposed NRHP Boundaries for the RF&P Railroad Historic 

District (500-0001) ......................................................................................................... 3-167

LIST OF TABLES 

Table 1-1: Table of Architectural Resources Along the Preferred Alternative that are 

Subject to Intensive-Level Investigations as a Part of the DC2RVA Project ........... 1-7

Table 4-1: Table of Summary and Recommendations of the Architectural Resources 

Presented in the Current Report .................................................................................... 4-1

Table A-1: Chain of Title for Dixon house (111-0023), City of Fredericksburg, Virginia ............. A-2

Table A-2: Chain of Title for the Fredericksburg Train Station (111-0132-0704), City of 

Fredericksburg, Virginia ................................................................................................ A-3

Table A-3: Chain of Title for the Purina Tower (111-0132-0020), 

City of Fredericksburg, Virginia ................................................................................... A-4

Table A-4: Chain of Title for George Aler House (111-0132-0522), 

City of Fredericksburg, Virginia ................................................................................... A-7

Table A-5: Chain of Title for Pulliam’s Service Station (111-0009-0795), 

City of Fredericksburg, Virginia ................................................................................. A-11

Table A-6: Chain of Title for Slaughter Pen Farm (088-0254), 

Spotsylvania County, Virginia .................................................................................... A-12
D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 1-1 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

INTRODUCTION 

Dovetail Cultural Resource Group (Dovetail), on behalf of the Virginia Department of Rail and 

Public Transportation (DRPT), conducted an intensive-level architectural survey of resources 

along the Preferred Alternative of the Washington, D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 

(DC2RVA) Project. The proposed Project is being completed under the auspices of the Federal 

Railroad Administration (FRA) in conjunction with DRPT. Because of FRA’s involvement, the 

undertaking is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. The Project is being 

completed as Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) File Review #2014-0666. 

The FRA and DRPT propose passenger rail service and rail infrastructure improvements in the 

north-south travel corridor between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. These passenger rail 

service and rail infrastructure improvements are collectively known as the DC2RVA Project. The 

Project will deliver higher speed passenger rail service, increase passenger and freight rail 

capacity, and improve passenger rail service frequency and reliability in a corridor shared by 

growing volumes of passenger, commuter, and freight rail traffic, thereby providing a 

competitive option for travelers going between Washington, D.C. and Richmond and those 

traveling to and from adjacent connecting corridors. The Project is part of the larger Southeast 

High Speed Rail (SEHSR) corridor (Figure 1-1), which extends from Washington, D.C. through 

Richmond, VA; and from Richmond continues east to Hampton Roads (Norfolk), VA and south 

to Raleigh, NC; and Charlotte, NC, and then continues west to Atlanta, GA, and south to Florida. 

The Project connects to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) Northeast 

Corridor (NEC) at Union Station in Washington, D.C. 

The purpose of the SEHSR program, as stated in the 2002 Tier I Final Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) completed for the full SEHSR corridor, is to provide a competitive transportation 

choice to travelers within the Washington, D.C. to Charlotte travel corridor. The purpose of the 

current Washington, D.C. to Richmond SEHSR project described here is to fulfill the purpose of 

the SEHSR Tier I EIS within this segment of the larger SEHSR corridor. The Project, by increasing 

rail capacity and improving travel times between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, will improve 

passenger train frequency, performance and reliability in the corridor, enabling intercity 

passenger rail to be a competitive transportation choice for travelers between Washington, D.C. 

and Richmond and beyond. 

Given FRA’s funding involvement and permitting through various other federal agencies, the 

DC2RVA project is required to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 

of 1966, as amended, and the Act’s implementing regulations under 36CFR800. Additionally, all 

cultural resource work was designed by DRPT and Dovetail to comply with the Virginia 

Antiquities Act (Code of Virginia § 10.1-2300) and guidelines and regulations promulgated by 

the DHR as necessary. 

1 
INTRODUCTION 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 1-2 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Previous Project studies included a reconnaissance survey of all alternatives under consideration, 

completed between 2015 and 2017. In September 2017, a DRPT-recommended Preferred 

Alternative was presented in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). DRPT’s 

recommended Preferred Alternative was approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board 

for recommendation to FRA in December 2017. Intensive-level architectural studies were 

therefore completed for all above-ground resources determined to be potentially eligible by the 

DHR within the area of potential effects (APE) of the Commonwealth’s recommended Preferred 

Alternative. The current report focuses on the results of the intensive-level investigations 

completed by Dovetail on 13 of the 54 architectural resources that comply with these study 

parameters, organized in the body of this report in geographical order from north to south. The 

remainder of the resources will be detailed in separate reports (Table 1-1). 
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Centralia !(

Atlanta

Raleigh

Columbia

Richmond

Charlotte

Jacksonville

Washington D.C.

Cary

Jesup

Taccoa

Durham

Denmark

Savannah

Gastonia

Salisbury

Greensboro

Burlington

Petersburg

Gainesville

Spartansburg

Hampton Roads

Fredericksburg

Kannapolis

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Overview of the

SEHSR Corridor

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

[ 0 40 80

Miles

Basemap Source: 2014

ESRI World Light Gray Base

Figure 1-1

1 inch=80 miles

@ 8.5 x 11 inches

Southeast High

Speed Rail (SEHSR)

Segment Status

Charlotte to

Atlanta

Tier I EIS

Washington

D.C. to

Richmond

Tier II EIS

Richmond to

Raleigh

Tier II EIS

Raleigh to

Charlotte

Richmond to

Hampton

Roads

Tier I EIS

SEHSR

Extended

Feasibility Studies

Complete
INTRODUCTION 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 1-4 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

1.1 PROJECT LOCATION 

The Washington, D.C. to Richmond corridor spans approximately 123 miles along the existing 

rail corridor owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) between Control Point RO (milepost [MP] 

CFP 110) in Arlington, VA, to the CSXT A-Line and S-Line junction at MP A-11 in Centralia, VA 

(Chesterfield County) (Figure 1-2). For the purposes of conceptual engineering and 

environmental planning, the DC2RVA corridor has been subdivided into 6 Areas that correspond 

with improvements and alternatives, and as such have been named and numbered from north to 

south (Figure 1-2). At the northern terminus in Arlington, VA, the Project limit for infrastructure 

improvements ends at the southern approach to Long Bridge, a double-track rail bridge taking 

the rail corridor over the Potomac River; however, the northern terminus of Union Station in 

Washington, D.C. is used for ridership and revenue forecasting, as well as service development 

planning within the Project corridor. The southern terminus in Centralia is the junction of two 

CSXT routes that begin in Richmond and rejoin approximately 11 miles south of the city. 

Proposed improvements are along CSXT-owned track and right-of-way, generally parallel to the 

I-95 corridor between northern Virginia and Richmond. From north to south, the project travels 

through the following counties and cities: 

 Arlington County 

 City of Alexandria 

 Fairfax County 

 Prince William County 

 Stafford County 

 City of Fredericksburg 

 Spotsylvania County 

 Caroline County 

 Hanover County 

 Henrico County 

 City of Richmond 

 Chesterfield County 

In Arlington, the Project connects to existing CSXT track extending across the Potomac River on 

the Long Bridge into Washington, D.C. and Union Station, the southern terminus of Amtrak’s 

Northeast Corridor (NEC). At Centralia, the Project connects to both the Richmond to Raleigh 

segment of the SEHSR corridor and the Richmond to Hampton Roads segment of the SEHSR 

corridor. 

The Washington, D.C. to Richmond segment is an integral part of the overall Washington, D.C. 

to Charlotte SEHSR corridor and provides a critical link between high speed intercity passenger 

service from Boston to Washington, D.C. and the southeastern United States. 

 
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Legend

Area 1: Arlington (Long

Bridge Approach)

(CFP 110 - CFP 109.3)

Area 2: Northern

Virginia

(CFP 109.3 - CFP 62)

Area 3: Fredericksburg

(CFP 62 - CFP 48)

Area 4: Central Virginia

(CFP 48 - CFP 19)

Area 5: Ashland

(CFP 19 - CFP 9)

Area 6: Richmond

(CFP 9 - A 011)

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2015 USGS

Topographic Map

Figure 1-2

DC2RVA Project Areas of

the Preferred Alternative

[ 0 5 10

Miles

0 10 20

Kilometers

FAIRFAX

COUNTY

PRINCE WILLIAM

COUNTY

STAFFORD

COUNTY

SPOTSYLVANIA

COUNTY

CAROLINE

COUNTY

HANOVER

COUNTY

HENRICO

COUNTY

Richmond

CHESTERFIELD

COUNTY

Town of 

Ashland

Arlington

MARYLAND

WASHINGTON, D.C.

CFP 110

CFP 109.3

CFP 062

CFP 048

CFP 019

CFP 009

A 011

Potomac River
INTRODUCTION 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 1-6 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

1.2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 

The DC2RVA project will include specific rail infrastructure improvements and service upgrades 

intended to improve the travel time, service frequency, and on-time performance of passenger 

trains operating between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. Specific improvements to the 

existing rail infrastructure between Arlington, VA, and Centralia, VA include: 

 Corridor-wide upgrades to existing track and signal systems to achieve higher operating 

speeds, including curve realignments, higher-speed crossovers between tracks, passing 

sidings, and grade crossing improvements. 

 Corridor-wide improvements to train operating capacity to achieve higher passenger 

train service frequency and reliability, including an additional main track along most of 

the corridor, and additional controlled sidings, crossovers, yard bypasses and leads, and 

other capacity and reliability improvements at certain locations. 

 Station and platform improvements for Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) 

stations. 

The Tier II EIS being completed for the Project will assess the environmental impacts of these 

improvements and identify ways to avoid, minimize, or otherwise mitigate such impacts. 

Studies in support of the Project address passenger and freight rail operations and service 

between Union Station in Washington, D.C. and Richmond and beyond, but the Project does not 

include physical improvements to the Long Bridge across the Potomac River or to rail 

infrastructure within Washington, D.C. Other projects will address improvements to the rail 

infrastructure north of Arlington and south of Centralia along the SEHSR corridor. 

1.3 CURRENT STUDY 

The DC2RVA Team has been conducting reconnaissance-level architectural studies for the entire 

123-mile DC2RVA corridor since December 2014. To date, the findings have been detailed in 16 

reports. Between January 29, 2016 and March 1, 2017, DHR concurred with the DC2RVA team’s 

recommendations on these 16 reports. In addition, subsequent reconnaissance-level architectural 

studies are ongoing in areas where the limits of disturbance have been modified since the original 

work, and the preliminary results have been shared by the DHR to solicit feedback. Through all 

efforts, the DHR has determined that 54 resources are individually potentially eligible for the 

NRHP within the Commonwealth’s recommended Preferred Alternative. As such, the DC2RVA 

team is currently completing intensive-level surveys on those 54 properties (Table 1-1). This 

report includes the results of the intensive-level investigations on 13 of the 54 resources (Report 

A). The remaining 41 resources will be presented in two subsequent reports (Report B and Report 

C) (Figure1-3 through 1-6). 

Documentation and research for this project were conducted by Dovetail in accordance with 

relevant state and federal guidelines as part of the compliance process established in Section 106 

of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800). Fieldwork and 

archival research was completed between March 2017 and February 2018. During this period, 

DHR records were consulted and various municipal and private repositories, including land and 

tax records, as well as historical and genealogical societies were visited. A background literature 

and records review of the architectural APE at the DHR was conducted as part of the 
INTRODUCTION 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 1-7 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

reconnaissance survey completed during the previous architectural studies for the Project (e.g., 

Anderson and Staton 2016; Staton and Lesiuk 2015). 

TABLE 1-1: TABLE OF ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES ALONG THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE 

THAT ARE SUBJECT TO INTENSIVE-LEVEL INVESTIGATIONS AS A PART OF THE 

DC2RVA PROJECT 

DC2RVA 

Corridor 

Area 

DHR ID Name/ Description City/ County 

2 029-5741 Hannah P. Clark House/ Enyedi House, 10605 

Furnace Road Fairfax County 

2 100-0277 Phoenix Mill, 3642 Wheeler Avenue City of Alexandria 

2 100-5341 East Rosemont Historic District City of Alexandria 

2 500-0001-0022 RF&P Bridge over Occoquan River Prince William County 

3 111-0009 Fredericksburg Historic District Extension City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0009-0795 Pulliam's Service Station, 411 Lafayette Boulevard City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0013/ 111-0132-

0508 Chancellor House, 300 Caroline Street City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0023 Dixon House, 401–403 Sophia Street City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0038/ 111-0132-

0509 

Hackley-Monroe House/ James Monroe House/ 

Joseph Jones House, 301 Caroline Street City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0067/ 111-0132-

0505 

Dr. Charles Mortimer House, House, 213 Caroline 

Street City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0132-0020 Purina Tower Complex, 401–403 Charles Street City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0132-0025 Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0132-0147 Shiloh Baptist Church New Site, 521 Princess Anne 

Street City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0132-0458 Robert Adams Residence, 528 Caroline Street City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0132-0507 Dr. Charles Mortimer House, 216 Caroline Street City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0132-0522 George Aler House/Duplex, 314–316 Frederick 

Street City of Fredericksburg 

3 111-0132-0704 Fredericksburg Train Station, 200 Lafayette Boulevard City of Fredericksburg 

3 088-0254 Slaughter Pen Farm, 11232 Tidewater Trail Spotsylvania County 

4 016-0092 Jackson Shrine, 12019 Stonewall Jackson Road Caroline County 

4 016-5129 Woodford Historic District Caroline County 

4 016-0222 Woodford Freight & Passenger Depot, Woodford 

Road Caroline County 

4 016-0223 First Woodford Post Office, Lake Farm Road Caroline County 

4 016-0224 Glenwood House, 11102 Woodford Road Caroline County 
INTRODUCTION 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 1-8 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

TABLE 1-1: TABLE OF ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES ALONG THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE 

THAT ARE SUBJECT TO INTENSIVE-LEVEL INVESTIGATIONS AS A PART OF THE 

DC2RVA PROJECT 

4 016-5136 Milford Historic District Caroline County 

4 016-0270 Milford State Bank, 15461 Antioch Road Caroline County 

4 016-0286 Coghill-Jeter Store and House/ Coleman's Store, 

22275 Penola Road Caroline County 

4 016-5165 Excelsior Industry of Caroline County Historic 

District Caroline County 

4 042-0093/ 042-5466 Doswell Depot and Tower, 10577 Doswell Road Hanover County 

4 042-0468 Doswell Inn, 10567 Doswell Road Hanover County 

4 042-0469 Tri-County Bank-Doswell Branch, 10561 Doswell 

Road Hanover County 

4 042-0470 Darnell Store, 10570 Doswell Road Hanover County 

4 042-5448 Doswell Historic District Hanover County 

5 042-0113 Charles Gwathmey House, 11247 Gwathmey Church 

Road Hanover County 

5 042-0420 Sinton House, 12081 Holly Oaks Lane Hanover County 

5 042-0557 Farmstead/ Dry Bridge, 10411 Old Bridge Road Hanover County 

5 042-5048 Elmont Historic District Hanover County 

5 166-0033 Elk's Lodge, 616 Henry Street Hanover County 

5 166-5073 Berkleytown Historic District Hanover County 

5 166-5073-0010 Dabney Funeral Home, 600 B Street Hanover County 

5 166-5073-0024 Hanover County School Board, 200 Berkley Street Hanover County 

5 043-0693 Mill Road Historic District Henrico County 

5 043-0694 Hunton Treasures, 11701 Greenwood Road Henrico County 

6 043-0292-0001 Robert Stiles Building/ Main Building of the Laurel 

Industrial School, 2900 Hungary Road Henrico County 

6 043-5636 RF&P Paint Shop, 2260 Dabney Road Henrico County 

6 127-0197 Philip Morris Leaf Storage Warehouse, 1717-1721 

East Cary Street City of Richmond 

6 127-0344-0102 Loving's Produce Company, 1601–1605 East Grace 

Street City of Richmond 

6 127-0344-0123 Railroad Youth Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), 

1552 East Main Street City of Richmond 

6 127-5818 Philip Morris Operations Complex, 3601 Commerce 

Road City of Richmond 
INTRODUCTION 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 1-9 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

TABLE 1-1: TABLE OF ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES ALONG THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE 

THAT ARE SUBJECT TO INTENSIVE-LEVEL INVESTIGATIONS AS A PART OF THE 

DC2RVA PROJECT 

6 127-6129 Winfree Cottage, East Franklin Street City of Richmond 

6 127-6792 Southern Railway Segment City of Richmond 

6 127-6793 Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Segment City of Richmond 

6 127-6840 The City of Richmond Department of Public Works 

Maintenance Yard, 2728 Hermitage Road City of Richmond 

6 127-6883 

Gilpin Court Apartment Complex, Charity Street 

West/ East Hill Street/ St. James Street/ North 2nd 

Street 

City of Richmond 

all 500-0001 Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac Railroad 

Historic District Multiple 

Source: Dovetail, 2018a. 

Note: Resources are presented from north to south. Resources highlighted in blue are included in this report. All non-highlighted resources 

will be detailed in separate reports. 
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 1-3

DC2RVA Project Corridor

Showing Phase II

Properties Within Current

Report from North to

South (Map 1 of 3)[

0 2,000 4,000

Feet

0 800 1,600

Meters

500-0001-0022
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 1-4

DC2RVA Project Corridor

Showing Phase II

Properties Within Current

Report from North to

South (Map 2 of 3)[

0 2,000 4,000

Feet

0 800 1,600

Meters

088-0254

111-0009-0795

111-0009

111-0023

111-0132-0020

111-0132-0025

111-0132-0522

111-0132-0704
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 1-5

DC2RVA Project Corridor

Showing Phase II

Properties Within Current

Report from North to

South (Map 3 of 3)[

0 2,000 4,000

Feet

0 800 1,600

Meters

127-6792

127-6793

127-6840
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02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 1-6

DC2RVA Project Corridor

Showing 500-0001[

05 10

Miles

0 10 20

Kilometers

500-0001
 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 2-1 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

METHODOLOGY 

The architectural investigation for the DC2RVA Project was conducted to examine any historic 

buildings, objects, or districts over 48 years in age for NRHP eligibility concurred by DHR to be 

potentially eligible for listing in the NRHP. Each potentially eligible resource was evaluated with 

regard to NRHP Criterion A, for its association with events that have made a significant 

contribution to the broad patterns of our history; Criterion B, for its association with people 

significant in our nation’s history; Criterion C, for its embodiment of distinctive characteristics of 

a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or possess high 

artistic values. As part of the current survey, these architectural resources were not evaluated 

under Criterion D for its potential to yield information important in history. Additionally, each 

resource’s integrity was addressed through seven aspects or qualities: location, design, setting, 

materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Criteria considerations were taken into account 

only where necessary. This report meets the standards set forth by the DHR’s architectural survey 

manual (DHR 2017). 

Field recordation included an in-depth physical examination of each resource, including the 

interiors when accessible; digital photographs documenting the primary elevation, oblique 

angles, occasionally interiors, and general setting; detailed site plans of the property and floor 

plans were prepared when applicable. Archival research on each resource was conducted at land 

record repositories for various municipalities, historical and genealogical societies, online 

repositories of historic records, local libraries, and the Library of Virginia. 

After the architectural fieldwork, research, and evaluation was completed, the Project Team 

prepared separate Virginia Cultural Resource Information System V-CRIS forms and 

accompanying documentation for each recorded property in accordance with DHR policies and 

practices. Each V-CRIS packet includes a V-CRIS form, site plan, set of hard-copy color 

photographs, and a CD of digital photos for each property to meet with the current DHR 

standards (DHR 2017). 

2 
 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-1 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

SURVEY RESULTS 

Dovetail completed intensive-level architectural investigations on 54 resources determined to be 

individually potentially eligible for the NRHP within the Preferred Alternative, 13 of which are 

detailed in the current chapter. The remainder of the resources will be examined in separate 

future reports. 

3.1 RF&P BRIDGE OVER OCCOQUAN RIVER (500-0001-0022) 

The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac (RF&P) Railroad Bridge over Occoquan River (500-

0001-0022), located east of U.S. Route 1 Highway (Route 1) in Woodbridge, Virginia, is a 1915 

Parker through-truss railroad bridge that crosses the Occoquan River. It also spans the 

jurisdiction line between Fairfax and Prince William counties in a developed suburban setting of 

industrial, commercial, and residential buildings (Figure 3-1). The bridge carries the historic 

RF&P Railroad (500-0001), now owned and operated by CSXT. The structure is one of three 

bridges that cross the river at this location; the others carry Interstate 95 and Route 1 over the 

Occoquan 

This structure consists of two Parker through trusses supporting a continuous span of steel-platedeck girders with two simple spans of the same extending from the north approach and four 

simple spans at the south approach. The bridge has always served as a rail-related resource 

carrying RF&P, CSXT, and Amtrak trains and is not accessible to vehicular or pedestrian traffic. 

Due to the nature of the resource, access was restricted to the CSXT right-of-way, limiting survey 

of the whole structure. The following section includes a history of the structure based on archival 

research, an architectural description, and an analysis with a statement of significance. 

3 
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-1

Location Of The RF&P

 Bridge Over 

Occoquan River (500-0001-0022)

[

0 100 200

Feet

0 30 60

Meters

500-0001-0022
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-3 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.1.1 Historic Context 

The area of Woodbridge and Occoquan has had a wide variety of modes of transportation across 

the Occoquan River. Like other eastern states during the mid-nineteenth century, Virginia began 

to see an increase of transportation development with the construction of better horse-drawn 

roads, steamships, short-lived canals, and railroads, connecting rural areas with commercial 

centers like Richmond and Washington, D.C. Before rail transportation, stagecoach travel from 

Richmond to Washington consisted of at least three days of travel including a layover in 

Fredericksburg (Richmond 2010), but with the introduction of steamships to the area in 1815, 

travel lessened by a full day. 

The RF&P Railroad developed during the mid- to late-nineteenth century to connect Richmond 

to Washington, D.C. The rail line was chartered in 1834 and constructed track from Richmond to 

Fredericksburg by 1837. By the start of the Civil War, the rail line had extended to Aquia Creek. 

Construction was delayed at Aquia due to funding, the war, and the obstacle of the swampy 

landscape north of Aquia (Brown 2006:90–91; Wright 2015). Prior to the railroad extending to 

Washington, D.C., passengers stopped at Aquia and took a steamship north. 

Adjacent to the bridge of study, a previous railroad bridge existed southeast of the town of 

Occoquan in Woodbridge and was constructed by H.K. Bradshaw for the Alexandria and 

Fredericksburg Railroad in 1871–1872 (Figure 3-2) (Griffin 1984:110). This wood trestle bridge 

received extensive damage from subsequent flooding and was replaced in 1892 by the 

Pennsylvania Railroad Company with a metal Pratt truss (Alexandria Gazette 1892; Richmond 

2010). This bridge was later converted to hold vehicular traffic for Route 1 in 1914 and was 

damaged by Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Following the hurricane, a temporary bridge was 

established until 1981 when a permanent replacement was finally constructed (Figures 3-3 

through 3-6) (Brown 2006:117). At the time of the Route 1 bridge conversion from rail to 

automobile in the early-twentieth century, the current RF&P Bridge over the Occoquan River 

(500-001-0022) was erected (Griffin 1984:110). 

Construction began in May 1914 and finished in 1915 at a cost of $300,000 (Engineering and 

Contracting 1914:55; Richmond Times-Dispatch 1915). Designed by Gustav Lindenthal, the 

project was supervised by Captain S.B. Rice and constructed by the Phoenix Bridge Company. 

The foundation and masonry was constructed by John Monks and Sons (Engineering News 

1914:294). At the time of construction, the bridge was 875 feet long with two steel Parker trusses 

of 250 feet each and five steel-deck-plate girders of 75 feet each. However, the current design of 

the bridge includes an additional two spans on the north and four on the south approaches. No 

documentation was found to detail any changes to the bridges spans. The circa-1915 bridge 

allowed improved rail traffic by allowing heavier steam locomotives (Pacific types) to cross the 

river on double tracks compared to the previous single-track bridge. This bridge continues to 

serve rail traffic along the former RF&P Railroad. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-4 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-2: EXCERPT OF MAP OF PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1901 (BROWN 

1901). THE BRIDGE’S LOCATION IS INDICATED BY THE RED ARROW. (MAP NOT TO SCALE)

FIGURE 3-3: VIEW OF THE BRIDGE, CSXT TRACKS OVER OCCOQUAN RIVER IN 

BACKGROUND, LOOKING NORTHEAST, AFTER AGNES IN 1972 

(LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA 1972A) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-5 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-4: VIEW OF THE BRIDGE, CSXT TRACKS OVER OCCOQUAN RIVER ON THE LEFT OF 

THE IMAGE, LOOKING SOUTH, AFTER AGNES IN 1972 (LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA 1972B) 

FIGURE 3-5: A PRE-1981 PHOTOGRAPH LOOKING SOUTH TOWARD THE RAILROAD BRIDGE 

(GRIFFIN 1984:113) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-6 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.1.1.1 Gustav Lindenthal 

Gustav Lindenthal (1850–1935), an Austrian civil engineer, designed the well-known Queensboro 

(1909) Bridge in New York, the Sciotoville Bridge (1917) over the Ohio River, and the Sellwood 

Bridge (1922) in Oregon. He worked with the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York 

Connecting Railroad to create the Hell Gate Bridge, the longest steel arch bridge spanning 1,017 

feet in 1916. He immigrated to the United States in 1874 and began his own engineering business 

in 1881 with projects from New York to Oregon and served as the construction engineer to the 

Philadelphia Centennial Exposition (1874–1877) (Gandhi 2015; Structurae 2014). Coined the 

“Dean of American Bridge Builders,” he was known for choosing more complex structural forms 

in his designs (American Society of Civil Engineers [ASCE] 2017). His 1881–1883 Smithfield Street 

Bridge, a lenticular truss, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, over the Monongahela River, is 

listed in the NRHP and designated a National Historic Civic Engineering Landmark and a 

National Historic Landmark (Pghbridges.com 2017). The Queensboro Bridge in New York was 

listed in the NRHP in 1978. 

3.1.1.2 Phoenix Bridge Company 

Originally known as the Phoenix Iron Works in 1790, the Phoenix Bridge Company was located 

in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and began producing nails and, later, other metal products from 

pig iron and wrought iron to the Griffin Gun cannon for the Civil War. The company also 

patented the Phoenix Column which allowed lighter, stronger structural supports. With the 

success of the column, the company then began constructing bridges across the country under a 

subsidiary firm known as the Phoenix Bridge Company (Lemelson Center 2014). The company 

continued through the mid-twentieth century but declined due to the saturation of the market 

and increase of reinforced concrete bridge designs, closing in 1962 (Historical Society of the 

Phoenixville Area n.d.). Well-known examples of their work include the 1887 Phoenix Bridge in 

Eagle Rock, Virginia (011-0095, NRHP listed in 1975), Etters Bridge in Cumberland County, 

Pennsylvania (NRHP listed in 1986), County Line Bowstring Bridge near Concordia, Kansas 

(NRHP listed in 1990), and the Hays Street Bridge in San Antonio, Texas (NRHP listed in 2012) 

(Bridgehunter.com 2007, 2017a; Versaw 1985; Virginia Department of Highways and 

Transportation 1975). 

3.2.1 Architectural Description 

The current bridge is the third crossing the Occoquan River and appears to be relatively intact 

from its 1915 construction. The bridge consists of two centrally located, steel, Parker-type, 

through trusses with steel-plate deck girders extending to the north south approaches, totaling 

eight spans of approximately 920 feet (Figure 3-7) (DRPT 2016). The riveted bridge rests on 

concrete abutments with seven solid-wall concrete piers and carries two rail tracks on an open 

ballast deck. Although publicly available records are limited, it appears that the bridge has had 

some repairs over the years, specifically with some bolt replacements (Figure 3-8). The portal 

bracing, top chords, top lateral bracing, vertical posts, diagonals, and bottom chords appear to be 

intact (Figure 3-9). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-7 Architectural In

FIGURE 3-6: VIEW OF THE WEST ELEVATION OF THE BRIDGE, LOOKING SOUTHEAST FROM ROUTE 1 (L

NORTHEAST FROM ROUTE 1 (RIGHT) 

FIGURE 3-7: CLOSE-UP OF THE RIVETED CONNECTIONS ALONG THE TOP CHORDS AT THE NORTHERN A

CLOSE-UP OF ONE OF THE POURED CONCRETE SOLID-WALL PIERS, LOOKING SOUTHEAST (R
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-8 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Previous records note these trusses as a Camelback design. As defined in the Historic Context for 

Common Historic Bridge Types, a “camelback is a variation of the Parker truss. Most camelback 

trusses are essentially Parker trusses with exactly five slopes in the upper chord and end posts” 

(Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage 2005:3-35). Since the two trusses 

have seven segments including the end posts, they are Parker trusses. 

The Parker truss was developed and patented by Charles H. Parker, a mechanical engineer from 

Massachusetts in 1870 (Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage 2005:3–34). 

His design modified the previously patented Pratt truss bridge type and its signature polygonal 

top chord (Figures 3-9 through 3-11) (Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial 

Heritage 2005:3–34). This allowed for the use of less metal due to the shortening of the vertical 

and diagonal members as they splayed from the center of the truss to the ends. The design became 

economical for bridges spanning over 160 feet or more, and with the development of highway 

departments in the 1920s onward, these structures began to be standardized. 

FIGURE 3-8: SKETCH OF A PRATT THROUGH-TRUSS BRIDGE, NOTING THE PARTS OF A 

TRUSS (HISTORIC BRIDGE FOUNDATION 2017) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-9 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-9: SKETCH OF A PARKER TRUSS BRIDGE (NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF 

TRANSPORTATION [NCDOT] 2013) 

FIGURE 3-10: SKETCH OF A THROUGH CAMELBACK TRUSS BRIDGE (NCDOT 2013) 

3.1.3 NRHP Evaluation 

Today, the RF&P Railroad Bridge over the Occoquan River (500-0001-0022) is still used as a 

railroad bridge carrying CSXT, Amtrak, and VRE trains across the Occoquan River. The bridge 

appears to be in good condition, denoted by its ability to carry varying weight loads from freight 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-10 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

and passenger traffic. Access to the bridge was limited to the accessible CSXT rights-of-way. 

Much of the bridge was not closely inspected due to the height of the bridge’s superstructure t 

and clearance from the river. 

Constructed for the RF&P Railroad (500-0001), this structure served as a replacement to an earlier 

circa-1892 railroad truss bridge that was converted to vehicular traffic along Route 1 around 1914 

during a time that the railroad company was updating their infrastructure. The bridge allowed 

the rail line to pass over the Occoquan River, the northernmost large body of water along the line, 

before reaching the Potomac River and Washington, D.C., its terminus. DHR files also note that 

in 2001, staff determined that the bridge was contributing to the RF&P Railroad (500-0001) and, 

was therefore, “eligible for the NR [National Register] in the broader context of the RR [Railroad]” 

(Richmond 2010). 

There is little data to support that the bridge is individually significant for its association to 

important events in transportation as it was a replacement to an earlier bridge that crossed the 

Occoquan River. Therefore, it is recommended not eligible for inclusion in the NRHP under 

Criterion A. 

This resource is not known to have any associations with individuals who have made significant 

contributions to history, and is, therefore, recommended not eligible for the NRHP under 

Criterion B. Architects, engineers, and builders of historic properties are more appropriately 

considered within the context of a resource’s design under Criterion C. The RF&P Railroad Bridge 

over Occoquan River was designed by Gustav Lindenthal and constructed by Captain S.B. Rice 

with the Phoenix Bridge Company. Although Lindenthal was a prominent civil engineer, having 

designed the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania (1883), the Queensboro Bridge 

in New York City (1909), and the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City (1912), this bridge is one of 

his simpler, smaller designs (Gandhi 2015:301). As larger and more complex designs of 

Lindenthal’s work survive elsewhere today, this resource does not exhibit the mastery of his 

construction methods. 

According to data gleaned from CSXT, this railroad bridge is the only metal through truss along 

the 124-mile RF&P Railroad line, and from the Survey of Metal Truss Bridges in Virginia, there are 

only three Parker through-truss bridges in the Commonwealth of Virginia, all of which are 

vehicular (Miller and Clark 1997:45). These Parker trusses in Virginia range in age from 1872 to 

1938 (Miller and Wallingford 2014). The Context for Common Historic Bridge Types notes that 

“examples dating after the first two decades of the twentieth century are substantially less 

significant than” earlier examples; the 1915 bridge predates this period (Parsons Brinckerhoff and 

Engineering and Industrial Heritage 2005:3–35). 

Character-defining features of Parker truss bridges include polygonal top chord, inclined end 

posts, panel diagonals, varied-length verticals from end to center panels, floor beams, stringers, 

and struts (Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage 2005:3-35). The RF&P 

Railroad Bridge over Occoquan River (500-0001-0022) appears to have retained many of these 

features, rendering it a high level of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, 

feeling, and association. No other examples of this type of bridge are known to exist along the 

RF&P Railroad’s corridor. It is recommended that this resource is eligible for inclusion in the 

NRHP under Criterion C as an example of a rare example of the Parker truss design in Virginia. 

As an architectural resource, this property was not evaluated under Criterion D. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-11 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

As previously noted, this resource is located within the RF&P Railroad Historic District (500-0001) 

(Figure 1-6). This railroad bridge was constructed during the RF&P’s period of significance (1837–

1943) and is representative of transportation-related structures of this era. For this reason, it is 

recommended that the bridge remain a contributing resource to the RF&P Railroad Historic 

District (500-0001). For additional information on the RF&P Railroad Historic District (500-0001), 

see page 3-154. 

In sum, the RF&P Bridge over Occoquan River (500-0001-0022) is recommended eligible for 

individually listing in the NRHP under Criterion C as an example of a rare early truss design 

in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It also recommended that the resource remains contributing 

to the RF&P Railroad Historic District (500-0001).

The proposed NRHP boundaries for the RF&P Bridge over Occoquan River strictly outline the 

footprint of the bridge (Figure 3-11). The period of significance for the bridge starts in 1915, its 

date of construction, and extends to 1968 for its continued use as a railroad bridge. This end date 

follows the NPS guidelines which say: “Fifty years ago is used as the closing date for periods of 

significance where activities begun historically continued to have importance and no more 

specific date can be defined to end the historic period” (National Park Service [NPS] 1997). 
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP 

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-11

Proposed NRHP

Boundaries of RF&P

 Bridge Over

Occoquan River (500-0001-0022)

[

0 100 200

Feet

0 30 60

Meters

500-0001-0022
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-13 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.2 RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER RAILROAD BRIDGE (111-0132-0025) 

The Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge (111-0132-0025) is a multi-span, open-spandrel, 

concrete-arch railroad bridge, originally constructed to serve the RF&P Railroad (500-0001) 

between the City of Fredericksburg and Stafford County, VA (Figure 3-12). The current bridge is 

the latest in a series of bridges built for the railroad beginning in the 1830s to cross the 

Rappahannock River. On the north, the bridge extends into an industrial area. The railroad bed 

is predominantly screened from view by dense, mature tree growth and underbrush along both 

sides. To the south, the bridge passes into the City of Fredericksburg’s downtown core on an 

elevated track, running parallel to Lafayette Boulevard. The raised track crosses perpendicularly 

over Sophia and Caroline Streets before arriving at the Fredericksburg Train Station (001-0132-

0704), located between Caroline and Princess Anne Streets. Commercial properties, townhomes, 

and paved-asphalt parking lots border the railroad corridor to the north and south in the city. 

3.2.1 Historic Context 

The RF&P Railroad first began operations through the City of Fredericksburg in 1837, creating 

the first link in a rail transportation chain that would eventually connect the Virginia state capital 

with the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C. (McGehee 1992). Initially begun in Richmond, a 

segment of the RF&P was completed in 1836 to Hazel Run and then expanded to Fredericksburg 

the following year. 

Even though the railroad did not reach Washington, D.C., until the 1870s, the section from 

Richmond to Fredericksburg was a significant transportation artery throughout the 1840s and 

1850s, moving passengers and freight through central Virginia quickly and efficiently. During the 

Civil War, this railroad became a hotly-contested asset. Between 1861 and mid-year 1862, the 

RF&P was used by both Union and Confederate forces at various times, and both sides would 

damage or destroy sections of track to impede their enemy’s advance or to delay pursuit during 

a retreat. For example, a previous Rappahannock River railroad bridge was destroyed in May 

1862 as Union forces withdrew toward Washington, D.C. Following the Peninsula Campaign, it 

was rebuilt by October 1862 (RF&P Railroad 1863). It was destroyed again, this time by the 

Confederate Army, prior to the First Battle of Fredericksburg later that December (Figure 3-13). 
\\DTS2\Main Job\14-015 RAPS\GIS\2018Work\14_015_AH_PhII.mxd | Last Updated: 02.20.2018

02/2018

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-12

Location Of The

Rappahannock River

Railroad Bridge

(111-0132-0025)

[

0 160 320

Feet

0 60 120

Meters

111-0132-0025
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-15 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-13: CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS OBSERVE UNION PHOTOGRAPHER CAPT. ANDREW 

RUSSELL ACROSS THE RUINS OF THE ORIGINAL RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER RAILROAD BRIDGE 

PRIOR TO THE 1863 CAMPAIGN SEASON (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS [LOC] 1863) 

The RF&P Railroad Company continued to maintain and repair structures along the entire 

railroad throughout the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. By the early 1910s, the 

railroad company began to once again modernize its bridges. Noted engineer and bridge 

designer, John E. Greiner, was awarded the contract to replace the Rappahannock River Railroad 

Bridge in the mid-1920s (Mordecai 1940). He designed an open-spandrel, concrete-arch bridge 

with nine spans, which was put into service on May 1, 1927 (Figure 3-14) (RF&P Railroad 1927). 

In his proposal, he estimated the cost of the improvements to the Fredericksburg Station and its 

surrounding area to be $1,180,000 (Greiner and Company 1924). The bridge, however, was 

constructed with 10 spans, adding a third span on the eastern embankment and varying from 

historic plans. The new bridge was built as an integral part of a larger major improvement project 

in Fredericksburg that included elevating the rail tracks to allow for vehicular traffic to pass 

below, double tracking the system through town, and enlarging the station to accommodate an 

increased volume of both passenger and freight traffic (Figures 3-15 through 3-17). The bridge 

continues to serve rail traffic, including Amtrak, VRE and CSXT. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-16 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-14: A 1924 PROPOSED DRAWING OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER RAILROAD 

BRIDGE (GREINER AND COMPANY 1924): OVERVIEW (TOP); DETAIL OF SPANS (BOTTOM) 

FIGURE 3-15: PHOTOGRAPH OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER RAILROAD BRIDGE UNDER 

CONSTRUCTION IN 1926 (BLACKWELL 2016) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-17 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-16: THE RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER RAILROAD BRIDGE, CIRCA 1945 

(MORDECAI 1948) 

FIGURE 3-17: THE FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION (111-0132-0704) MODIFIED IN THE 

1920S DURING RF&P RAILROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-18 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.2.1.1 John E. Greiner 

John E. Greiner (1859–1942) was an architect and civil engineer who established the firm of 

Greiner Engineering in 1908, which was later acquired by the URS Corporation in 1996 (URS 

Corporation was later acquired by AECOM in 2014) (Tatman 2017). Greiner designed bridges in 

the first half of the twentieth century from Maine to Florida, including the Appomattox Bridge in 

Petersburg, Virginia (Bridgehunter.com 2017b, 2017c). A former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and 

Philadelphia Bridge Company engineer, he worked for engineer Gustav Lindenthal on the 

Seventh Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also during his time under Lindenthal, 

Greiner was involved in the design of the Hanover Street Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, a 1916 

bascule bridge, a moveable bridge that lifts the deck by trunnions and counter-weights 

recommended NRHP eligible by the Maryland Historical Trust (Crampton and Abell 1994; 

Pghbridges.com 2017; Structurae 2017). Greiner and his company predominantly worked in the 

Baltimore area after 1904 when he was involved in establishing a new building code for the city 

of Baltimore following an extensive fire. He constructed the Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge 

and the James River Arch Bridge (1919) for the RF&P Railroad. His significant bridges include 

the Hanover Street Bridge, Howard Street Bridge (1938), the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial 

Bridge (1938), and the Thomas J. Hatern Memorial Bridge (1939), all of which remain in use 

(Maryland State Archives 2017). One of his prominent bridges is the 1926 Bridge of Lions in St. 

Augustine, Florida, which is listed in the NRHP (Steinbach and Paarlberg 1982). 

3.2.1.2 Reinforced Concrete Open Spandrel Arch 

Construction of the reinforced-concrete, open-spandrel, arch bridge type occurred between 1906 

through 1940; it was a dominant bridge design in the 1920s and 1930 when materials and funds 

were limited (Figure 3-18) (Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage 2005:3-

67). The reinforced concrete allowed the cost of construction to decrease with the elimination of 

spandrel walls and fill material while also reducing the dead load. Due to their design and 

openness, this bridge type was also preferred in scenic locations such as the Rappahannock River. 

The design’s popularity was succeeded by pre-stressed steel beam and reinforced-concrete girder 

bridges. 

FIGURE 3-18: AN OPEN SPANDREL RIB CONCRETE ARCH (MILLER ET AL. 2000:11) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-19 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.2.2 Architectural Description 

The Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge is a 10-span, 800-foot, open-spandrel, concrete-arch 

bridge that opened in 1927 to replace an earlier bridge spanning the river (Figure 3-19) (Virginia 

Department of Rail and Public Transportation 2016). Designed by noted bridge designer, John E. 

Greiner, the bridge is structurally similar to his James River Arch Bridge in Richmond and is 

representative of a popular style in the late 1920s. Each of the piers is set on a cylindrical, pouredconcrete base sunk into the riverbed with spread footings. Its poured-concrete open spandrels 

support the deck, also made of poured concrete (Figure 3-20). At the mid-point of each section of 

the spandrel wall, centered above the pier foundation, are large, rectangular, poured-concrete 

decorative elements set on the outside of the bridge and supported by poured-concrete brackets. 

The poured-concrete deck is covered with composite ballast and supports two lines of track. A 

metal-rail fence runs along the west side of the bridge (Figure 3-20). 

The Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge comprises four subsidiary bridges as it moves through 

historic downtown Fredericksburg. The first crosses Sophia Street, the closest street that runs 

parallel to the Rappahannock River. This two-span, circa-1927 bridge is composed entirely of 

reinforced poured concrete. Each span extends over two single lanes of vehicular traffic, one 

going in each direction. Its wing walls have recessed panels cast into them while the central pier 

features a concrete Tuscan pilaster and is further supported by square Tuscan columns. A 

concrete, square balustrade parapet runs along both sides of the bridge (Figure 3-21). 

The second bridge crosses Caroline Street which runs parallel to Sophia Street one block to the 

west. This four-span, circa-1927 bridge is composed entirely of reinforced poured concrete. Its 

wing walls are flat and undecorated, unlike those on the Sophia Street bridge, but its piers feature 

Tuscan pilasters. Its two center spans each shelter a single lane of vehicular traffic, both traveling 

southeast to northwest. The outermost spans provide pedestrian access beneath the bridge and 

for the Fredericksburg Train Station (111-0132-0704), located immediately to the north of this 

bridge. Two lines of track run down the middle of the poured-concrete deck and are flanked by 

poured-concrete station platforms lined by a poured-concrete, square balustrade (Figure 3-21). 

The third bridge crosses Princess Anne Street which runs parallel to Caroline Street one block to 

the west. This four-span, circa-1927 bridge is also composed entirely of poured concrete. Its wing 

walls are also undecorated but feature Tuscan pilasters on its piers. The two center spans each 

cover a single lane of vehicular traffic, both traveling west to east. A concrete median wall 

separates the lanes on the southeast side of the street. The outermost spans provide pedestrian 

access along poured-concrete sidewalks. The Fredericksburg Train Station is located immediately 

to the north of the bridge. Two lines of track run down the center of the bridge’s poured-concrete 

deck and are flanked by poured-concrete station platforms topped with a poured-concrete square 

balustrade (Figure 3-22). 

The fourth bridge crosses Charles Street which parallels Princess Anne Street one block to the 

west. This four-span, circa-1927 bridge is also composed entirely of poured concrete. Its wing 

walls on the south are also undecorated except for capping, but its piers feature the same Tuscan 

pilasters present on the other three bridges. Its two center spans each shelter a single lane of 

vehicular traffic, one going in each direction. The two outer spans are much narrower than the 

central spans and each accommodate a poured-concrete sidewalk for pedestrian traffic. Two lines 

of track, set within ballast infill, runs across the poured-concrete deck. Poured-concrete, square 

balustrade parapets flank the bridge on both elevations (Figure 3-22). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-20 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-19: VIEW OF RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER RAILROAD BRIDGE, LOOKING NORTHWEST 

FROM CITY DOCK 

FIGURE 3-20: SPANDREL DETAIL, LOOKING NORTHWEST 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-21 Architectural In

FIGURE 3-21: SOPHIA STREET BRIDGE, LOOKING NORTHWEST (LEFT); CAROLINE STREET BR

LOOKING NORTHWEST (RIGHT) 

FIGURE 3-22: PRINCESS ANNE STREET BRIDGE, LOOKING SOUTHEAST (LEFT); CHARLES STREET 

LOOKING SOUTHEAST (RIGHT) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-22 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.2.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge was built circa 1927 to replace an earlier bridge located 

in roughly the same area; it was designed by John Greiner. Although Greiner was a prominent 

architect and civil engineer, designing the Hanover Street Bridge (1916), Howard Street Bridge 

(1938), the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (1938), the Thomas J. Hatern Memorial 

Bridge (1939), and the NRHP-listed 1926 Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine, Florida, the bridge over 

the Rappahannock River is one of his simpler, smaller designs. As larger and more complex 

designs of Greiner’s work survive elsewhere today, this resource does not exhibit the mastery of 

his construction methods. 

The current bridge is a reinforced, poured-concrete, open-spandrel, arch railroad bridge in good 

condition. There is little data to support that the bridge is individually significant for its 

association to important events in transportation and community planning as it was a 

replacement to two earlier bridges that crossed the Rappahannock River. As part of the RF&P 

Railroad, this corridor greatly influenced local and regional transportation as well as the City of 

Fredericksburg; however, the bridge itself did not make important contributions to this pattern 

of events (Shrimpton et al. 1990). Therefore, it is recommended not eligible for individual 

inclusion in the NRHP under Criterion A. 

It has no known association with any person of historical significance and is therefore 

recommended not eligible for the NRHP under Criterion B. Architects, engineers, and builders 

of historic properties are more appropriately considered within the context of a resource’s design 

under Criterion C. Although the bridge was designed by celebrated architect and civil engineer, 

John E. Greiner, who designed two bridges for the RF&P Railroad. 

According to DHR records, the Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge is one of only a handful of 

reinforced, poured-concrete, open-spandrel bridges in the state and is the only example identified 

with the DHR within the surrounding counties. A majority of the remaining examples are located 

in southern and western locations like the city of Roanoke or Augusta County and date to the late 

1920s (Miller et al. 2000; Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage 2005). The 

Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge appears to be the only open-spandrel, arch railroad bridge 

along the RF&P line. It retains a high level of integrity of materials, location, association, design, 

workmanship, setting, and feeling, thereby maintaining its character-defining features including 

arch ribs, ring, spandrel, spandrel columns, and parapets, piers, abutments, and wing walls. 

Therefore, it is recommended individually eligible for the NRHP under Criterion C. As an 

architectural resource, it was not evaluated under Criterion D.

The Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge is also located within the boundaries of the 

Fredericksburg Historic District (111-0132). It was constructed during the district’s period of 

significance and is representative of architectural and transportation trends in the city. The 

resource is also associated with the RF&P Railroad Historic District (500-0001) and was 

constructed during its period of significance. For additional information on the RF&P Railroad 

Historic District (500-0001), see page 3-154. 

In sum, the Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge is recommended eligible for the NRHP under 

Criterion C for being an exemplary example of an open-spandrel bridge (Figure 3-23). It is also 

recommended to remain a contributing resource to the Fredericksburg Historic District (111-

0132) and to the RF&P Railroad Historic District (500-0001). Because this bridge post-dates the 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-23 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Civil War, the resource is recommended as a non-contributing resource to the Banks’ Ford (088-

5181), Battle of Fredericksburg I (111-5295), and Battle of Fredericksburg II (111-5296). 

The proposed NRHP boundaries for the Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge strictly outline the 

footprint of the resource (Figure 3-23). The period of significance for the Rappahannock River 

Railroad Bridge starts in 1927, its date of construction, and extends to 1968 for its continued use 

as a railroad bridge. This end date follows the NPS guidelines which say: “Fifty years ago is used 

as the closing date for periods of significance where activities begun historically continued to 

have importance and no more specific date can be defined to end the historic period” (NPS 1997). 
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-23

Proposed NRHP

Boundary for the

Rappahannock River

Railroad Bridge

(111-0132-0025)

[

0 160 320

Feet

0 60 120

Meters

111-0132-0025
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-25 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.3 DIXON HOUSE (111-0023) 

The property at 401‒403 Sophia Street, known as the Dixon House, is located in downtown 

Fredericksburg (Figure 3-24). The lot is bounded by Sophia Street on the west, undeveloped land 

near the railroad on the north, the Rappahannock River on the east, and Frederick Street Extended 

on the south. 

In August 2015, shortly after the DHR concurrence on the potential eligibility of this resource, the 

house at 401‒403 Sophia Street was demolished. The current narrative provides a brief history of 

the house and lot followed by photographs of the demolition process and an updated 

recommendation on NRHP eligibility to complete the evaluation process. 

3.3.1 Historic Context 

The house at 401‒403 Sophia Street was located on Lot 274, added to the original city boundaries 

in the 1759 town expansion. Like most of the lots in this area, the parcel was owned by Roger 

Dixon and his wife, Lucy. Roger Dixon was one of the most influential voices on the expansion 

of the city boundaries, and he was the developer who platted the land on the south side of town 

and heavily marketed the lots for sale (Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. [HFFI] 2014:44). 

Dixon built a capacious dwelling for himself on nearby lower Caroline Street and sold the 

surrounding parcels off piecemeal as the population of the town grew. He sold Lot 274 in 1764 to 

William Thompson, a land speculator who lived in London (City of Fredericksburg Deed Book 

[CFDB] F:426). The lot remained undeveloped throughout the remainder of the eighteenth 

century, as the parcel passed through several owners. 

Most of what were Lots 274 and 275 (located to the north of 274) were owned by James Somerville 

in the last years of the eighteenth century. Somerville was the third mayor of Fredericksburg. This 

fact led to the house at 401–403 Sophia Street being known as the “Early Mayor’s House” in the 

early-twentieth century (although archival research shows that the home was not extant during 

Somerville’s ownership) (Works Progress Administration [WPA] 1938). Upon his death in 1798, 

Mayor Somerville passed the property to his nephew, James N. Somerville. At the time Somerville 

received this property from his uncle, it contained a warehouse and a wharf along the river (City 

of Fredericksburg Will Book [CFWB] DC:84). A two-story wood dwelling with a rear, full-width, 

shed-roofed addition was constructed on the lot to the north of what became 401‒403 Sophia 

Street in the early-nineteenth century. This house was never actually occupied by Somerville but 

rather used, at times, as a rental property and home for nearby warehouse employees. 
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02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-24

Former Location Of The

Dixon House (111-0023) [

0 60 120

Feet

0 25 50

Meters

111-0023
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-27 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Between 1815 and 1833, Anthony Buck of Fredericksburg purchased several lots along the 

Fredericksburg riverfront, one of which was Lot 274. Buck insured the house built by James N. 

Somerville with the Mutual Assurance Society, renewing the policy several times (Figure 3-25) 

(Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia [MAS] 1983). Like Somerville, he did not reside on the 

parcel but rented the structure. Upon Buck’s death in 1843, his heirs sold his interest in Lot 274 to 

John L. Marye. It was Marye who built the house known as 401 Sophia Street. The southern half 

was the original dwelling, built around 1843 and used as a tenant house (City of Fredericksburg 

Tax Records [CFTR] 1844‒1861). Marye sold the house at 401 Sophia Street to Franklin Slaughter 

in 1862; Franklin was the brother of then-mayor Montgomery Slaughter. Franklin suffered from 

notable mental illness and, like the owners before him, he did not occupy the lot. He was actually 

listed as “insane” on the 1870 and 1880 censuses, and he lived with his family. He died in 1893 at 

the Western State Mental Hospital in Staunton and is buried in the Fredericksburg City Cemetery 

(Find a Grave 2008; United States Federal Population Census [U.S. Census] 1870, 1880). Notable 

for the current study, the house at 401 Sophia Street and the two-story house with the shed-roofed 

addition to the north were both depicted on several Civil War-era photographs captured by 

Union troops from the Stafford side of the Rappahannock River (Figure 3-26). These images aid 

our knowledge of the Fredericksburg riverfront and the state of these homes during the war 

years. 

FIGURE 3-25: MAS INSURANCE POLICY ACQUIRED BY ANTHONY BUCK IN 1818 FOR THE 

ORIGINAL DWELLING ON LOT 274 (MAS 1983). THE HOUSE AT 401‒403 SOPHIA STREET 

WOULD BE BUILT TO THE SOUTH OF THIS HOUSE ALONG WHAT IS TERMED “SOUTH 

FREDERICK STREET.” 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-28 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-26: THE REAR OF THE HOUSE AT WHAT WAS THEN KNOWN AS 401 SOPHIA 

STREET DURING THE CIVIL WAR (NATIONAL PARK SERVICE [NPS] 2015). THE ORIGINAL 

HOUSE ON THE LOT WITH THE REAR SHED-ROOFED ADDITION (CA. 1815) CAN BE SEEN TO 

THE RIGHT. 

The first owners to occupy the home at 401 Sophia Street were the Jenkins family. Alexander and 

Mary Jenkins bought the home in November 1887 (Figure 3-27) (CFDB BB:417). Numerous small 

dwellings along Sophia Street were owned and occupied by members of the Jenkins family in the 

late-nineteenth through early-twentieth century. A working-class family, members of the clan 

were employed throughout Fredericksburg, at the Eagle Shoe Company on Lafayette Street, at 

the Excelsior Plant on Sophia Street, and by the RF&P Railroad (Barile 2009:6‒13). In fact, 

members of the Jenkins family owned approximately one-third of all dwellings on lower Sophia 

Street after the war. During their ownership of 401 Sophia Street, Alexander and Mary Jenkins 

granted a right-of-way easement to the RF&P for the construction of a rail spur from the main 

line north of their home to a warehouse located south of their house along Sophia Street (Figure 

3-28) (CFDB OO:500). The line would have snaked along the north side of their home and 

immediately behind their back door (Figure 3-29). It was never built. The Jenkins family 

eventually sold the lot, and it passed through several owners. In the 1920s, it was owned by the 

Refractory Products Corporation and the Quigley Furnace Specialty Company who, at times, 

operated a factory across the street. The dwelling was used as worker housing, and it was the 

subject of a WPA report in 1938 (Figure 3-30). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-29 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-27: THE HOUSE AT 401 SOPHIA STREET IN 1887 DURING THE JENKINS’ 

OWNERSHIP (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1887) 

FIGURE 3-28: THE PROPERTY AS SHOWN IN THE 1902 SANBORN MAP (SANBORN MAP 

COMPANY 1902). NOTE THE CHANGES MADE TO 401‒403 SOPHIA STREET BY THE JENKINS 

FAMILY AND THE ABSENCE OF THE TWO-STORY HOUSE ONCE LOCATED TO THE NORTH, 

DEMOLISHED AROUND 1900. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-30 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-29: CIRCA 1913 PLAT SHOWING THE PROPOSED RF&P RAIL SPUR SNAKING 

AROUND THE HOUSE AT 401 SOPHIA STREET (CFDB OO:500) 

FIGURE 3-30: THE HOUSE AT 401 SOPHIA STREET CAPTURED IN 1938 DURING THE WPA 

PROJECT (WPA 1938). THE HOME WAS CALLED THE “EARLY MAYOR’S HOUSE” AT THIS TIME 

AS IT WAS MISTAKENLY BELIEVED THAT THE HOME WAS OCCUPIED BY JAMES SOMERVILLE 

IN THE LATE-EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-31 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

In 1948, the house was purchased by Mennis and Virginia Gibson. They enlarged the home 

through an addition on the north side of the dwelling that mirrored the original home in scale 

and massing, constructed in the 1950s (it was at this time that the address was expanded from 

401 Sophia Street to 401‒403 Sophia Street). They lived in the home until Mennis’s death in 1976 

(CFWB R:598). Virginia remained in the house until 1984 when it was sold to Herbert and 

Courtney Pelley (CFDB 188:95). The home was owned and occupied by the Pelley’s until 1997 

when the house was sold to UCK, LLC, who rented the dwelling (CFDB 305:625). It remained 

unoccupied from 2012 until it was demolished in August 2015. 

3.3.2 Architectural Description 

The Dixon House at 401‒403 Sophia Street was a two-story, four-bay dwelling built with no 

discernable style (Figure 3-31). The southern half (southern two bays) was the original core, built 

around 1843 (Figure 3-32). The northern half (northern two bays) was a later addition, added in 

the 1950s by the Gibson family. A description of the property can be found in the 2015 survey 

(Staton and Lesiuk 2015). The dwelling was demolished on August 27 and 28, 2015 at the request 

of the owner, UCK, LLC. Because of its age and its rarity as an Antebellum-aged structure along 

lower Sophia Street, numerous photographs were taken during the demolition process (Figure 3-

33). An inspection of the photos shows that the wood framing was hand hewn and the structural 

system was fastened with cut nails with cut heads, emblematic of the period of construction 

(Figure 3-34). Today, the lot is covered in manicured grass; no above-ground elements remain of 

the once-extant building (Figure 3-35). 

FIGURE 3-31: PRIMARY (WEST) ELEVATION OF THE HOUSE AS PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE 

SUMMER OF 2015 JUST BEFORE DEMOLITION 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-32 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-32: SOUTHWEST OBLIQUE CAPTURED IN THE SUMMER OF 2015. THE SOUTHERN 

HALF (FOREGROUND) IS THE ORIGINAL 1843 CORE. 

FIGURE 3-33: THE HOUSE DURING DEMOLITION 

(FREDERICKSBURG FREE LANCE-STAR 2015) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-33 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-34: SAMPLE OF FRAMING AND FASTENERS FROM THE 1843 CORE 

(CUMMINGS 2015) 

FIGURE 3-35: FORMER LOCATION OF THE DIXON HOUSE, LOOKING EAST FROM THE 

INTERSECTION OF SOPHIA AND FREDERICK STREETS 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-34 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.3.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The Dixon House at 401–403 Sophia Street was the sole surviving antebellum structure on a 

streetscape that was the scene of incredible destruction during the Civil War and, architecturally, 

retained many character-defining features. However, the building was demolished in August 

2015. As such, the resource at 401‒403 Sophia Street is recommended not eligible for the NRHP 

under Criteria A‒C. It was not evaluated under Criterion D; however, photographs taken of the 

demolition show notable subsurface disturbances completed during the demolition process. The 

probability for encountering intact, significant archaeological deposits is low. In sum, the Dixon 

House is recommended not eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criteria A–C. As the resource 

has been demolished, it is recommended non-contributing to the eligibility of the Fredericksburg 

Historic District (111-0132). 

3.4 FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION (111-0132-0704) 

The Fredericksburg Train Station is located at 200 Lafayette Boulevard in downtown 

Fredericksburg (Figure 3-36). The primary resource faces north on Lafayette, and the lot is 

bounded by Princess Anne Street on the west, Frederick Street on the south, and Caroline Street 

on the east. 

During the 2015 DC2RVA rail identification-level survey, the boundaries for this resource were 

restricted to the parcel on which the main train building sits (Parcel Number 7789-23-2444) (Staton 

and Lesiuk 2015). However, during the current intensive-level study, the DC2RVA Team 

determined that there are additional resources associated with the Fredericksburg Train Station 

located beyond the parcel boundaries, including a passenger waiting station, passenger platform, 

and elevator tower. As such, as part of the current survey, the Team expanded the resource 

boundaries to include these secondary resources; the Fredericksburg Train Station boundaries 

now comprise Parcel Numbers 7789-23-2444 and 7789-23-3302 and the CSXT right-of-way that 

separates these two parcels. 

3.4.1 Historic Context 

Although not the first rail system established in Virginia, the RF&P was certainly one of the most 

influential. Chartered in 1834, the 113-mile line opened in 1836 with the original segment running 

from Richmond to Hazel Run just south of the limits of Fredericksburg (Griffin 1994:4–5). The 

line into town was opened six months later. On January 23, 1837, the first passenger train stopped 

in Fredericksburg, ushering in a new age of transportation (Griffin 1994:5; HFFI 2014:26). This 

was the temporary end-of-the-line for the RF&P, as the route north of Fredericksburg was not 

completed for five years. The line to the north was finally opened in 1842, bringing travelers not 

to Washington, D.C., but to Aquia Landing, where they would board steam ships that would 

carry them the rest of the way. A continual rail line between Richmond and Washington was not 

completed until 1872 (Griffin 1994:5). 
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02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-36

Location Of The

Fredericksburg Train

Station (111-0132-0704)

[ 0 60 120

Feet

0 20 40

Meters

111-0132-0704
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-36 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The history of the Fredericksburg station itself somewhat mirrors the piecemealed history of the 

rail line. Originally, the alignment of the rail track was to run through the center of town. Lots 

along Charlotte Street were purchased between 1834 and 1836 as the future location of the rail 

bed (Barile et al. 2008). As plans progressed, it was determined that a course through the southern 

part of town would be advantageous from an engineering and property perspective, and the 

current alignment was chosen in 1836. Five lots were purchased by the RF&P Railroad Company 

along what is today Lafayette Boulevard for the construction of the railroad track, sidings, and a 

wheel house (CFDB K:200). Although trains stopped in town, Fredericksburg originally did not 

have a depot. Passengers waited on an open platform, but no shelter for people or goods was 

provided. Numerous letters to the editor of the Fredericksburg News (1850) lamented the absence 

of a station: “Would it not be as well for the company to expend some of their proceeds in erecting 

suitable buildings on their now barren lots in this place. — It presents a bad appearance to 

strangers passing through our town.” In response, a small, one-story, wood-framed structure was 

eventually built in the mid-1850s to function as an anchor to the train service in this area. Rail 

traffic was soon disrupted, though, by one of the most significant events in our nation: the Civil 

War. 

Located half way between the U.S. capital in Washington, D.C. and the Confederate capital in 

Richmond, Fredericksburg was the site of repeated fighting and occupation. The rail line 

connecting the two capitals was often the focus of the conflict. The rail bridge over the 

Rappahannock River was burned early in the war, and rail traffic ceased (Marvel 1995:5; O’Reilly 

2006:8). Numerous Civil War images highlight the remains of the rail tracks on the south side of 

the Rappahannock River—a symbol of war’s destruction (Figure 3-37). Rail traffic was not fully 

restored until after 1870. Passengers continued to use the small depot built in the 1850s to 

purchase tickets and wait for arriving trains. 

FIGURE 3-37: CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS SIT ON THE END OF THE RAIL TRACKS IN 

FREDERICKSBURG CIRCA 1863 (LOC 1863). THE BRIDGE CONNECTING THE TRACKS TO 

STAFFORD COUNTY TO THE EAST WERE BURNED EARLY IN THE WAR. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-37 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

By the 1880s, economic and social prosperity had improved in this area, and traffic along the 

RF&P increased substantially. The increase in rail travel once again caused Fredericksburg 

residents to clamor for a new station to replace the older depot. The RF&P relented, and a new 

station was erected in 1888. The new station was “a very decided improvement, and adds much 

to the comfort of visitors and the travelling public. It is quite an ornament to the city” 

(Fredericksburg Star 1888). This new building was a one-story, timber-frame structure with a 

hipped roof and prominent cross gable featuring decorative bargeboard (Figure 3-38). A long, 

covered platform was parallel to the at-grade rail tracks. The station was a success for decades, 

but its location at the bend of the tracks and its material composition led to repeated damage. For 

example, in June 1896, the roof was blown off of the station building during a powerful storm, 

making the building unusable for months (Fredericksburg Free Lance 1896). 

FIGURE 3-38: CIRCA 1888 FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION (TRAINWEB 1905) 

Seeking yet another solution to their station issues, Fredericksburg City Council began to petition 

the RF&P for a new building in 1909. A new site for a station was selected east of the old site 

(Figure 3-39). For the first time, the train station was to be located to the north of the extant tracks, 

closer to the core of commercial development. Local builder E.G. “Peck” Heflin was selected to 

complete the project (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star 1941). Using tenants of the relatively new 

(to Fredericksburg) Colonial Revival style, Heflin designed a capacious and grand station to 

mirror elements of Fredericksburg’s colonial past (Figure 3-40). When it opened in 1910, the new 

$125,000 building was described as “one of the handsomest and best equipped stations in the 

State” (Fredericksburg Daily Star 1910). The new station was decorated with chestnut accents and 

terrazzo floors, and the interior was lit through both electric and gas lighting. Although not 

integrated, the new station served all of Fredericksburg’s residents through the use of separate, 

fully equipped “white” and “colored” waiting rooms and separate bathroom facilities. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-38 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-39: LOCATION OF THE 1850S AND LATER 1888 DEPOT (CIRCLED IN RED) IN 

RELATION TO THE CIRCA 1910 FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION LOCATION (CIRCLED IN 

GREEN) AS SHOWN ON AN 1890 CITY MAP (FREDERICKSBURGVA 1890) 

FIGURE 3-40: NEW STATION AS IT APPEARED AT ITS OPENING IN NOVEMBER 1910 

(FREDERICKSBURG DAILY STAR 1910) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-39 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The new station served the city well but the dramatic increase in rail and road traffic during 

World War I and the pre-depression years led to numerous accidents and incidents along the atgrade tracks through town. It was determined that a raised system of rail tracks would expedite 

rail service and provide a safer environment for residents. A temporary station and rudimentary 

set of tracks were built on the south side of the existing rails to provide continuous coverage for 

rail passengers during the multi-year project, which cost well over $1 million (Fredericksburg 

Free Lance-Star 1927). 

The raising of the tracks was achieved through both the creation of a superstructure to increase 

the height of the tracks themselves as well as lowering the level of the streets near the tracks and 

the station by several feet (Figure 3-41). Together, these elements allowed for vehicles to traverse 

under the tracks and for longer trains to stop at the station unimpeded by auto traffic. In addition, 

several improvements were made to help facilitate loading and unloading of both travelers and 

goods at the station during the construction (Figure 3-42). Two wings were appended to the 

original building to increase the size of the 1910 station, a new shelter was built on the south side 

of the tracks to protect those waiting for northbound trains, and an elevator was erected to help 

move goods up to the new elevated platform (Sanborn Map Company 1912, 1919, 1927). A large, 

cast, concrete ramp with Colonial Revival balustrade was built at this time along the primary 

elevation to allow pedestrians to access the station easily from the now-lower Lafayette 

Boulevard in front of the station. 

FIGURE 3-41: RENOVATIONS TO THE FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION IN 1927 (HFFI 

1927). NOTE THE LOWERING OF THE ROADWAY IN FRONT OF THE STATION. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-40 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-42: THE FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION AS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED (TOP, 

CIRCA 1912) AND AFTER RENOVATIONS AND ELEVATION OF TRACKS (BOTTOM, CIRCA 

1927) (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1912, 1927, 1949) 

Rail continued to be a primary method of travel in Fredericksburg through the 1930s and during 

World War II when record numbers of soldiers and travelers used the RF&P to traverse the 

country (Pierce 1987). In 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act led to the creation of a national 

system of interstates connecting cities and towns across America, including Interstate 95 (I-95). 

The personal automobile quickly became the transportation method of choice, and the railroads 

saw a notable decline in ridership. This steady decrease in passenger service continued in the 

1960s and 1970s. The circa-1910 station was disused in 1976 and sat empty for many years (Pierce 

1987). It was not until the late 1980s when it was finally resurrected as a restaurant. Interestingly, 

the RF&P Company retained ownership of the station until 1996 (CFDB 297:277). It is likely due 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-41 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

to this continued rail ownership that the station underwent very few changes as it transformed 

from a rail depot to a commercial venue. 

Rail traffic at the Fredericksburg station began to increase again in the early 1990s—not due to a 

renewed interest in train travel per se, but through the development of commuter rail. The arrival 

of the VRE in 1992 brought a revived vigor to the train station (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star 

1992). Today, the Fredericksburg Train Station building and the secondary elements associated 

with continued rail traffic are at the heart of a vibrant and active part of town. 

3.4.2 Architectural Description 

3.4.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior 

The Fredericksburg Train Station is a rectilinear, two-story, five-bay, brick building constructed 

in the Georgian Revival style circa 1910. Measuring roughly 135 feet by 26 feet, the station rests 

on a raised foundation that is hidden by the surrounding poured-concrete platform (Figure 3-43–

Figure 3-45). The brick walls of the building are laid in a Flemish bond pattern featuring hardfired, or blackened, headers. The base of the building is decorated with a molded brick and cast 

stone water table as well as beveled brick quoins at the corners. 

The main massing is covered by a hipped asphalt-shingled roof lined by a wood cornice with 

heavy modillions and pierced by a single, central-interior, corbelled, brick chimney. At the center 

of the north and south elevations is a two-story, projecting, gabled bay that contains a Palladian 

window at the lower level and two pre-cast stones featuring the numbers “19” and “10” at the 

upper level with a pediment above. Appended later, at the same time as the reconstruction of the 

Rappahannock River Bridge circa 1927, two one-story wings flank the station on both the east 

and west sides (Figure 3-46). These wings are covered by a low-pitched roof lined by a pre-cast 

concrete balustrade. A hipped, asphalt-shingled skirt wraps around each wing and a portion of 

the north elevation of the station building to create wide overhanging eaves. On the south 

elevation, this skirt has been removed from the main massing and replaced by a wide band of 

stucco. 

Two double-leafed entries are located on the north elevation, each flanking the central projecting 

bay. Both are filled with a set of half-glazed wood doors topped by a five-light, wood-framed 

transom window. One set of wood double-leafed doors and a paneled wood door are located on 

the west elevation. All of the doors at the station building do not appear to be original. The 

windows, however, do appear to be original to the construction of the building and comprise 

nine-over-one, double-hung, wood-sash windows topped by splayed jack arches and a central 

pre-cast keystone. Filling the projecting central bay on both the north and south elevations is a 

Palladian window featuring fluted pilasters and a pebble-dashed stucco (Figure 3-47). At the 

upper level, a series of wood-framed fanlights with pre-cast stone sills and keystones are 

exhibited. Windows in both wings are largely nine-light, wood-framed, pivot sashes with precast sills, splayed jack arches, and pre-cast keystones. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-42 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-43: SITE PLAN OF THE FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION (111-0132-0704) (CITY 

OF FREDERICKSBURG 2017) (NOT TO SCALE )
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-43 Architectural In

FIGURE 3-44: FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION, NORTHWEST OBLIQUE 

FIGURE 3-45: FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION (111-0132-0704), NORTHEAST OBLIQ
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-44 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-46: FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION, NORTHWEST OBLIQUE OF CIRCA-1927 

WEST WING 

FIGURE 3-47: FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION, DETAIL OF PROJECTING BAY AND 

PALLADIAN WINDOW ON NORTH ELEVATION 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-45 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.4.2.2 Primary Resource Interior

On the interior, the spatial organization of the train station remains largely intact even though 

the space was converted into a restaurant in the 1990s. Originally, the main massing consisted of 

open waiting rooms on either side of two smaller central spaces that historically served as the 

ticket office and “colored” restrooms. Today, the “white” waiting room remains open and retains 

its finely dressed stone walls, intricate woodwork, and arched plaster ceiling. The “colored” 

waiting room is largely open, but now contains a long bar and the hostess waiting area. What 

was the ticket office is now a private dining room, which has maintained its unique hexagonal 

wall configuration and large windows for viewing train traffic. The original “colored” restrooms 

appear to have been reworked into storage spaces. 

Historically, the east wing was equally divided into “white” restrooms for both men and women, 

but this wing, in particular, was gutted during the latest renovation and is now one large dining 

space (Figure 3-48). This is the one interior area that has not retained its integrity. The west wing 

originally functioned as a baggage area but now serves as a kitchen and storage area for the 

restaurant. The general configuration and flow of this space has been maintained. 

FIGURE 3-48: VIEW OF DINING ROOM, LOOKING EAST 

3.4.2.3 Secondary Resources

Four secondary resources are associated with this property. A two-story freight tower lift was 

built circa 1927 when the station and platform were raised to eliminate at-grade street crossings 

(Figure 3-49). The tower construction utilized the same materials as the station building additions. 

It likely rests on a poured concrete foundation and has a masonry structural system clad in a 

Flemish-bonded brick featuring brick quoins. It is covered by a low-pitched roof lined with a precast concrete cornice and topped with a concrete balustrade. In recent decades, this tower has 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-46 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

been rehabilitated to include an elevator for accessing the station platform. At this time, fixed 

metal-framed windows were added to allow natural light into this structure. 

A concrete platform surrounds both the station building and elevated railroad tracks. This 

structure is made of reinforced poured concrete and dates from the circa-1927 expansion of the 

station and is lined by the same pre-cast concrete balustrade and railing used throughout the 

station. A passenger waiting station was also constructed opposite the station building in 1927 

(Figure 3-49). It is a single-room structure with a poured-concrete foundation and structural 

system that is covered by a low-pitched roof lined with the station’s ubiquitous concrete 

balustrade. Two single-leaf entries are located on the north elevation facing the tracks on either 

side of a central, fixed, multi-pane window. This waiting station is still in use as a rail waiting 

area today. 

A circa-1995 metal canopy shelters the area on both sides of the railroad tracks where passengers 

get on and off the trains (Figure 3-50). At the north side, the canopy extends to the freight tower 

on the west end, and at the south side the canopy envelopes the waiting station and extends to a 

circa-1995 elevator tower at the east end of the platform. 

A modern elevator tower, constructed circa 1995, is located at the southeast corner of the modern 

metal canopy on the south side of the railroad tracks. It was built to match the older station 

building in material and design, featuring a poured-concrete foundation and structural system 

topped with a low-pitched roof. 

FIGURE 3-49: NORTHWEST OBLIQUE AT LEFT AND EAST ELEVATION OF FREIGHT TOWER 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-47 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-50: NORTHWEST OBLIQUE OF PASSENGER WAITING STATION 

3.4.3 NRHP Evaluation 

Rail travel has been a mainstay of Fredericksburg since the first train arrived in January 1837. In 

fact, the extant Fredericksburg Train Station is the third station in the city. A small depot was 

built in the 1850s and this building was replaced in 1888 by a larger structure. The high demand 

for passenger and freight services caused this station to be demolished in 1910 and replaced by 

the current Georgian Revival-styled building. The station and surrounding tracks were modified 

in 1927 to accommodate raised facilities, and rail continued to be a central part of Fredericksburg 

life until the construction of nearby I-95 in the late 1950s, when the personal automobile overtook 

the train as the preferred mode of interstate transportation. Interest in the rail was revived in 1992 

when the VRE was established. 

The Fredericksburg Train Station is the most prominent surviving symbol of the importance of 

rail travel to the community, and visitors from across the nation stepped through the station’s 

doors. It directly reflects historical trends ranging from the dichotomy of the train and the 

automobile in the early-twentieth century to the presence of Southern racial segregation in the 

pre-Civil Rights era. It is recommended that this resource is eligible for the NRHP under Criterion 

A for its significant associations with transportation, community planning, and development in 

Fredericksburg at the local, state, and national level. 

Although the Fredericksburg Train Station was built by one of Fredericksburg’s most notable 

designers, Peck Heflin, NRHP guidelines state that resources associated with architects, artisans, 

artists, or engineers solely due to their involvement in the design should be noted under Criterion 

C rather than Criterion B. For a resource to be eligible under B, it has to have had a long-term, 

profound effect on their work, such as a studio or a home. While the train station is a very 

important piece of Heflin’s work and represents a key moment in his design evolution, the 

association is project specific. There is also no connection between this resource and any other 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-48 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

notable individual. As such, it is recommended that this property is not eligible under Criterion 

B. 

The Fredericksburg Train Station is an excellent example of Georgian Revival architecture in the 

community. The building’s symmetry, Flemish-bonded brick structural system, hipped roof, 

quoins, and other decorative elements such as keystones, fanlights, and stone lintels clearly 

demonstrate the influence of Georgian architectural trends on earlier examples of the Colonial 

Revival style. Furthermore, the building is a notable part of how the City’s designers embraced 

their Colonial heritage in the first decades of the twentieth century. Though the main station 

building is now used as a restaurant, the interior spaces and the vast majority of the architectural 

elements were maintained during the conversion to commercial use. Moreover, the secondary 

elements that surround the station, including the tracks, platform, waiting station, and elevators, 

are all still used for rail travel. 

In comparing this station to other rail buildings in Virginia, there are 21 stations that have been 

determined to be eligible for the NRHP. Of these, only four were designed in the Colonial Revival 

style: the Alexandria Station (100-0124), the Orange Station (275-0022), the Williamsburg Station 

(137-0250), and the private station at the DuPont Spruance plant south of Richmond (020-5474). 

The Fredericksburg Train Station is a direct comparison to the Alexandria Station, which is listed 

on the NRHP. Both are brick stations built in the first decade of the twentieth century in urban 

environments to service a growing clientele. Both include high-style architectural elements on the 

exterior and both retain many of their original architectural elements and historic space uses. On 

the interior, the Fredericksburg station also retains its high-styled decorative elements such as 

terrazzo floors and chestnut woodwork. 

In addition to being an exceptional individual example of Georgian Revival architecture with 

excellent integrity, the Fredericksburg Train Station is also significant as the work of 

Fredericksburg’s most prominent twentieth-century architect, E.G. “Peck” Heflin. Heflin 

dropped out of school at the age of 15 to work as a carpenter. From these humble beginnings, he 

went on to design and construct the city’s most notable buildings in the first half of the twentieth 

century. The train station was one of his earliest forays into high-style Colonial Revival design, 

more particularly as it was influenced by Georgian architecture in Virginia. After the success here, 

he went on to design and build Lafayette School (now the Central Rappahannock Regional 

Library), the Princess Anne Hotel, the Stratford Hotel (now the George Washington Executive 

Center), the old Mary Washington hospital, several buildings on the campus of what is now the 

University of Mary Washington, and dozens more. In addition to his success as a commercial 

designer, he also crafted hundreds of private residences, many in variations of the Colonial 

Revival style. The importance and prevalence of his work, and the Colonial Revival style in 

general, to Fredericksburg is reflected in the Fredericksburg Historic District’s (111-0132) NRHP 

nomination update written in 1984, which was specifically appended to the original 1972 

nomination to include buildings designed in the Colonial Revival style. Many of these were 

designed by Heflin, and the train station was one of the catalysts for this design trend. Given its 

exceptional integrity of location, design, setting, feeling, association, workmanship and materials, 

as well as its importance as an early Colonial Revival building designed by Peck Heflin, it is 

recommended that the Fredericksburg Train Station is eligible for the NRHP under Criterion C.

As an architectural resource, the property was not evaluated under Criterion D. In sum, the 

Fredericksburg Train Station is recommended as individually eligible under Criteria A and C 

and is a contributing element to the Fredericksburg Historic District (111-0132). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-49 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The proposed NRHP boundary for the Fredericksburg Train Station at 200 Lafayette Boulevard 

follows the legal lot description for two parcels in their entirety (Parcel Numbers 7789-23-2444 

and 7789-23-3302) as well as the CSXT-owned railroad tracks that separate the two parcels (Figure 

3-51). It is bounded on the north by Lafayette Boulevard, on the west by Princess Street, on the 

south by a series of parcels (Parcel Numbers 7789-23-3296, 7789-23-2199, and, 7789-23-2233), and 

on the east by Caroline Street. The proposed boundaries include the train station, passenger 

waiting station, two-story freight tower lift, concrete platform, metal canopy, elevator tower, 

small parking areas and poured-concrete sidewalks. The period of significance for the 

Fredericksburg Train Station begins with its construction date in 1910. Because it continues to be 

associated with railroad traffic in Fredericksburg, the DC2RVA Team applied the NPS 50-yearrule for defining periods of significance for resources “where activities begun historically 

continued to have importance and no more specific date can be defined to end the historic period” 

(NPS 1997). As such, the period of significance spans from 1910 to 1968. 
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP 

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-51

Proposed NRHP

Boundaries For The For

The Fredericksburg Train

Station (111-0132-0704)

[ 0 60 120

Feet

0 20 40

Meters 111-0132-0704
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-51 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

 3.5 PURINA TOWER COMPLEX (111-0132-0020) 

The industrial building complex at 401–403 Charles Street, known locally as the Purina Tower 

Complex (111-0132-0020), is located within the boundaries of the Fredericksburg Historic District 

(111-0132) in the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia, along the western bank of the Rappahannock 

River. The building occupies a 0.36-acre parcel on the northwest corner of the intersection of 

Frederick and Charles Streets, just south of the CSXT elevated railroad tracks in the city’s 

downtown district (Figure 3-52). 

The areas to the immediate north, east, and west of the property are largely industrial in character, 

embodied in the CSXT railroad tracks and train station, several late-nineteenth and earlytwentieth-century warehouses, and the city’s one-time gas plant building. The areas to the south 

and southeast are primarily residential, populated by single-family homes of varying size and 

style dating from the late nineteenth-century through the present. 

3.5.1 Historic Context 

The parcels presently associated with 401–403 Charles Street were part of a larger, 330-acre tract 

purchased by Roger Dixon shortly after his arrival in Fredericksburg in 1749. More specifically, 

the present-day property was part of lot 220 on block 60, platted by Dixon in 1752. As shown on 

the map in the figure below (Figure 3-53), the northern boundary of his land extended at an angle 

through block 60 and a portion of lot 220. Interest in Dixon’s real estate venture was slow to 

manifest. Though he had sold 33 of the platted lots by the early 1760s, few had been improved in 

any substantial way (Loyd n.d.). Lot 220 was sold in 1765 (CFDB F:694). 

The first reference to any standing structures on lot 220 appears in 1834, when the property’s 

then-owner, John Metcalf, paid fees on a building valued at $100.00 (Stanton 2013). A dwelling is 

noted in the 1886 Sanborn Fire Insurance map at the northeast corner of Frederick and Charles 

Streets (Figure 3-54) (Sanborn Map Company 1886). In 1909, the estate of Thomas Griffin was 

charged a fee on a portion of lot 220 valued at $200.00 and a building—presumably the dwelling 

on the southwest corner of the parcel—assessed at $50.00. The house was apparently demolished 

shortly thereafter as the following year’s tax rolls list no structure and a note appearing in the 

page margin read, “small building off” (Stanton 2013). Five years later, in 1914, the heirs of 

Thomas Griffin (dec.) sold the 30 by 165-foot property along the west side of lot 22, to local 

businessmen, Edgar M. Young and Houston K. Sweetser (CFDB 48:545). 
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02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-52

Location Of The Purina

Tower Complex 

(111-0132-0020)

[ 0 60 120

Feet

0 20 40

Meters

111-0132-0020
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-53 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-53: THE LOCATION OF PRESENT-DAY 314-316 FREDERICK STREET AS SHOWN ON 

A MAP OF LOWER FREDERICKSBURG IN 1768 (FELDER 1982). NOTE: DIXON'S LAND IS ON 

LEFT SIDE OF THE DASHED LINE. (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 

FIGURE 3-54: PROPERTY ASSOCIATED WITH PRESENT-DAY 401 CHARLES STREET AS 

SHOWN ON AN 1886 SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAP (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1886). 

NOTE: APPROXIMATE BOUNDARIES OF PRESENT-DAY PROPERTY OUTLINED IN BLUE. (MAP 

NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-54 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The new owners were partners in “a feed and grain concern” known as the Young-Sweetser 

Company (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star 1961). The enterprise had been established two years 

prior, and the pair were looking to expand. In 1915, they enlarged their existing 30 foot by 165 

foot site (Parcel 1) through two additional acquisitions. The first, an east-adjoining, 78 foot by 104 

foot property (Parcel 2), was purchased from the RF&P Railroad (CFDB 49:11). As part of the deal 

the railroad received a 30 foot by 68.5 foot section excised from the north end of the parcel 

acquired from the Griffin estate the year before. The second (Parcel 3) was another east-adjoining, 

43 foot by 104 foot lot (CFDB 49:94). The approximate boundaries of the three acquired properties 

are shown on the 1919 Sanborn map (Figure 3-55) (Sanborn Map Company 1919). Also visible on 

the 1919 map is a new warehouse building, which according to land tax records, was likely 

constructed around 1916, and a new rail spur line extending along the north edge of the property 

(Stanton 2013). By 1920, this building had either been replaced by, or incorporated into, a new, 

larger warehouse and a six-story, concrete grain elevator appended to the northwest corner. An 

advertisement for the Young-Sweetser Company appearing in the 1921 Fredericksburg City 

Directory specifically noted the “new concrete elevator and warehouse” (Fredericksburg City 

Directory 1921). The new facility is visible on the 1927 Sanborn map below (Figure 3-56). Also 

shown are a square-shaped, one-story, frame addition at the south end of the warehouse’s west 

elevation, a frame canopy along the west elevation of the grain elevator, and a rectangular 

clerestory centered on the main block’s roof. 

FIGURE 3-55: PROPERTY ASSOCIATED WITH PRESENT-DAY 401 CHARLES STREET AS 

SHOWN ON A 1919 SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAP (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1919). 

NOTE: THE PARCEL OUTLINED IN RED IS THE 30-BY-68.5 FOOT PARCEL CONVEYED BY 

YOUNG AND SWEETSER TO THE RF&P RAILROAD IN 1915 (CFDB 49:11). (MAP NOT TO 

SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-55 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-56: 401 CHARLES STREET PROPERTY SHOWN ON A 1927 SANBORN FIRE 

INSURANCE MAP (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1927). NOTE: APPROXIMATE BOUNDARIES OF 

PRESENT-DAY PARCEL OUTLINED IN BLUE. (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 

The grain elevator, built by the Deverell-Spencer Co. of Baltimore, Maryland, was erected on a 

concrete slab using a slip-form method (Heverin 1997). The slip-form method utilizes formwork 

raised vertically in a continuous process to extrude a reinforced concrete section that is suitable 

for construction of high-rise structures, such as towers (MPA 2018). The finished structure stood 

88 feet tall with a storage capacity of 20,000 bushels of grain. It was built on a “unit plan” that 

could be expanded by simply appending additional silo bins. Grain was transported by train car 

using the rail spur, by river barges, and by truck to one of two loading doors on the Charles Street 

side and north elevation of the tower. The facility was outfitted with the latest machinery for 

cleaning, weighing, distributing, elevating, and storing the grain. “Nothing so voluably typifies 

progress as to view the big concrete grain elevator of the Young-Sweetser Co. here and compare 

it with conditions in olden times for handling and keeping grain crops” (Fredericksburg Daily 

Star 1919; Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star 1922). Reportedly the only “large elevator between 

Richmond and Washington,” it had an immediate impact, helping connect area farmers with a 

larger market for their products (Fredericksburg Free Lance 1922). As seen in a 1930s photograph, 

the rail siding ran along the north side of the building where grain could be loaded and unloaded 

from cars through a door on the north side of the elevator (Figure 3-57). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-56 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-57: HALL FAMILY WALKING TO CHURCH ON LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD IN 1949. 

PURINA TOWER VISIBLE IN THE BACKGROUND TO THE RIGHT. (STROBEL 2015) 

The Young-Sweetser Company’s business continued to thrive until the mid-century; however, in 

the 1950s things changed as the enterprise faced increasing competition from other local grain 

companies like Germania Mills and Roxbury Mills, which, by then, had also constructed largevolume elevators. The operation continued, supported mainly by smaller volume customers, and 

focus gradually shifted from bulk grain shipments to more “specialized feeds and prepared 

mixtures” (Figure 3-58) (May 1987:6). In 1961, the company’s remaining founder, H. K. Sweetser, 

passed away (Edgar M. Young had died in 1944). The business continued for another two decades 

under the direction of his widow, Mary Sweetser, who had joined the board of directors in the 

1930s, and their son, Robert Moore. In 1981 however, following the deaths of Mary Sweetser and 

Robert Moore, the company was sold and the tenure of the Young and Sweetser families ended 

(May 1987:4-8). 

The new owner, the Farm and Tack Supply Company, Inc., which had been operating out of the 

facility since 1966, was owned by the Redgrave family. The Young-Sweetser Company’s feed 

business continued, but the product line had been expanded to include horse tack, pet supplies, 

and leather goods. The elevator remained in operation for another five years, but by 1986, the 

interior machinery had become too outdated and was shut down for good (May 1987:6). The Farm 

and Tack Supply Company remained in business until 1992 and two years later (1994), the 401 

Charles Street property was sold to an LLC (Prime Properties, LLC) whose principal had plans to 

adapt the warehouse and elevator for use as a health club (Amrhine 2001; CFDB 275:467). Those 

plans failed to manifest, and five years later (1999) the site was acquired by its current owner, 

Hamilton Palmer (CFDB 330:500). 

In the early 2000s, a portion of the warehouse interior was reconfigured to provide office and 

meeting spaces, and a rehabilitation of the facility was completed. The rehabilitiation work 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-57 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

included repairs to the exterior concrete walls of the grain elevator. An open area along the east 

side of the warehouse was paved for parking and the tower’s familiar checkerboard paint scheme 

was refreshed around this time as well. The original checkerboard paint scheme had reportedly 

been paid for by one of Young-Sweetser’s largest clients, the Purina Company, as an 

advertisement likely sometime after the 1950s (Amrhine 2001; May 1987:6; Staley 2005:4). 

FIGURE 3-58: 401 CHARLES STREET AS SHOWN ON A 1941 SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAP 

(SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1941). NOTE: APPROXIMATE BOUNDARIES OF PRESENT-DAY 

PROPERTY OUTLINED IN BLUE. (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-58 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.5.2 Architectural Description 

3.5.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior 

The industrial building complex at 401–403 Charles Street, known as the Purina Tower Complex, 

is located on the southwest corner of the Charles and Frederick Streets intersection on a lot 

approximately 0.36 acres in area and roughly 104 by 150 feet in dimension (Figure 3-59). The 

facility, which includes a large, one-and-a-half-story, warehouse main block and a six-story, 

concrete, grain elevator appended to its northwest corner, sits slightly set back from Frederick 

Street on the south and Charles Street on the east with its primary elevation facing south. Paved 

parking areas border the north, south, and east sides of the building, and a paved driveway 

extends in a north-south direction along the west elevation. Landscaping is limited to several 

modestly sized trees planted in the east-side parking area, along the sidewalk on the west side of 

the structure, and adjacent to the side entrance centered on the building’s west elevation. 

Manicured shrubs also line portions of the west and east elevations. The latter screen a gas meter 

and its associated piping installed along the foundation. A vertical-plank wood fence extends 

eastward from the northeast corner of the building along the north side of the east-adjoining 

parking area (Figure 3-60). 

FIGURE 3-59: SITE PLAN OF 401 CHARLES STREET (111-0132-0020), FREDERICKSBURG, 

VIRGINIA, AS SHOWN ON A 2014 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH (CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG 2017) 

(NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-59 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-60: SOUTHEAST OBLIQUE VIEW OF PURINA TOWER COMPLEX 

The warehouse section has a slightly raised, concrete-block foundation. The brick-and-wood 

frame is clad on the south and east elevations in corrugated metal, and parged along the west 

side. The north elevation is an aluminum-framed, glass curtain wall supported by a slightly raised 

brick foundation with concrete piers. The low-pitched, side-gable roof is sheathed in standing 

seam metal. A narrow, gable-roofed clerestory extending east-west along the central portion of 

the roof peak provides light to the interior (Figure 3-61 and Figure 3-62). 

A wood porch, raised on square wood piers and framed by a balustrade of simple, square 

spindles, extends nearly the full length of the south elevation. A shed roof clad in corrugated 

metal extends out over the porch and a set of wood steps at the east and west ends provide access. 

Both have a single wood railing on their south (outer) side. The main entrance is marked by a set 

of recessed metal doors with a 14-pane, metal-framed, glass surround located near the center of 

the south facade. The current owner and his staff generally access the building via a single wood 

door situated near the west end of the south elevation. The door has a three-panel lower half and 

a three-light glass section in its upper half covered by metal-framed, wire mesh. A similarly 

designed entrance is also present on the building’s east elevation. Access is provided via a set of 

wood steps or a bi-directional wood access ramp. There are several other secondary entrances. A 

metal gate in the corrugated metal wall between the west elevation’s one-story addition and the 

grain elevator, leads to an open-air, side porch entry. A set of metal steps flanked by metal railings 

ascend to a triangular-shaped wood deck bordered by a metal balustrade. A wood-framed glass 

door at the back of the deck provides interior access. There are also two glass doors, separated by 

a narrow glass panel near the center of the glass wall, on the north elevation. Square, metal, access 

panels on the west elevation of the main block, the south wall of the one-story addition, and near 

the midpoint of the raised brick foundation on the north elevation provide basement level access. 

Fenestration on the south elevation of the main warehouse block includes a single one-over-one, 

double-hung, wood window located just west of the entry door at the west end of the elevation, 

four, three-pane, wood-framed, casement windows centered in each of the four eastern bays just 

below the roof edge, and a glass block window under the porch. There are two, fixed, three-pane 

windows in the south half of the west elevation. An additional one-over-one, double-hung 

window is visible near the tympanum area on the west elevation. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-60 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-61: SOUTHWEST OBLIQUE VIEW OF PURINA TOWER COMPLEX 

FIGURE 3-62: NORTHEAST OBLIQUE VIEW OF PURINA TOWER COMPLEX 

 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-61 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

There are two additions present, including a one-story, one-bay section on the west elevation that 

once housed a greenhouse and a six-story grain elevator adjoining the northwest corner of the 

main block. The one-story addition is situated near the southern end of the main block’s west 

elevation. Its raised concrete-block foundation contains a full basement and supports a parged 

brick frame. The steeply-pitched, front-gabled roof is sheathed in standing seam metal with 

overhanging raking eaves supported by simple brackets. A slightly overhanging section of roof 

on the front (west) elevation is supported three wood brackets situated at either end and below 

the peak. Fenestration includes two, double, six-light, casement windows topped by four-light 

transoms on the south wall and one more located just south of the midline of the west elevation 

(Figure 3-63). A small, four-light, casement window occupies the north side of the latter. 

On the west elevation there are two small, three-pane, casement windows located mid-way up 

the wall on the south side of the one-and-a-half-story addition and a new one-over-one, doublehung unit positioned near the roof peak just below the cornice on the north side of the addition 

(Figure 3-64). There are also five fixed, three-pane windows at the basement level, including two 

on the north and south elevations and one centered on the west elevation. 

FIGURE 3-63: WEST ELEVATION OF THE ONE-STORY ADDITION ON WEST ELEVATION OF 

WAREHOUSE BLOCK AT PURINA TOWER COMPLEX 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-62 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-64: DETAIL VIEW OF METAL CASEMENT WINDOW 

The second addition is the multi-story grain elevator which is approximately 80 feet tall (Figure 

3-65). A raised concrete foundation set upon a concrete slab base supports a steel-reinforced, 

poured-concrete frame with a parged exterior. The flat, tar-and-pebble clad roof has slightly 

overhanging eaves supported by simple triangular brackets. Centered on the roof is a 

rectangular-shaped, concrete cupola with a hipped roof and the same overhanging eaves and 

brackets as the main tower block. 

There are two sets of double-leaf doors just above the raised foundation at the center of the north 

and west elevations. Each is wood sheathed in metal. The tower’s windows are primarily located 

in the upper and lower bays, and include original, 12-light, metal-framed units with pivoting, sixlight, central sections; a single 12-light metal unit with an upper eight-light pivoting section, and 

four-pane, wood-framed, awning windows at ground level of the north, south and west 

elevations. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-63 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-65: CLOSE-UP VIEW OF GRAIN ELEVATOR ROOF AND CUPOLA OF PURINA TOWER 

3.5.2.2 Primary Resources Interior 

The majority of the warehouse interior is open, save for a long, narrow, frame-walled section in 

the southwest corner that contains office spaces, a meeting room, and bathroom facilities. This 

corner section is internally subdivided by a frame wall that extends north-south through its 

center. The single, wood-paneled door near the west end of the main block’s south elevation 

opens into a long, narrow, open space on the west side of this dividing wall, containing work 

areas. On the west wall, a few feet north of the entrance, stands a square cubicle bordered by low 

frame walls on its north, south, and east sides. A door on the east wall, across from the cubicle, 

accesses a meeting room/conference space. The rest of this area is open with several desks and 

tables along each wall. Original wood flooring is visible in the middle section of this space, with 

remainder covered in carpet. The walls and ceiling in this southwest corner section are finished 

in sheetrock (Figures 3-66 through 3-68). 

A short distance north of the cubicle, a pair of wood doors on the west wall open into a square 

room that once housed the facility’s greenhouse (but now serves as office space). The original 

pine wood floor in this room, which is now used as office space, is in generally good condition. 

Wood shelves frame the entrance on the room’s east wall. Just north of the door to this space is a 

set of concrete steps that descend to the basement level. Metal railings and metal mesh frame the 

landing. On the east wall directly opposite the stairwell, is a solid wood door that opens into a 

square-shaped space. Solid wood doors on the north and south walls open into modern 

bathrooms. A third solid wood door near the southeast corner of the room leads to a narrow 

wood staircase that ascends to an unfinished attic space above. The remaining wood door 

centered on the east wall opens into the adjoining warehouse space. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-64 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

A door at the north end of the long, narrow office/work space also opens into the building’s open 

warehouse section. The exposed, wood roof framing visible in the ceiling is supported by large 

steel rafters and wood-boxed, steel columns positioned at the corners of each structural bays 

(Figure 3-69). The wood floors in this section of the warehouse are original and in generally good 

condition. 

A large, sliding, metal door near the northwest corner of the warehouse space opens into the 

ground floor (working level) of the grain elevator tower. The majority of the original mechanical 

equipment, with the exception of a few elements stored in the northeast corner of the ground 

floor space (Figure 3-70), has been removed. The walls and ceiling are exposed concrete. Evenly 

distributed square holes, which mark the locations of the elevator’s grain storage bins, are also 

visible in certain areas of the ceiling. One of the bays near the northwest corner of the tower 

extends as an open shaft to the floor of an enclosed space at the upper-most level. A metal ladder 

is affixed to the shaft’s east wall and a pair of large beams is present on the west wall (possibly 

associated with a “man lift” mechanism used to transport workers up and down the tower). Two 

of the bays along the west wall are partially enclosed on the second level by frame walls with a 

door centered on the east side. A one-by-two-bay portion of the ground floor’s southeast corner 

is enclosed and houses a small work/tool shop. 

FIGURE 3-66: VIEW OF OFFICE SPACES IN WAREHOUSE, LOOKING NORTH 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-65 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-67: VIEW OF OFFICE SPACES IN WAREHOUSE, LOOKING SOUTH 

FIGURE 3-68: INTERIOR OF WAREHOUSE SPACE, LOOKING SOUTH 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-66 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-69: INTERIOR OF GRAIN ELEVATOR TOWER, LOOKING WEST-NORTHWEST 

FIGURE 3-70: PART OF THE ORIGINAL MACHINERY IN THE GRAIN ELEVATOR 

3.5.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The industrial building known as the Purina Tower Complex (111-0132-0020) at 401–403 Charles 

Street is a former grain storage and shipping facility constructed in the early-twentieth century. 

It is one of downtown Fredericksburg’s most familiar and important landmarks and has helped 

define the community’s skyline for nearly a century. The multi-story, reinforced-concrete grain 

elevator was completed in 1920 and operated continuously until 1986. It was the first, and for 

several decades only, high-capacity facility in the Fredericksburg region and had an important 

impact on the area’s agricultural economy during the first half of the twentieth century. The 

Young-Sweetser enterprise helped connect local and regional farmers with a broader market, 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-67 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

reaching as far as the Chesapeake Bay, and “created a link between agriculture and industry” 

(NPS 1986). 

It is one of the few, and possibly only, surviving reinforced-concrete buildings in Fredericksburg 

constructed using the slip-form method (May 1987:7). As previously discussed, this technique, 

which was developed in the late-nineteenth century, greatly enhanced the concrete construction 

process by allowing for a continuous pour (versus pouring in stages and waiting for each to dry) 

and saving significant time and cost. The facility remains in generally good condition and retains 

sufficient integrity of location, design, workmanship, setting, feeling, association, and materials, 

including original windows and interior wood flooring. The interior layout of the warehouse was 

altered somewhat in the 2000s when the current owner adapted a portion for use as office space. 

The resulting changes, including the addition of frame walls and new bathrooms are largely 

reversible. 

The Purina Tower Complex is recommended eligible for individual listing in the NRHP under 

Criterion A, at the local level, in the areas of commerce and transportation. The 1920 grain elevator 

was the first high volume grain shipping and storage facility built in the area and shipped and 

received product by wagon, truck, train and barge. It had a substantial impact on the region’s 

farmers and agricultural economy. The property bears no known associations with any 

particularly significant individuals, and is therefore not recommended eligible for listing in the 

NRHP under Criterion B. This resource is also recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP 

under Criterion C as a representative example of an early-twentieth century, high capacity grain 

elevator and shipping/storage facility, as well as a specific construction method known as slipform, reinforced-concrete grain elevator. As an architectural resource, the property was not 

evaluated under Criterion D. 

In sum, the early-twentieth century warehouse and grain elevator known as Purina Tower 

Complex at 401–403 Charles Street is recommended eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A at 

the local level for its importance to the Fredericksburg area’s agricultural economy, and under 

Criterion C at the local level as an example of an early-twentieth century, slip-form, reinforced 

concrete grain elevator. 

Additionally, this resource is situated within the boundaries of the Fredericksburg Historic 

District (111-0132). Its date of construction falls within the District’s period of significance (1721–

1921) and the building’s design is reflective of the city’s prevailing architectural and historic 

trends. As such, the property should be considered a contributing element to the Fredericksburg 

Historic District. 

The proposed NRHP boundary for the Purina Tower Complex at 401–403 Charles Street follows 

the legal lot description for one Fredericksburg City parcel (Parcel Number 7789-23-0003) (Figure 

3-71). The lot is bordered on the west by Charles Street, on the south by Frederick Street, and on 

the north and east by lots predominately filled with asphalt parking lots (Parcel Numbers 7789-

23-1019, 7789-23-1107, and 7789-13-9170). The proposed boundary includes the Purina Tower and 

two asphalt parking areas. The period of significance for the Purina Tower starts in 1916, the date 

of its construction, and ends in 1992, when it stopped being associated with Fredericksburg’s 

agricultural scene. 
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP 

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-71

Proposed NRHP

Boundaries For The

Purina Tower

Complex

(111-0132-0020)

[ 0 60 120

Feet

0 20 40

Meters

111-0132-0020
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-69 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.6 GEORGE ALER HOUSE (111-0132-0522) 

The duplex known as the George Aler House at 314–316 Frederick Street (111-5296/111-0132-

0522) is located in the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia, along the western bank of the 

Rappahannock River. The dwelling straddles two adjoining parcels, approximately 0.09 acres in 

combined area, on the southeast corner of the intersection of Frederick and Charles Streets, near 

the southern end of the City’s downtown district (Figure 3-72). The building is situated in the 

property’s northwest corner with minimal setback and its primary elevation facing north. Open 

areas of lawn containing several mature trees lie east and south of the dwelling. A section of 

approximately 6-foot-tall, vertical-plank wood fencing with a wood gate at its center runs along 

the north side of the east yard. Additional sections of wood fencing also border and subdivide 

the rear (south-side) yard spaces behind the duplex. A second wood gate located near the 

southwest corner of the building accesses a small brick patio behind the west-side, rear yard. A 

second brick patio is present in the east-side yard. 

3.6.1 Historic Context 

The two parcels presently associated with 314–316 Frederick Street were part of a larger, 330-acre 

tract purchased by Roger Dixon shortly after his arrival in Fredericksburg in 1749. The tract, 

which adjoined the town’s southern boundary at the time, was subdivided and platted by Dixon 

in 1752. The current resource area became part of block 59, which was further subdivided into 

four lots, each 132 feet by 165 feet in dimension (approximately 0.5 acre in area) numbered 226, 

227, 218, and 219. The latter, comprising the northwest quadrant of the block, was bordered by 

Prince Augusta Street (present-day Charles Street) in the west and Frederick Street in the north 

(Figure 3-73). 

Interest in Dixon’s new subdivision was slow to manifest. Though he had sold 33 of his 40 platted 

lots by the early 1760s, few had been improved in any way (Loyd n.d.). This was true of the area, 

which despite its sale in 1765, remained largely undeveloped for another 30 years (Spotsylvania 

County Deed Book [SCDB] F:702). The first reference to any structure on the property comes from 

a Mutual Assurance policy (#25) issued to William Harvey in 1796 on a building valued at $700.00 

(MAS 1983). A sketch map included with the policy identified the parcel as Lot 219 and described 

a “Dwelling house 18 feet wide 24 feet long... two story high built of wood & covered with wood” 

that fronted on the south side of Frederick Street, at least 20 feet east of the intersection with 

Princess Augusta Street (present-day Charles Street) (Figure 3-74). Harvey, who had acquired the 

property in 1783, was a local merchant and one-time mayor of Fredericksburg in the early 1790s 

(CFDB A:46; The Virginia Herald 1791, 1792). The policy referred to a tenant named Samuel 

Lucas, so he apparently did not reside in the house.
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-72

Location Of George Aler

House (111-0132-0522) [

0 60 120

Feet

0 20 40

Meters

111-0132-0522
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-71 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-73: THE LOCATION OF PRESENT-DAY 314–316 FREDERICK STREET SHOWN ON A 

MAP OF LOWER FREDERICKSBURG IN 1768 (FELDER 1982). NOTE: ROGER DIXON'S LAND IS 

ON LEFT SIDE OF THE DASHED LINE. 

FIGURE 3-74: SKETCH MAP RECORDED ON A MUTUAL ASSURANCE POLICY (#25) ISSUED TO 

WILLIAM HARVEY IN 1796 DEPICTING A TWO-STORY, WOOD-FRAME DWELLING ON A 

PORTION OF CITY LOT 219 (PRESENT-DAY 310 FREDERICK STREET) (MAS 1983) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-72 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Following Harvey’s death in 1798, the property passed through several owners, including a 

gentleman named William Emmerson, who acquired Lot 219 and Harvey’s frame dwelling in 

1810 (CFDB D:275). Shortly thereafter he subdivided and sold a 73 feet by 132 feet section from 

its southern end (CFDB D:316). 

The remaining northern portion of the lot was purchased by George Aler in 1843 (CFDB M:460). 

According to land tax records, the property came with one taxable structure, presumably the twostory frame dwelling built by William Harvey in the 1790s, valued at $400.00. Seven years later, 

in 1851, he paid fees on two taxable structures, including the two-story frame dwelling valued at 

$750.00 and a second, newly erected building assessed at $250.00 (Stanton 2013). The latter, as 

depicted on an 1886 Sanborn Fire Insurance map, was a two-story brick dwelling with a onestory, rear, brick addition situated on the northwest corner of the parcel, the same building 

currently associated with 314–316 Frederick Street (Figure 3-75). Tax records for 1854 and 1855 

list Aler as the occupant of both buildings. A year later, the 1790s frame dwelling is listed as 

tenant-occupied and the new brick structure is described as a “jail” (Stanton 2013). 

George Aler owned and operated the largest of Fredericksburg’s brickyards at the time and, 

according to newspaper accounts, provided oversight, as well as labor and materials, for several 

notable construction projects around town, including St. Mary’s Church on Princess Anne Street 

and the Fairgrounds, west of town (Fredericksburg News 1857; Hennessy 2010a; Weekly 

Advertiser 1854, 1857). Though not documented in historical records, it is reasonable to assume 

that he also provided the labor and materials for the construction of the two-story brick building 

on his Frederick Street property. Aler was also active in the civic arena, serving at various times 

as a member of city council and the Superintendent of Streets. Between the late 1840s and 1860, 

he was also Fredericksburg’s leading slave trader (Hennessy 2010a). 

It is this latter role that may help explain the “jail” reference appearing in the 1856 land tax 

records. Evidence from historical records, including, in particular, the documented testimony of 

a slave named Isaac Williams, whom Aler had purchased in the early 1850s, suggests the brick 

building on Frederick Street may have been constructed and, for a few years (1856–1859), utilized 

as a slave jail. In a manuscript entitled, Sunshine and Shadow of Slave Life: Reminiscences As Told by 

Isaac D. Williams to “Tege,” published in 1885, Isaac Williams offers the following account: 

Fitzhugh finally agreed to their terms and I was sold to George A. Ayler of 

Fredericksburg, Virginia, a town situated on the Rappahannock river. Thither I 

was removed and kept by him in a sort of pen, where slaves and cattle were 

huddled promiscuously together. I was locked up at night in a little room just large 

enough to stand up in and kept there for nine days; then I was sold to Dr. James, 

a Tennessee slave dealer, who gave fifteen hundred dollars for me. ...One day I 

got leave to go across the road, to get some clothes that we had left in a house just 

opposite our prison pen [Williams 1885:9-10]. 

If William’s testimony does describe the present-day dwelling at 314–316 Frederick Street, then 

the “little room” he mentions may have been located in some portion of the building’s one-story 

rear addition. 

The presence of an enclosure to house enslaved individuals adjacent to the rail tracks follows in 

line with a development pattern seen throughout Virginia in the middle of the nineteenth 

century. In 1808, Congress enacted the African Slave Trade Act, which halted the practice of 

importing enslaved people into the United States (Gudmestad 1993). At the same time, the mid-
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-73 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Atlantic agricultural economy changed from labor-intensive crops such as tobacco to less laborintensive goods such as wheat. This change in agricultural practice resulted in an overabundance 

of enslaved labor in the mid-Atlantic region. This is in stark contrast to areas further south, where 

tobacco, rice, indigo, and other labor-heavy crops were king (Laird 2010:6). Since the foreign slave 

market had been cut off in 1808, planters in the south looked for other ways to meet their labor 

needs; one of the most prolific was purchasing individuals from the “overstock” areas to the 

north. This resulted in what has been called the “interstate slave trade” in America, which 

emerged in the 1820s and was prolific until the Civil War (i.e., Gudmestad 1993; Wright 1993:28–

32). 

Like many individuals in Alexandria and Richmond, such as Robert Lumpkin, George Aler 

capitalized on this trend. He owned two potential slave jails in downtown Fredericksburg: one at 

300 Caroline Street and the second at 314–316 Frederick Street. Both are within a block or two of 

the railroad tracks and near the Rappahannock River, but outside of the dense commercial core 

thus keeping overt evidence of the darkest side of slavery out of the direct public eye. 

References in the land records to the building at present-day 314–316 Frederick Street as an active 

jail cease after 1859. The following year, the occupants of both of Aler’s dwellings are listed as 

“tenants.” In 1861, Aler sold his portion of Lot 219 to Elizabeth McDougal, which included both 

the two-story, brick building and the 1790s frame house just to the east (CFDB T:296). Land 

records indicate that during her ownership tenure, Mrs. McDougall occupied half of the brick 

duplex and rented the other section to various tenants including, beginning in 1869, her daughter, 

Mary Jane Gately. 

In 1889, the eastern portion of the property containing the 1790s frame dwelling was subdivided 

and sold to William King (CFDB CC:176). Two years later, Elizabeth McDougal passed away 

leaving her remaining portion of Lot 219, containing the brick dwelling, to her daughter, Mary 

Jane Gately (CFWB I:323). The latter conveyed a deed of trust on the property to the Enterprise 

Building Association in 1894 and, in 1898, was sold by a special commissioner appointed in 

chancery suit involving Mary Jane Gately to Ella M. Hicks and her husband Richard for $400.00 

(CFDB EE:561, HH:245). 

It is not entirely clear if the brick dwelling at 314–316 Frederick Street was originally constructed 

as a duplex or if it was later reconfigured to serve as such, possibly in the late 1890s or very early 

1900s. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps published in 1886, 1891, and 1896 show only one street 

number (#222) in front of the building, no interior dividing wall, and a single, centrally located, 

interior doorway connecting the main block with the one-story rear addition (Figure 3-76) 

(Sanborn Map Company 1886, 1891, 1896). A Sanborn map published in 1902 however, depicts a 

two-unit dwelling with two assigned street numbers (#312 and #314) and two interior doorways 

leading to the rear addition (Figure 3-76) (Sanborn Map Company 1902). The 1902 map also 

indicates two apparently recent subdivisions of the lot, including a narrow strip from the 

northwest corner of the parcel with a lot line that extended north-south through middle of the 

brick dwelling, and a section from the south end of the property. Land records confirm that in 

1900, then-owner Ella Hicks built a small two-story, frame dwelling (present-day 317 Charles 

Street) on the 26.5 feet by 51 feet parcel subdivided from the south end of her Frederick Street lot. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-74 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-75: DWELLING AT PRESENT-DAY 314–316 FREDERICK STREET SHOWN ON AN 

1886 SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAP (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1886) 

FIGURE 3-76: GEORGE ALER HOUSE, 314–316 FREDERICK STREET SHOWN ON A 1902 

SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAP (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1902). NOTE: THE SKETCH 

SHOWS TWO INTERIOR DOORWAYS (ON REAR WALL OF MAIN BLOCK) FOR FIRST TIME. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-75 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Beginning in the late-nineteenth through the early-twentieth centuries, Mrs. Hicks and her 

husband, Richard Hicks, invested heavily in real estate, acquiring over 20 individual parcels near 

the south end of downtown (O’Brien 1999:4–5). The majority of these lay in the vicinity of Princess 

Anne, Charles and Prince Edward streets, including the property directly south of the 314–316 

Frederick Street parcel (designated 317 Charles Street) (CFDB HH:245). 

Sometime between 1927 and 1941, as evident from a review of Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, a 

one-story, four-bay, single-pile, frame addition was erected on the rear (south) elevation of the 

building’s one-story, rear, brick addition (Figure 3-77) (Sanborn Map Company 1941). In a 

photograph taken in 1949 looking north along Charles Street from a point just south of 314–316 

Frederick Street, this second rear addition appears to be a partially-enclosed, shed-roofed porch. 

FIGURE 3-77: GEORGE ALER HOUSE, 314-316 FREDERICK STREET SHOWN ON A 1941 

SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAP (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1941). NOTE: A ONE-STORY 

FRAME ADDITION HAS BEEN ERECTED ON THE REAR (SOUTH) ELEVATION 

OF THE DWELLING. 

Following Ella’s death in 1935, the property remained in the family until 1973, when the lot and 

dwelling were sold by Betty Sivak and her husband to the HFFI, a local preservation advocacy 

group (CFDB 150:101). The latter re-conveyed the property a year later, but retained a 

preservation easement, which was recorded with the deed (CFDB 152:248-249). A mid-twentieth 

century photograph of the building’s north elevation shows that the façade has not been greatly 

altered; however, a 1949 photograph of the duplex’s rear shows the second-story, brick addition 

visible on the current building (Figures 3-78 and 3-79) (Strobel 2015). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-76 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-78: NORTHEAST OBLIQUE VIEW OF 314-316 FREDERICK STREET 

TAKEN IN 1958 (HFFI N.D.) 

FIGURE 3-79: 1949 PHOTO SHOWING REAR (SOUTH) ELEVATION OF 316 FREDERICK 

STREET, LOOKING NORTH ALONG CHARLES STREET (STROBEL 2015). NOTE: THE REAR OF 

GEORGE ALER HOUSE, 314-316 FREDERICK STREET IS VISIBLE IN BACKGROUND. 

3.6.2 Architectural Description 

3.6.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior 

The property’s primary built resource is a two-story, four-bay, vernacular-style duplex 

constructed in 1851 (Figure 3-80). The building’s rectangular plan, measuring approximately 28.0 

feet by 33.0 feet in dimension, is oriented east-west with minimal setback and its primary 

elevation facing north (Figure 3-81). A continuous brick foundation supports the main block’s 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-77 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

brick frame, set in a five-to-one, common bond pattern, and a shallow-pitched, side-gabled roof 

clad in composite shingles. A large, central-interior, brick chimney with a corbelled cap rises 

above the main block and a second, smaller, interior brick chimney is visible near the center of a 

two-story, rear addition. 

FIGURE 3-80: SITE PLAN OF GEORGE ALER HOUSE, 314–316 FREDERICK STREET (1121-

0132-0522) (CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG 2017) (NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-78 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The two main entrances to the duplex are marked by a short brick stoop and a modern, sixpaneled, wood door situated near each end of the primary (north) elevation. Both doorways are 

recessed slightly and the east-end door is topped by a slightly-splayed, brick lintel. There are two 

additional secondary entrances on the rear (south) side of the building, each marked by a modern, 

two-paneled, wood door with a nine-light section of glass in their upper half. The west-side 

entrance is located near the west end of the south elevation of a one-story, one-bay frame 

addition. The second is situated on the east elevation of a one-story, one-bay, frame addition 

located near the east end of the building’s rear elevation. 

FIGURE 3-81: PRIMARY (NORTH) ELEVATION OF GEORGE ALER HOUSE, 314–316 

FREDERICK STREET 

Fenestration consists of one-over-one, double-hung, vinyl windows with simulated divided 

lights, brick sills, and molded wood frames. There are four windows on the primary elevation, 

including two symmetrically placed between the east- and west-end entrances, and two on the 

second floor centered in each half of the facade just below the roof’s simple molded cornice. The 

remaining fenestration includes a single window on the east and west elevations on the first floor 

of the rear, two-story, brick addition, and two windows on the second floor of the building’s rear 

elevation placed just below the roof on either side of the building’s midline. The latter have 

molded frames, but no brick sills. 

A one-story, four-bay, single-pile, brick addition, set in a five-to-one common bond, was added 

to the main block’s rear elevation either at the time of the building’s original construction or 

shortly thereafter. A second-floor, four-bay, single-pile, brick addition was erected atop the firststory addition sometime after 1958 as evidenced by a photograph taken that year, which shows 

only one story. The brick frame is set in an all-stretcher bond configuration. A one-story, fourbay, frame porch erected on the rear of the building during the early-twentieth century was later 

removed and replaced with two one-story, single-bay frame, rear-entry additions sometime in 

the late 1900s. The existing additions each have a shed roof sheathed in composite shingles. The 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-79 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

existing east- and west-side frame additions are clad in vinyl- and beaded-weatherboard siding, 

respectively, and both are topped by a shed roof sheathed in composite shingles. 

3.6.1.2 Primary Resource Interior 

Access to the interior of the duplex’s eastern section (314 Frederick Street) was not possible, but 

according to the homeowner, the two sides mirror one another very closely in terms of 

appearance, layout, and detailing (Michael Pappas, personal communication 2016). Though not 

currently visible, there is reportedly an interior doorway in the second floor’s central dividing 

wall, which was covered over when new sheetrock was installed in the 1970s (Michael Pappas, 

personal communication 2016). If original, the door’s presence would suggest there was free 

movement between the building’s two halves for some period of time. The front entrance to the 

western half of the building (316 Frederick Street) opens into a large, open living room space with 

a wood, closed-string staircase situated along the west wall that ascends to the second floor. The 

latter has a plain, square-plank handrail and simple, square balusters topped with turned caps. 

A small storage space lies beneath the south end of the staircase. The ceiling and walls are finished 

in sheetrock. The pine wood flooring in the main block’s first and second levels are original. 

Additional wood trim details include molded chair rails, baseboards with cavetto-style base caps, 

and molded wood door and window surrounds. There is a contemporary brick fireplace centered 

on the east wall. It has a slightly raised brick hearth, a four-panel glass screen, and a simple, whitepainted, built-up, mantel shelf supported in front by two L-shaped, wood brackets (Figure 3-83). 

FIGURE 3-82: FIRST FLOOR LIVING ROOM AND BRICK FIREPLACE ON THE EAST WALL, 

LOOKING NORTHEAST 

An opening near the west end of the rear (south) wall steps down into a kitchen space in the rear 

brick addition. The broad, wood-plank threshold of this doorway is original and years of use 

have created a concave depression near its center. The kitchen beyond has an unpainted, wood-
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-80 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

plank ceiling and alternating black-and-white linoleum tiles cover the floor (Figure 3-83). There 

is a contemporary brick fireplace installed at an angle in the southeast corner of this space. It has 

a slightly raised brick hearth, a four-panel glass screen, and an unpainted mantel very similar in 

appearance to the one in the living room. The angled wall space above the fireplace is covered 

with stained, horizontal, wood planks. An open doorway in the south wall steps down into the 

one-story, rear, frame addition, which contains a laundry area and an enclosed half-bath. 

The staircase in the living room ascends to a large, open bedroom on the second floor (Figure 3-

83). A simple wood-plank railing secured by two square posts and topped with turned caps 

surrounds the second-floor landing. The walls and ceilings are finished in sheetrock and pine 

wood flooring is original. The room’s lone window has a molded wood surround and a plain 

wood sill. There is a modern brick fireplace centered on the east wall identical to the one in the 

living room below. A shallow closet with wood louvered doors occupies the space on the south 

side of the fireplace. Reportedly, the interior doorway that once connected the two halves of the 

building still exists behind the sheet rock on the back wall of the closet (Michael Pappas, personal 

communication 2016). A square wood panel near the northwest corner of the ceiling provides 

access to an attic space. A six-panel, wood door centered on the north wall opens and steps down 

into a second bedroom in the rear brick addition. The walls and ceiling are covered in sheetrock 

and floor is carpeted. Another six-panel wood door on the east wall opens into a modern full 

bath. 

3.6.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The duplex, known as the George Aler House, at 314–316 Frederick Street is a vernacular dwelling 

constructed in 1851. It is unclear whether the building was originally constructed as a duplex or 

as a single-family home that was later reconfigured to serve as such. For the first five years 

following the building’s construction in 1851, then-owner, George Aler, is listed in land tax 

records as the tenant of both the brick building and the 1790s frame dwelling on his portion of 

Lot 219. Between 1856 and 1859, the frame house is described as tenant-occupied and the brick 

building as a jail. By 1902, a Sanborn map shows an interior dividing wall extending north-south 

through the center of the building. Though it has undergone a number of interior and exterior 

changes over time, the core of the original building remains intact and in generally good 

condition. Changes to the dwelling’s interior have also been made over the years, including the 

replacement of wall- and ceiling-plaster, however other original materials (in the main block), 

such as the wood flooring, molded wood chair rails and base boards, door and window 

surrounds, fireplace mantels, and staircase, still survive. These elements still collectively reflect 

the home’s relatively modest, almost utilitarian, interior design, which reflects the surrounding 

neighborhood’s mixed industrial/residential character that manifested and evolved during the 

late-eighteenth- and early twentieth-centuries. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-81 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-83: STAIRCASE ON WEST WALL OF FIRST FLOOR LIVING ROOM, LOOKING 

SOUTHWEST (TOP); OVERVIEW OF KITCHEN AND BRICK FIREPLACE IN SOUTHEAST 

CORNER, LOOKING SOUTHEAST (MIDDLE); SOUTH BEDROOM ON SECOND FLOOR, LOOKING 

NORTHWEST (BOTTOM) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-82 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Though the building has undergone a number of changes over time, including several additions 

and the replacement of all original exterior siding and windows, it retains sufficient integrity of 

design, location, association, workmanship, setting, and feeling to merit NRHP-eligibility 

consideration. It is recommended eligible for individual listing on the NRHP under Criterion A 

for its associations with Fredericksburg’s African American population and slave trade during 

the mid-1800s. It is one of the last extant buildings with a direct association to the practice of 

slavery in Fredericksburg and one of the few above-ground reminders of the slave trade in 

Virginia in most areas, such as the Shockoe Bottom in Richmond, all evidence of this practice 

were demolished in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. 

It is also recommended eligible for listing on the NRHP under Criterion B at the local level for its 

associations with George Aler, who was Fredericksburg’s leading slave trader from the 1840s 

through 1860. Though the building survives as one of Fredericksburg’s few mid-nineteenthcentury brick duplexes, its design does not embody any distinctive characteristics of a type, 

period, or method of construction, or represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic 

values and is therefore, not recommended NRHP-eligible under Criterion C. As an architectural 

resource, the property was not evaluated under Criterion D. 

In sum, the George Aler House at 314–316 Frederick Street is recommended eligible for the 

NRHP under Criterion A at the local level for its association with Fredericksburg’s African 

American community and Criterion B at the local level for its association with George Aler. 

Additionally, this resource is situated within the boundaries of the Fredericksburg Historic 

District (111-0132). Its date of construction (1851) falls within the District’s period of significance 

(1721–1921) and the building’s design is reflective of the city’s prevailing architectural and 

historic trends. As such, the property should be considered a contributing element to the 

Fredericksburg Historic District.

The proposed NRHP boundary for the George Aler House at 314–316 Frederick Street follows the 

legal lot description for two parcels in their entirety (Parcel Numbers 7789-22-0849 and 7789-22-

0827) (Figure 3-84). It is bounded on the northwest by Frederick Street, on the southwest by 

Charles Street, on the southeast by a lot containing a single-family dwelling (Parcel Number 7789-

22-0856), and on the northeast by a large industrial building (Parcel Number 7789-22-1954). The 

proposed boundary for this resource includes the George Aler House, fence, and enclosed yard. 

Because this resource is significant only during the ownership of George Aler, the period of 

significance spans from 1851, when the house was constructed, to 1861, when Aler sold it the 

property to Elizabeth McDougal. 
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02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP 

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-84

Proposed NRHP

Boundaries For The

George Aler House

(111-0132-0522)

[

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Feet

0 20 40

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111-0132-0522
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-84 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.7 PULLIAM’S SERVICE STATION (111-0009-0795) 

The property presently known as Pulliam’s Service Station (111-0009-0795), is located at 411 

Lafayette Boulevard in within the boundaries of the Fredericksburg Historic District Expansion 

(111-0009) in the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The parcel is more particularly located on the 

northeast corner of the boulevard’s intersection with Kenmore Avenue (Figure 3-85). The 

surrounding neighborhood is marked by a mix of commercial and industrial properties. 

3.7.1 Historic Context 

The property located at 411 Lafayette Boulevard was part of lot 292 in the southwest corner of 

city block 86 of Fredericksburg. Between 1902 and 1904, a local businessman named J. W. Masters 

acquired lot 292 and a north-adjoining property (lot 293). He established a planing mill and 

lumber yard business on the northern two-thirds of the combined parcel. As evident on the 1927 

Sanborn Fire Insurance map shown in (Figure 3-86), the lower portion of Masters’ property (the 

current 411 Lafayette Boulevard lot), remained undeveloped, due in part to the fact that a section 

of an old mill race still extended through the parcel’s southwest corner. 

The late 1920s witnessed several developments that would help shape the future of the 411 

Lafayette Boulevard lot. In 1927, a new section of Route 1 connecting Richmond with Washington, 

D.C. was completed. The roadway passed through downtown Fredericksburg bringing traffic 

along Princess Anne Street and Lafayette Boulevard (then-called National Boulevard). A year or 

two later, Kenmore Avenue was extended southward to Lafayette Boulevard covering the mill 

race mentioned above. Finally, in 1929, J. W. Masters died and ownership of lots 292 and 293 

passed to his two children, Ada and Howard Masters (CFWB R:2006; Spencer 2013). 

The siblings, along with Ada’s husband, Edward Gibson, continued operating their late father’s 

mill and lumber yard for several more years (Spencer 2013). Around 1936, the family, no doubt 

seeing the potential investment opportunity that Route 1 presented, decided to develop the south 

end of the Prince Edward Street parcel. A year later, a new filling station was erected on the site 

and leased to a man named, T. Olin Linthicum (Fredericksburg City Directory 1938). The new 

Linthicum Service Station was a rectangular-shaped, one-story building of concrete block 

construction. Interestingly, it featured a Mission Revival-style design with a hipped, terra cottatiled roof, a white stuccoed exterior, and large storefront windows. As shown in a 1938 

photograph, the building fronted onto a large concrete parking lot with the pumps out front and 

a fence lined with planted shrubs, running along the north and east sides of the lot. A tall sign 

near the road bearing a star-in-circle logo announced to drivers that the new station sold Texaco 

Oil Company products (Figure 3-87). The photo also shows what may be a possible service area 

just to the west of the station (same location of the site’s current two-bay garage). 

 
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Architectural

Preferred

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-85

Location Of Pulliam's

Service Station

(111-0009-0795)

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Feet

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111-0009-0795
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-86 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-86: THE 411 LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD LOT SHOWN ON A 1927 SANFORD FIRE 

INSURANCE MAP (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1927) 

FIGURE 3-87: 1938 PHOTOGRAPH OF 411 LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD, LOOKING WEST 

(RAINES 1938) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-87 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The first filling stations, which began to appear around 1910, were simple, curb-side hand pumps 

connected to a below- or above-ground tank (Figure 3-88) (Lienhard 1997). When congestion due 

to increasing traffic made access to the pumps problematic, they gave way to a new form: the 

drive-up filling station. The first of these were typically one-story, rectangular-shaped buildings 

with gas pumps out front, covered, in some cases, by a canopy. Many were built along gateway 

corridors, ideally on corner lots with two or more points of access. Where they adjoined 

residential neighborhoods, station designers began incorporating revival-inspired architectural 

styles popular at the time, such as the Colonial and Tudor Revival styles, to give them a more 

“house-like” appearance and better blend them into their surroundings (Figure 3-89). The “house 

type” model typically contained office/sales space, a storage area, and public restrooms (Center 

of Preservation Research [CoPR] 2015:3; Jakle and Sculle 1994:45; Randl 2008; Rosin 2010:4). At 

the same time, gas stations were also becoming increasingly tied to corporate identity. Oil 

companies developed standardized, prefabricated designs intended “to coordinate logos, color 

schemes, signage, and building architecture” (Kaszynski 2000:65). The Texaco Oil Company, 

which by the 1920s had expanded to 46 states, including Virginia, had adopted the Mission 

Revival style for many of its new stations, featuring terra cotta-tile roofs, large windows, and 

stucco exteriors (Landscape Change Program 2011; Moore and Mace 2016:4-11). 

Figure 3-88: Early-Twentieth Century Photo of Curb-side Gas Pumps Outside of Spitlers Auto 

Supply Company (205 Commerce [NoW WILLIAM] Street) iN Fredericksburg (Johnston 1927) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-88 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-89: FORMER “HOUSE-STYLE” GAS STATION AT 100 WILLIAM STREET (CITY OF 

FREDERICKSBURG 2017) 

Around 1940, the one-story, concrete-block building that presently stands on the east side of the 

411 Lafayette Boulevard lot, was constructed, and as indicated on the 1941 Sanborn Fire Insurance 

map shown below (Figure 3-90), housed a restaurant. 

FIGURE 3-90: THE 411 LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD PROPERTY SHOWN ON A 1941 SANBORN 

FIRE INSURANCE MAP (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1941) 

The presence of the new eatery, which was advertised as “Mack’s Lunch” in the 1947–1948 

Fredericksburg City Directory and had its own address (407 Lafayette Boulevard), was not 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-89 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

unusual for this period. Prior to World War II (WWII), the terms “filling station” or “gasoline 

station” were standard. During the 1930s, however, owners began expanding their auto-related 

products and adding new auto repair services and by the post-War period, the term “service 

station” had become common (Keenov and Baxter 2005:E-11). Expanded services were not 

exclusively limited to automobiles. Many stations also added sit-down restaurants and curbside 

food service to attract tourist traffic. A block south of the Linthicum Service Station, the Horton's 

Esso Filling Station and Dining Room offered an indoor restaurant and served curbside barbeque 

(Figure 3-91). 

In 1946, Edward Gibson acquired his brother-in-law, Howard Masters’ half interest in the 411 

Lafayatte Boulevard lot (CFDB 82:451). A year later there was apparently a change in 

management and corporate affiliation as the 1947–1948 city directory lists the business as 

Blackley’s Esso Station. In 1949, the name changed again to Johnson & Hurlock’s Mobil Gas. Also 

around this time, the circa-1940, one-story building was repurposed as office space for a used cars 

enterprise called Blackley’s Used Cars (Spencer 2013). 

FIGURE 3-91: EARLY-TWENTIETH CENTURY PHOTO OF HORTON'S ESSO FILLING STATION 

AND DINING ROOM (301 LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD) (CENTRAL RAPPAHANNOCK HERITAGE 

CENTER [CRHC] CIRCA 1930) 

The 1950s were a period of expansion and improvement for the operation at 411 Lafayette 

Boulevard. In 1951, Edward Gibson, as the owner, was issued a permit to construct a new 26.5 by 

28-foot “service shop & grease storage addition” (Stanton 2014). The permit describes the 

proposed structure as an addition, but its dimensions closely match those of the detached twostall service garage that presently stands on the lot. The new building’s design, featuring simple, 

rectangular-shaped massing and a flat roof, was typical of service stations during this era. The 

previously-discussed expansion of auto-related products and service offerings that manifested in 

the 1930s had, by the post-WWII years, spurred another shift in gas station form. The previous 

“house style” model was replaced by the “oblong box,” an expandable, rectangular-shaped form 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-90 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

comprised of adjoining, flat-roofed bays that housed space for additional auto services (Jakle and 

Sculle 1994:144, 156). 

In 1955, the property’s circa-1940, one-story building, which up to this point had maintained its 

own address (407 Lafayette Boulevard), was folded into the site’s service station facilities (Spencer 

2013). Three years later, in 1958, Gibson was issued another permit for the installation of two 

4,000-gallon, below-ground, gas tanks (Stanton 2014). 

Edward Gibson passed away in 1972 and, sometime thereafter, ownership of the station and lot 

was conveyed to Johnson & Hurlock. A year later the business became a Texaco station and 

operated as such for the next decade. In 1983, Rixey Johnson gained full ownership and changed 

the name of the business to Johnson’s Automotive (Spencer 2013). In 1989, after 42 years in the 

business, Johnson retired and leased the property to Kennedy’s Towing and Repair. Two years 

later, the lot and facilities were purchased by Lee P. Rowe for $45,000. In 1995, the site was leased 

to its current proprietor, Pulliam’s Auto Center, Inc. (CFDB 242:313; Spencer 2013). 

3.7.2 Architectural Description 

The built complex includes a circa-1937, single-story, filling station flanked on either side by a 

detached one-story garage and is set on a 0.39-acre, irregularly-shaped lot with a curved southern 

boundary that follows the alignment of the roadway connector between Kenmore Avenue and 

Lafayette Boulevard (Figure 3-92). The parcel is flat and open with covered primarily by a mix of 

concrete and paved-asphalt parking areas and is accessed from the street at the southeast and 

southwest corners of the lot. The site is bordered by a large paved parking lot to the north and a 

poured concrete sidewalk along the south. Vegetation is limited to a narrow strip of grass along 

the east side of the parcel and small grassy areas on the north side of the built complex. A verticalplank, wood fence composed of 6-foot, arched sections fastened to square wood posts borders 

the north and east sides of the parcel. The posts are topped by a pointed finial. Additional wood 

fencing extends laterally from the filling station in center to the east- and west-flanking garages. 

The latter has a paired set of gates at center, providing access to parking area in the northeast 

corner of the parcel. 

3.7.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior 

The property’s primary resource is a one-story, one-bay (structural), former filling station 

constructed circa-1937 in the Spanish Mission Revival style. The building is set back some 

distance from the street near the center of a 0.39-acre lot with its rectangular plan oriented eastwest and its primary elevation facing south. A concrete slab foundation supports the building’s 

concrete-block frame. The latter is clad in white stucco with grey trim and topped by a hipped 

roof sheathed in original, terra-cotta, barrel tiles with broad overhanging eaves. A single, faux, 

interior, brick chimney is visible near the east end of the roof ridge (Figures 3-93 and 3-94). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-91 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-92: SITE PLAN OF PULLIAM’S SERVICE STATION (111-0009-0795) (CITY OF 

FREDERICKSBURG 2017) (NOT TO SCALE) 

The primary entrance, marked by full-light wood door topped by a transom window, is centered 

on the south elevation. Large, square, storefront windows topped by two-pane transoms flank 

the entry door, and simple paneled pilasters frame either end of the elevation. A band of 

decorative brick veneer covers the bulkhead panels on the façade (south elevation) and continues 

along the east and west elevations. The band consists of a five-course section set in an all-stretcher 

bond bordered at top by a single rowlock course and at the bottom by a single soldier course. 

Narrow bands of grey trim extend horizontally along the top of each façade, beneath the 

overhanging eaves. 

There are two secondary entrances marked by a single, six-paneled, wood door positioned at the 

north end of both the east and west elevations, which formerly led to women’s and men’s 

restrooms. A single lighting fixture is visible beneath overhanging eaves near the southeast corner 

of the building and two small cameras are similarly mounted at the southwest corner. 

Fenestration includes a metal casement window on the east and west elevations, and a small, 

three-pane, wood-framed, hopper window on the east wall located between the metal casement 

window and restroom door. A single, small, three-pane, wood-frame window is also visible at 

either end of the rear (north) elevation. There is a small, rectangular, cinder-block addition 

centered on the rear elevation of the former filling station (Figure 3-95). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-92 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-93: PRIMARY (SOUTH) ELEVATION OF THE FORMER FILLING STATION AT 411 

LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD 

FIGURE 3-94: SOUTHEAST OBLIQUE VIEW OF THE FORMER FILLING STATION AT 411 

LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-93 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-95: ONE-STORY, CONCRETE-BLOCK REAR (NORTH) ADDITION 

3.7.2.2 Primary Resource Interior 

Photographs of the building’s interior were not permitted and only limited access was possible 

during the most recent site visit. Based on a cursory inspection, the original layout appears to be 

generally intact with an open area at front and a couple of doorways in the north half of the space 

possibly leading to a storage room and the northeast corner restroom. Such an arrangement was 

fairly typical of early-twentieth century, house-type, filling stations. The main entrance usually 

opened into a sales and product display area with, depending on the facility’s size, additional 

rooms, such as an office or storage space, located to the rear. In cases where the design 

incorporated separate men’s and women’s facilities, like this resource, interior access to the men’s 

room was also common (Randl 2008). 

3.7.2.3 Secondary Resources 

The property contains two secondary resources. The first is a circa-1940, one-story, five-bay 

garage situated near the lot’s eastern boundary (Figure 3-96). The building’s rectangular plan is 

oriented north-south with its primary elevation facing west. A concrete foundation supports 

concrete-block walls and a hipped roof clad in composite shingles with overhanging eaves. The 

main entrance is marked by a single, slightly recessed, wood door at the center of the west 

elevation. There is also single-bay garage door opening at the south end of the building. 

Fenestration includes two, three-over-one, double-hung, wood windows on the south side of the 

main entrance, a small, four-pane, wood-framed, hopper or awning-style window on the north 

side of the main entry door, and a similarly-sized, boarded-up window space near the north end 

of the façade. Four more three-over-one, double-hung, wood windows present on the rear (east) 

elevation. When originally constructed, this building housed a restaurant, but was later adapted 

for other uses, including an office for used car business. It presently serves as additional auto 

service space. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-94 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-96: SOUTHEAST OBLIQUE VIEW OF THE CIRCA-1940, ONE-STORY GARAGE 

The lot also contains a circa-1950, one-story, two-bay, concrete-block, service garage located just 

west of the primary resource (Figure 3-97). The square-plan building is set back from the street 

roughly the same distance as the filling station with its primary elevation facing south. The 

building has a concrete slab foundation and a flat roof with metal coping. Overhead segmental 

garage doors provide access to each bay on the south elevation, and two single-leaf doors on the 

east wall offer pedestrian access. Fenestration includes two, multi-light, metal windows on the 

east, west, and north walls. 

FIGURE 3-97: SOUTHEAST OBLIQUE OF THE CIRCA-1950 SERVICE GARAGE 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-95 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.7.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The one-story concrete building at 411 Lafayette Boulevard is a Mission Revival-styled, “housetype” filling station constructed around 1937. Popular architectural styles were incorporated into 

gas station designs to help them blend in with surrounding residential neighborhoods. 

Eventually, particular designs became closely tied to corporate identities and oil companies began 

developing standardized designs to help promote brand recognition and sell their products 

(Blanton 2012:E2). The Texaco Oil Company, which had expanded nationwide, initially 

developed its Mission Revival-styled stations for its home state and southwest markets, but as 

the visual link between model and brand solidified, the design was deployed to other areas of the 

country as well, including the east coast (Moore and Mace 2016:3–5). Only a few known examples 

remain extant in Virginia (Figure 3-98). 

FIGURE 3-98: TWO EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY, MISSION REVIVAL-STYLED GAS STATIONS 

IN WARRENTON (LEFT) AND WINCHESTER (RIGHT), VIRGINIA 

(ROADSIDEARCHITECTURE.COM N.D.) 

Though a number of changes have been made to the site over time, including the removal of the 

original gas pumps and the addition of two new buildings, such alterations are not uncommon 

and, in fact, reflect the evolution of gas and service station design during the twentieth century, 

as adjustments were made in response to shifting industry trends and design aesthetics. The 

former filling station’s original design remains intact and readily discernable. It retains key 

elements of its Mission Revival style, including the stuccoed concrete exterior, hipped roof and 

terra-cotta barrel tiles, and the decorative band of brickwork at the base of the wall. The scale and 

interior layout of its “house-type” form, which typified station design during the 1920s and 1930s 

also remains intact. The original windows also survive. Overall, this resource remains in good 

condition and retains sufficient integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, 

feeling, and association to warrant its consideration for listing in the NRHP. 

The former filling station presently known as Pulliam’s Service Station is recommended eligible 

under Criterion A, in the areas of commerce and transportation at the local level, as a reflective 

example of the important impact that the automobile had on Fredericksburg’s economy and built 

environment during the early decades of the twentieth century. The growing popularity of the 

automobile combined with coursing Route 1 through Fredericksburg in 1927, had a significant 

and tangible effect on the city. A host of auto-related businesses, including filling and service 

stations, tourist homes and motels, dealerships, and restaurants, grew up along gateway 

corridors and adjoining streets during this period. While many of the buildings that housed those 

businesses have been lost or repurposed over time, the 411 Lafayette Boulevard complex has 

continuously served the auto-related needs of travelers and local residents for over three-quarters 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-96 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

of a century. It is also an illustrative example of oil companies’ efforts to leverage gas station 

design as a branding tool during the first half of the twentieth century. 

The property bears no known associations with any particularly significant individuals, and is 

therefore not recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion B. The former filling 

station is a good example of a specific building form developed and utilized, in this case by the 

oil industry, to brand and market products. Its design, which combines the Mission Revival style 

applied to a house-type gas station, was utilized by the Texaco Oil Company during the 1920s 

and 1930s to market and brand its auto-related products and services. Moreover, it is one of only 

a handful of known examples left in Virginia. One of these, a circa-1920 service station, is also 

located in Fredericksburg (2400 block of Princess Anne Street), but its design and form have been 

negatively impacted by an out-of-scale, two-bay, service-garage addition that intrudes on the 

footprint of the original section (Figure 3-98). For these reasons, this resource is also 

recommended eligible for the NRHP under Criterion C at the local level. As an architectural 

resource, the property was not evaluated under Criterion D. 

In sum, Pulliam’s Service Station at 411 Lafayette Boulevard is recommended eligible for the 

NRHP under Criterion A at the local level for its association with the important impact that 

the automobile had on Fredericksburg’s economy and built environment during the early 

decades of the twentieth century, and under Criterion C at the local level as an example of an 

early-twentieth century, Mission Revival-styled, house-type, gas station, and a building form 

developed and utilized to brand and market automobile-related products. 

Additionally, this resource is situated within the boundaries of the Fredericksburg Historic 

District Extension (111-0009). Its date of construction falls within the District’s period of 

significance (1794-1967) and the building’s design is reflective of the city’s prevailing architectural 

and historic trends. As such, the property should be considered a contributing element to the 

Fredericksburg Historic District Extension. 

The proposed NRHP boundary for Pulliam’s Service Station at 411 Lafayette Boulevard follows 

the legal lot description for one Fredericksburg City parcel: Parcel Number 7789-13-5279 (Figure 

3-99). It is bounded on the west and south by the intersection of Prince Edward Street, Kenmore 

Avenue, and Lafayette Boulevard, on the northeast a two-story commercial property (Parcel 

Number 7789-13-6375), and on the northwest by an empty lot currently used for parking (Parcel 

Number 7789-13-4472). The proposed boundary for Pulliam’s Service Station includes the service 

station, two garages, and surrounding parking areas. The period of significance for Pulliam’s 

Service Station begins in circa 1937, when the original fueling station was constructed. Because it 

continues to be associated with Fredericksburg’s automobile industry, the DC2RVA Team 

applied the NPS 50-year-rule for defining periods of significance for resources “where activities 

begun historically continued to have importance and no more specific date can be defined to end 

the historic period” (NPS 1997). As such, the period of significance spans from circa 1937 to 1968. 
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Legen d

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP 

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-99

Proposed NRHP

Boun daries for Pullium’s

Service Station

(111-0009-0795)

[

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Feet

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Meters

111-0009-0795
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-98 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.8 FREDERICKSBURG HISTORIC DISTRICT EXTENSION (111-0009) 

The Fredericksburg Historic District Extension (111-0009) encompasses an approximately 40-

block area bordering the north, west, and south margins of Fredericksburg’s original 50-block 

downtown Fredericksburg Historic District (111-0132), listed in the NRHP in 1971 (Figures 3-100 

and 3-101). The eastern boundary of the extension district runs along the Rappahannock River at 

the north end, then follows the west side of the existing Fredericksburg Historic District midway 

between Prince Edward and Winchester streets, and along the west side of Dixon Street at the 

south end. To the west, the boundary extends southward along Charles Street for roughly three 

and a half blocks, where it intersects with the Washington Avenue Historic District (111-5262), 

Sunken Road, and the Fredericksburg and Confederate Cemeteries (Figure 3-101). At the south 

end, the margin stretches along Lafayette Boulevard, the Virginia Central Railway Trail, Hazel 

Run, and Dixon Street. The district was briefly resurveyed as part of reconnaissance studies 

conducted as part of the DC2RVA project, where it was found that the district remained 

potentially eligible (Staton and Lesiuk 2015). 

Though the proposed extension area contains a handful of late-eighteenth-century resources, 

including, for example, the 1794 dwelling at 504 Hanover Street known locally as Federal Hill 

(111-0030), the majority of resources date from the early-nineteenth through the mid-twentieth 

centuries. The area is characterized by residential neighborhoods intermixed with pockets of 

industrial and commercial development. Also present are several churches, cemeteries, and other 

green spaces, schools, and commemorative memorials. The extension area’s existing building 

stock exhibits a wide range of architectural styles, including both high-style and vernacular 

examples. Collectively, they reflect and embody the community’s 200-plus year evolution from 

eighteenth-century port town to modern city. 

3.8.1 Historic Context 

The town of Fredericksburg was surveyed and platted in 1727. Almost immediately, the 

community began to grow and, by 1730, had become the 10th largest shipping port in the colonies. 

In 1759, continuing growth necessitated the extension of the community’s boundaries (Alvey 

1978:1–2). The area that is within the current historic district was sparsely populated during the 

eighteenth century. It comprised a handful of larger farms on the outskirts of the growing town. 

 
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-100

Location Of The

Fredericksburg Historic

District Extension

(111-0009)

[

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111-0009
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Preferred Alternative

111-0009

111-0132

111-5262

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-101

Fredericksburg Historic

District Extension (111-0009)

in Relation to other NRHPListed Historic Districts in

the City of Fredericksburg

[ 0 500 1,000

Feet

0 200 400

Meters

Fredericksburg Historic

District Extension

(111-0009)

Fredericksburg

Historic District

(111-0009)

Washington Avenue

Historic District

(111-5262)
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-101 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Fredericksburg continued to prosper as a port town into the nineteenth century. In fact, by 1840, 

over $4 million worth of goods were being shipped annually from its ports (Willis and Felder 

1993:6). To facilitate the movement of those goods, local merchants and officials began discussing 

plans for a new canal system. Construction on the Rappahannock Navigation System, which 

comprised a network of dams, locks, and canals, began in the late 1820s, but a lack of funds 

delayed its completion until 1849 (André and Moore 2008:52). The new canal was one of the many 

reasons that the city boundaries were, once again, expanded. This increase, occurring in 1851, 

included many large tracts that are part of the Fredericksburg Historic District Extension 

(Johnston and Smith 2001:8–22). One of the new canal sections extended through the proposed 

district along the present-day route of Kenmore Avenue. Despite, or perhaps because of, the 

construction of the canal, residential development in this area continued to be sparse during this 

period. While the canal system was originally designed to help funnel water to provide water 

power throughout the city, many residents found the new canal ditches to be extremely 

convenient places to deposit household refuse, human waste, and other detritus. The canals soon 

became blocked and putrid (Fredericksburg Area Tourism Department 2017). 

The town’s burgeoning prosperity changed drastically in the early 1860s, with the onset of the 

Civil War. Numerous battles occurred within and around Fredericksburg, including a 

particularly bloody engagement known as the First Battle of Fredericksburg. On December 13, 

1862, Union troops crossed the Rappahannock River, marching through the town to attack 

Confederate lines entrenched along some high ground to the west of downtown (today’s Marye’s 

Heights). Confederate forces deployed behind a stone wall bordering the present-day Sunken 

Road repelled a series of attacks until, finally, on the night of December 15th, Federal forces were 

finally forced to withdraw back across the river during (Marvel 1993:3; Willis and Felder 1993:52). 

This attack traversed almost the entire stretch of land that is now part of the historic district 

extension (Figure 3-102). The mostly undeveloped broad vista was the scene of indescribable 

horror, and the buildings in the soldiers’ wake were damaged—some beyond salvation. 

FIGURE 3-102: VIEW OF HANOVER STREET CORRIDOR AND MARYE’S HEIGHTS (REAR) 

DURING THE CIVIL WAR, LOOKING WEST (CIVIL WAR TRUST 2018). THIS VIEW IS 

LOOKING AT THE PROPOSED DISTRICT EXTENSION AREA. 

The Civil War decimated the physical and cultural fabric of not only the extension area but the 

whole town and surrounding areas. The next decade was marked by economic decline and, as a 

result, new development was limited (Johnston and Smith 2001:8–23). Despite the destruction, 

however, area inhabitants remained in town, determined to rebuild their lives and their homes. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-102 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The community’s population expanded after the war as emancipated slaves and white farm 

owners whose properties had been destroyed during the conflict, flooded into town looking for 

work in one of the growing number of industrial factories and mills. 

The town grew so rapidly and so large that Fredericksburg was incorporated into a city in 1879 

(Willis and Felder 1993). The rebuilding of the railroad in the 1870s, which had been rendered 

useless after destruction during the war, made the canal system essentially obsolete, but bolstered 

the community’s emerging industrial economy (Malvasi et al. 2010:101). New roads were also 

built to and from Fredericksburg for area farmers and merchants to deliver and receive goods. 

Development sprawled from the commercial center to encompass new neighborhoods to the 

north and south of town, including the extension area. 

By the 1880s, Fredericksburg had largely recovered from war’s destruction, and new 

opportunities for growth were emerging. As a result, the areas surrounding the downtown 

district saw a spike in new residential development (Johnston and Smith 2001:8–-24). The 

Fredericksburg Development Company (FDC), organized by a group of local businessmen, 

purchased a significant amount of land in and around town (Figure 3-103). This group, as well as 

several other ventures, purchased parcels in the extension areas and platted out smaller urban 

lots for future residential structures. A nationwide financial panic in 1893 stalled development 

activities for several years, and the FDC and other groups were forced to sell most of their 

holdings (Johnston and Smith 2001:8–30). Given this, development remained limited until the 

turn of the century even though some parcels in the extension area had been cleared and platted. 

The late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century industrial successes of Fredericksburg led to a 

tremendous need for housing, most notably for the emerging middle class. The lots in the 

extension district, already platted and within a moderate walking distance of town, were the 

perfect solution. Domestic residences sprang up along its streets by the dozens, and limited 

commercial, ecclesiastic, educational, and industrial buildings accompanied this growth. 

In 1927, a new section of Route 1 connecting Richmond with Washington, D.C. was completed. 

The roadway passed through downtown Fredericksburg bringing traffic along Princess Anne 

Street and what is now Lafayette Boulevard. A year or two later, Kenmore Avenue was extended 

southward to Lafayette Boulevard covering the canal mentioned above. By the 1950s, a Route 1 

bypass was created outside of town and through-traffic was diverted, most of the lots in the 

extension area had been developed. The few open lots were subsequently built upon in the second 

half of the twentieth century, leaving a densely populated and architecturally rich fabric. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-103 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-103: MAP OF SUBDIVISION DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE 

HISTORIC DISTRICT EXTENSION AREA (MALVASI ET AL. 2010:35) 

3.8.2 Architectural Description 

The Fredericksburg Historic District Extension (111-0009), encompassing approximately 40 

blocks bordering the north, west, and south margins of the city’s original 50-block downtown 

district, includes almost 500 buildings. The area encompasses a mixture of mostly nineteenth- and 

twentieth-century residential enclaves, with pockets of industrial and commercial development 

located along sections of the Princess Anne Street, Kenmore Avenue, William Street, and 

Lafayette Boulevard corridors. The existing housing stock exhibits a variety of materials and a 

wide range of architectural styles, including Italianate, Queen Anne, Shingle, Colonial Revival, 

and Craftsman, expressed in both formal and vernacular designs. Collectively, they reflect and 

embody the area’s evolution from eighteenth-century outskirts to an inner-city neighborhood. 

The oldest resource, Federal Hill (111-0030), is a frame dwelling at 504 Hanover Street, 

constructed circa-1794. The house exhibits a transitional design, blending elements of both 

Georgian and Federal styles (Figure 3-104). The building’s odd angle when compared to the linear 

street grid reflects its early origins. Two dwellings in the district date to the early-nineteenth 

century, both of which survived the Civil War—the Freeman House on Littlepage Street and the 

Rowe House at 801 Hanover Street (111-0107) (Figure 3-105). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-104 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Although the vast majority of the building stock dates to the twentieth century, several domestic 

structures reflect popular late-nineteenth-century styles, such as the Italianate dwelling at 601 

Spottswood Street and the Queen Anne-styled houses along Lewis and Winchester streets 

(Figures 3-106 and 3-107). While some early-twentieth-century residential buildings continued 

the tradition of using stylized and patterned designs, such as the dwellings constructed in the 

foursquare form found in the 800 block of Charlotte Street (Figure 3-108), some of the smaller lots 

in the extension area were the ideal site for working class homes. These dwellings tended to be 

frame construction and two stories in height and typically one room wide to fit on increasingly 

divided lots. A sample of these can still be seen in the 600 block of George Street (Figure 3-109). 

The 1920s and 1930s brought an eclectic building stock to this area. While most of the construction 

tended to revolve around single-family dwellings, the designs varied from Colonial Revival, 

Tudor Revival, and Craftsman-styled houses to those embracing the bungalow and Cape Cod 

forms (Figures 3-110 through 3-112). Most of the buildings from the 1950s and into the latetwentieth century continued to be one- to one-and-a-half story residences with simple forms. 

FIGURE 3-104: 1794 FEDERAL HILL DWELLING AT 504 HANOVER STREET (111-0030) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-105 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-105: SOUTH ELEVATION OF THE 1828 FEDERAL-STYLE ROWE HOUSE AT 801 

HANOVER STREET (111-0107) 

FIGURE 3-106: SOUTHWEST OBLIQUE OF ITALIANATE-STYLE DWELLING AT 601 

SPOTTSWOOD STREET 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-106 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-107: VIEW OF QUEEN ANNE-STYLE DWELLINGS ON THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF 

LEWIS AND WINCHESTER STREETS, LOOKING SOUTHEAST 

FIGURE 3-108: VIEW OF SEVERAL FOURSQUARE HOUSES ALONG THE 800 BLOCK OF 

CHARLOTTE STREET, LOOKING EAST 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-107 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-109: TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY, VERNACULAR WORKER HOUSING AT 602 AND 604 

GEORGE STREET, LOOKING EAST. BLOCK OF GEORGE STREET, LOOKING SOUTHEAST 

FIGURE 3-110: PRIMARY (NORTH) ELEVATION OF A 1935 COLONIAL REVIVAL-STYLED, 

CAPE COD DWELLING AT 529 GEORGE STREET (LEFT) AND SOUTHEAST OBLIQUE VIEW OF 

1920 DUTCH COLONIAL REVIVAL DWELLING AT 810 HANOVER STREET (RIGHT) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-108 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-111: SOUTH ELEVATIONS OF A 1940 CRAFTSMAN BUNGALOW AT 907 WILLIAM 

STREET (LEFT) AND A 1946 COLONIAL-REVIVAL-STYLED CAPE COD HOME AT 

905 WILLIAM STREET (RIGHT) 

FIGURE 3-112: EAST ELEVATION OF A TUDOR REVIVAL-STYLED DWELLING AT 914 

HANOVER STREET 

Although the majority of the building stock comprises residential structures, early- and midtwentieth-century commercial properties populate much of the north side of Lafayette 

Boulevard—a product of the corridor’s one-time role as part of Route 1—and William Street. 

These include gas stations, restaurants, and service buildings (Figure 3-113). The Matthew 

Fontaine Maury School at 900 Barton Street (111-0009-0014), constructed in 1919, represents 

educational development which was needed as the city’s population expanded (Figure 3-114). 

The extension area is also home to several churches, including, among others, the Classical 

Revival-styled Fairview Baptist Church at 900 Charlotte Street, built in 1925, and a 1930 brick 

church at 821–823 Lafayette Boulevard, which is now the local headquarters for the Salvation 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-109 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Army (Figure 3-115). The Fredericksburg City Cemetery and north-adjoining Confederate 

Cemetery (111-0009-0129) also lie within the proposed extension area, on the northwest corner of 

William Street and Washington Avenue. 

FIGURE 3-113: SOUTHWEST OBLIQUE OF A FORMER 1930S FILLING STATION (PULLIAMS 

AUTO) AT 401 LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD (111-0009-0795) (LEFT) AND SOUTHWEST OBLIQUE 

VIEW OF MR. DEE’S RESTAURANT AT 701 LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD (RIGHT) 

FIGURE 3-114: EAST ELEVATION OF THE MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY SCHOOL AT 900 

BARTON STREET (111-0009-0014) 

FIGURE 3-115: NORTH ELEVATION OF THE FAIRVIEW BAPTIST CHURCH AT 900 CHARLOTTE 

STREET (BUILT 1925) (LEFT) AND SOUTH ELEVATION OF CHURCH AT 821–823 LAFAYETTE 

BOULEVARD (BUILT 1930) (RIGHT) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-110 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The twenty-first century is represented by pockets of new construction, including a new, mixeduse development (townhomes with ground-floor commercial space) on the north side of the 500 

block of William Street and the Cobblestone Apartments complex built in 2012 between Lafayette 

Boulevard and the CSXT rail line at the south end of the proposed district extension (Figure 3-

116). Instances of new residential, infill development were also noted throughout the project area. 

FIGURE 3-116: OVERVIEW OF APARTMENTS AT COBBLESTONE SQUARE AT 627 

COBBLESTONE CIRCLE, LOOKING EAST 

3.8.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The proposed Fredericksburg Historic District Extension (111-0009) embodies and helps to 

narrate the city’s growth and evolution from late-eighteenth century, riverside port town to a 

modern city. The extension area as a whole retains sufficient integrity of location, setting, feeling, 

association, design, materials, and workmanship despite some modern infill, lingering neglect in 

some areas, and replacement of historic materials, which are common characteristics of 

consistently growing historic cities or towns. 

Land that was once farmland on the outskirts of town became an important hub for residential 

occupancy during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. While most of 

Fredericksburg’s upper and upper middle class inhabited the areas closer to downtown, this part 

of the city was within walking distance to many of the city’s establishments but offered those of 

the working class and middle class the opportunity to own a home on moderate-sized lots. The 

building stock directly reflects the eras of financial prosperity and economic hardships faced by 

this community. Beyond the residential development, the commercial buildings on the perimeter 

of the district directly reflect this area’s importance as cross-route town as travelers traversed 

what was then Route 1 along Princess Anne Street and Lafayette Boulevard. It is therefore 

recommended that the district is eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A for its overall 

contribution to trends in community planning and development that exhibit broad patterns of 

history within Fredericksburg. 

The resource has no known association with any significant event or person and therefore is 

recommended not eligible for the NRHP under Criterion B. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-111 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The architectural stock in the district ranges from modest, small-scale, vernacular, worker 

housing to large, high-style dwellings, interspersed with commercial, educational, ecclesiastic, 

and industrial places. Signs of deterioration and structural integrity issues were noted in the area 

resulting largely from vacancy, protracted neglect, and deferred maintenance. Other integrity 

issues observed include the replacement of historic fabric with modern materials, such as vinyl 

siding and windows; however these are common modifications. Some new, larger-scale, 

contemporary development was noted within the district extension area, including, for example, 

multi-story townhomes along the 500 blocks of Amelia, Winchester, and William streets, built 

2015–2017, and a multi-unit residential complex known as the Apartments at Cobblestone, built 

2010, at the south end of the extension area. Despite these integrity issues and some infill, the 

preponderance of the buildings in the district date to the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth 

century and provide an excellent cross section of building styles and forms which most directly 

represent the use of this area as a suburban-turned-urban residential enclave and exhibit many 

of their original character-defining features. This area also exhibits good examples of adaptive 

reuse, notably the former G. H. Manufacturing Plant, which was converted for use as office space, 

and the Matthew Fontaine Maury School (111-0009-0014), which now houses condominiums. 

Due to its disparate yet rich character and integrity, it is recommended that the district is eligible 

under Criterion C for its architectural merit. As an architectural resource, this property was not 

evaluated under Criterion D. 

In sum, the Fredericksburg Historic District Extension (111-0009) is recommended as eligible for 

listing in the NRHP under Criterion A for its overall contribution to the developmental history 

of Fredericksburg and Criterion C for its architectural merit with a period of significance of 

1794, the year Federal Hill was constructed, through 1967. 

The Fredericksburg Historic District Extension (111-0009) encompasses an approximately 40-

block area bordering the north, west, and south margins of Fredericksburg’s original 50-block 

downtown Fredericksburg Historic District (111-0132), listed in the NRHP in 1971 (Figure 3-117). 

The eastern boundary of the extension district runs along the Rappahannock River at the north 

end, then follows the west side of the existing Fredericksburg Historic District midway between 

Prince Edward and Winchester streets, and along the west side of Dixon Street at the south end. 

To the west, the boundary extends southward along Charles Street for roughly three and a half 

blocks, where it intersects with the Washington Avenue Historic District (111-5262), Sunken 

Road, and the City of Fredericksburg and Confederate Cemeteries. At the south end, the margin 

stretches along Lafayette Boulevard, the Virginia Central Railway Trail, Hazel Run, and Dixon 

Street. 
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Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-117

Proposed NRHP

Boundaries For The

Fredericksburg Historic

District Extension

(111-0009)

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Meters

111-0009
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-113 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.9 SLAUGHTER PEN FARM (088-0254) 

The Slaughter Pen Farm property (088-0254) is located at 11190 Tidewater Trail (State Route 17), 

in the northeast corner of Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It adjoins the tracks of the former RF&P 

Railroad, approximately 2.5 miles southeast of downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia (Figure 3-

118). This resource is a 200.61-acre historic farm with a Civil War landscape component. The 

extant built complex includes a circa-1898, two-story, frame dwelling and several frame 

outbuildings. 

3.9.1 Historic Context 

The Slaughter Pen Farm property, known also at different points as the “Wayside Farm” and 

“Pierson Farm,” was originally part of a larger 4,972-acre land patent conveyed by the Virginia 

Colony Assembly to Major Thomas Laurence Smith in 1679. In 1728, Mann Page of Gloucester 

County, acquired a 3,500-acre patent in what is now Spotsylvania County described as the 

“westernmost corner of a patent granted to Lawrence Smith and Robert Taliaferro, both 

deceased” (Library of Virginia n.d.). The first member of the Page family to reside in Spotsylvania 

County however was Mann Page, III (1749–1803). He arrived in the early 1770s and erected a 

grand stone mansion along the south bank of the Rappahannock River (opposite the present-day 

Slaughter Pen Farm property), near the port of Fredericksburg. The new house became the center 

of large plantation estate Page had named “Mannsfield” (Gordon 1936:1–2). 

When Mann Page, IV died in 1803, his estate was divided between his heirs. His widow, Mary 

Page, received as her dower the Mannsfield home and approximately 800-plus acres at the north 

end of the family’s Spotsylvania landholdings (Spotsylvania County Will Book [SCWB] W-D 

C:200). Several years later, Mary remarried and moved to Prince William County. Her share of 

the Mannsfield estate was sold through several transactions to William Bernard (SCDB S:365, 

U:126, BB:463). The latter had relocated from King George County around 1811 and begun 

acquiring real estate in the Fredericksburg region, including, in addition to Mannsfield, an 845-

acre tract known as Garnetts Quarter and a 160-acre property called Merry Hill (SCDB R:453, 

AK:76). 

In 1836, a portion of Bernard’s Mannsfield tract was conveyed to the RF&P Railroad Company 

(chartered in 1834) for a new rail line they were constructing (Griffin 1994; SCDB FF:371). A 

section of the railway, which reached Fredericksburg in 1837, extended along the boundary of the 

current Slaughter Pen Farm parcel’s western boundary. Seven years later, in 1844, William 

Bernard passed away. His Mannsfield estate was divided into two sections and, his sons, Arthur 

H. H. Bernard and Nathaniel A. Bernard, drew lots to determine which part they would receive. 

Arthur was granted the Mannsfield manor house and 563 acres of surrounding land, and Nathan 

received the remainder (SCWB W-BB:16). 

The Mannsfield estate was among the largest plantations in the area during this period. In 

addition to the main house and grounds, the built complex included an array of outbuildings of 

varying form and function spread out over the property’s 1,800 acres. Among these were several 

clusters of slave quarters, built to house the Bernard family’s 70-plus slaves. One of these, 

consisting of at least three, one-story, frame cabins and a stone-lined well, occupied a low knoll 

just west of the current Slaughter Pen property. A circa-1860s map depicts the small enclave 

(identified as “Bernard’s Cabins”) (Figure 3-119) (Hennessy 2010b; Swain 2008). 
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Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-118

Location Of Slaughter Pen

Farm (088-0254)

[

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0 200 400

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088-0254
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-115 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The Civil War had a substantial impact on the Fredericksburg area and the Slaughter Pen Farm. 

On December 13, 1862, the Slaughter Pen Farm was the site of a violent clash between Union and 

Confederate forces during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Federal troops led by Major General 

William B. Franklin, crossed the open fields at Slaughter Pen to attack Confederate defensive 

positions located on some high ground in the woods just west of the RF&P rail line (Figure 3-120). 

Elements of a Union regiment commanded by General George Meade and John Gibbon 

successfully advanced to the woods, even reaching and crossing the railroad tracks, but were 

repelled by reserve Confederate forces called up by General Stonewall Jackson to counter the 

attack. The Federal troops were pushed back to the road (present-day Tidewater Trail/SR 17) and 

retreated. When the fighting had stopped, approximately 5,000 soldiers were dead (Rafuse 2011; 

Schemmer 2009; Sullivan 2011). The fighting was so intense and deadly that, in the aftermath, 

some Union soldiers gave the site a name: the “Slaughter Pen” (O’Reilly 2006:236). Sometime 

between December 1862 and May 1863, the Mannsfield estate’s main house was destroyed in a 

fire (Miller and Lanier 1911:22; Northington 1936). On the 1862 map, which was published in 

1867, the word “ruins” appears next to the site (which is incorrectly identified as belonging to 

“Burnett” rather than Bernard). 

FIGURE 3-119: LOCATION OF SLAUGHTER PEN FARM AS SHOWN ON A CIRCA-1860S MAP OF 

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY (STANFORD CA. 1860) (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-116 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-120: PLAN MAP OF THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA, DECEMBER 13, 

1862 WITH STRUCTURE ON SLAUGHTER PEN TRACT (SNEDEN CA. 1862). NOTE: UNION 

FORCES REPRESENTED IN PURPLE AND CONFEDERATE FORCES REPRESENTED IN RED IN 

MAP. (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 

An article on the Mannsfield estate written by a war correspondent for the New York Times in May 

1865 noted that just prior to the Battle of Fredericksburg, the property’s owner, A.H.H. Bernard, 

“a wealthy Secessionist, middle-aged bachelor,” had reportedly attempted to cross the Union 

lines, but was captured and imprisoned. The article also mentions that the Mannsfield mansion 

house, which had been used as a hospital during the battle, had since accidentally burned 

(Northington 1936; Tiernan 1901). 

It is unclear whether Arthur H. H. Bernard ever permanently returned to Spotsylvania County 

(the 1870 U.S. Census lists him as a resident of Richmond, Virginia). He died in 1891 and three 

years later, his heirs sold 290 acres of the family estate to Thomas P. Yerby for $1,500 (SCDB 

AH:288; Fredericksburg Free Lance 1891). The 1893 plat map shows the Bernard’s partitioned 

Mannsfield estate (Figure 3-121). The 290-acre portion bordering the south side of the “Road” 

(present-day Tidewater Trail/Route 17), included the Slaughter Pen Farm tract, then 240 acres in 

size, and a north-adjoining, 50-acre parcel that, according to land records, had formerly been part 

of the larger Merry Hill Farm tract (Spotsylvania County Plat Book [SCPB] AG:224). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-117 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-121: 1893 PLAT MAP OF 1,141.66-ACRE BERNARD ESTATE (SCPB AG:224). NOTE: 

THE 240-ACRE SLAUGHTER PEN FARM PROPERTY AND ADJOINING 50 ACRES OF THE MERRY 

HILL FARM ARE OUTLINED IN RED. (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 

Following his acquisition, Yerby conveyed a deed of trust on the 290-acre tract, apparently to 

fund some planned improvements (SCDB AF:70). An extract from a 1904 suit between W. S. 

Embrey (plaintiff) and Thomas P. Yerby, Sr., recorded in a City of Fredericksburg Circuit Court 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-118 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

order book, offers details concerning the new construction that occurred on the property during 

this period. According to the court records, a log tenant house with a two-story frame addition 

attached to one end was built on the Slaughter Pen tract in the “early winter” of 1894 (City of 

Fredericksburg Circuit Court 1904). Other improvements included a new barn/stable, a carriage 

building, a windmill, two tenement houses, additional outbuildings, fencing, and drainage 

ditches. The barn, erected at a cost of $1,800, was reportedly large, housing 40 stalls and space for 

feed storage. The court record also noted that the extant two-story, Italianate-styled, frame 

dwelling was constructed around 1898 by a local carpenter named Mason Garner (City of 

Fredericksburg Circuit Court 1904). A review of land records from this period also indicate that 

Yerby, who resided with his family on an 800-acre plantation to the south called Belvoir, 

apparently named his newly acquired property “Wayside” (SCDB 90:381, 488; 94:148). 

Yerby sold small portions of the tract, including 5 acres on the south side of the RF&P rail line, to 

Richard M. Doswell in 1898 (SCDB AI:262) and another 2.0 acres from the southwest corner of 

the property to the RF&P Railroad in 1906 (SCDB AV:255). At some point in the early 1900s, 

Thomas Yerby developed health problems and moved his family to their Wayside property so he 

could be closer to his physician. In February 1907, he passed away following a bout with 

pneumonia (Findagrave.com 2017a). In the 1910 U.S. Census, his widow, Jane R. Yerby, is listed 

as the head of a household that included her daughter, Lena P. Yerby, and three grandchildren. 

Lena, was reportedly managing the family farm (U.S. Census 1910). In 1911, Thomas’ daughter, 

Jane D. Yerby, married a gentleman from Caroline County named Victor R. Pierson (The Times 

Dispatch 1911). A decade later, in 1920, the U.S. Census listed Victor R. Pierson in residence at 

Slaughter Pen Farm with his wife, Jane (“Jenny”) D. Pierson, and their three children. Victor’s 

profession was described as a dairy and grain farmer. 

Ownership of the property eventually passed to their son, John Wallace Pierson, who resided on 

the farm until his own death in 2005. In his obituary, published in the Fredericksburg Free LanceStar, he was described as a “retired dairy farmer and an avid gardener” (Findagrave.com 2017b). 

In 2006, his heirs sold the tract for $12 million to the Civil War Trust; a nonprofit organization 

dedicated to the preservation of the country’s significant Civil War-era battlefields (Schemmer 

2014). After acquiring the property, the Trust placed the property under a preservation easement 

held by the DHR (DHR 2007:67). 

In 2014, the Civil War Trust hired a contractor to demolish several buildings on the property, 

including a vacant house near the boundary with Shannon Airport, a frame milking barn, several 

frame sheds, and two wells (Schemmer 2014). 

3.9.2 Architectural Description 

The property known as Slaughter Pen Farm currently consists of a circa-1898 main dwelling, 

circa-1894 tenant house, two agricultural buildings, two domestic outbuildings, and a ditch fence 

(Figure 3-122). When initially surveyed in 1996, a substantial number of secondary resources were 

recorded in association with this property. In recent decades at least 11 buildings have been 

demolished at Slaughter Pen Farm, many of which were related to its twentieth-century 

agricultural use. However, the farm itself is best known for its role in the 1862 Battle of 

Fredericksburg. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-119 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.9.2.1 Primary Resource Exterior 

As detailed in previous investigations, the main dwelling at Slaughter Pen Farm is a latenineteenth-century, two-story, three-bay, Italianate residence (Figure 3-123). It rests primarily on 

a continuous brick foundation, laid in American bond and extending to a one-story rear ell; 

however, the foundation of the north wing has been replaced with continuous poured concrete. 

The house’s frame structural system is currently clad in vinyl siding and covered by a hipped 

roof sheathed in standing-seam metal. A wood cornice wraps around the two-story main massing 

of the house and is ornamented by dentils and scrolled brackets. Two interior, corbelled, brick 

chimneys pierce the roof of the main massing while a third chimney appears to have been 

relocated from the center of the rear ell to the exterior of the same. The main entry and other 

fenestration at the first floor was boarded over at the time of survey, but upper level windows 

are two-over-two (vertical muntins), double-hung, wood sashes. At the rear, or southwest 

elevation, a two-story, projecting, gabled bay extends from the center and a one-story ell extends 

from the south corner of the house—both of which appear original to its design (Figure 3-124). 

Two four-light, wood-framed, casement windows are located in the gabled ends of these 

extensions. A one-story, lean-to addition was made to the north side of central projecting bay, 

likely at the same time that the foundation around the north wing of the house was replaced. A 

lean-to porch was also added to the north elevation of the rear ell sometime in the early-twentieth 

century. 

3.9.2.2 Secondary Resources 

Two domestic outbuildings are located in proximity to the main dwelling, previously identified 

as a kitchen and shed (Figure 3-125). The circa-1900, one-story, one-room, summer kitchen has a 

frame structural system clad in weatherboard which is currently resting directly on the ground. 

The building is covered by a front-gabled roof sheathed in v-crimped metal and features a small 

interior-end brick chimney at the southeast elevation. A single-leaf entrance is located on the 

northwest elevation while a single, six-over-six, double-hung, wood-framed, sash window marks 

the center of both the northeast and southwest elevations. At the interior, the kitchen walls have 

been covered in drywall and a portion of the brick flue removed. 

The building previously identified as a shed is better described as a cold storage building. 

Constructed from primarily concrete block circa 1950, this building rests on a poured concrete 

slab and is covered by a front-gabled roof sheathed in v-crimped metal. The roof is supported by 

a nailed, king-post, truss system made from two-by-fours clad in weatherboard at the gabled 

ends. Fenestration is limited to the northwest elevation where a single-leaf entry provides access 

to the building and gabled ends on both the northwest and southeast elevations feature a 

louvered wood vent at the gable allows warmer air to escape. A small concrete-block pump house 

covered by a metal-clad shed roof extends from the southeast elevation (Figure 3-126). At the 

interior, a simple wood work table lines the southwest wall. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-120 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-122: SITE PLAN FOR SLAUGHTER PEN FARM (088-0254) (NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-121 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-123: SLAUGHTER PEN FARM, VIEW OF FAÇADE OR NORTHEAST ELEVATION 

FIGURE 3-124: SLAUGHTER PEN FARM, REAR OR SOUTHWEST ELEVATION 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-122 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-125: SLAUGHTER PEN FARM, VIEW OF DOMESTIC OUTBUILDINGS LOOKING 

NORTHEAST 

FIGURE 3-126: SLAUGHTER PEN FARM, SOUTH OBLIQUE OF COLD STORAGE SHED 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-123 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Located closest to the main dwelling is a frame building previously identified as a barn, but which 

is more accurately described as a granary or storehouse (Figure 3-127). This building appears to 

have been built circa 1920 and used to store crops and other goods, perhaps for direct sale from 

the property to area farmers. This building has multiple additions, many of which rest on a 

continuous poured-concrete foundation and have a frame structural system clad in diagonal 

plank sheathing. At the two-story, three-bay, original section of the storehouse, this sheathing is 

further clad in asbestos siding while a large rear addition, likely used to store hay, is sided with 

corrugated metal. Both of these sections are covered by a front-gabled roof sheathed in v-crimped 

metal. A single-leaf wood door provides access to the granary from the primary or southeast 

elevation. A concrete-block addition extends from the east corner of the building and has been 

modified in recent decades, opening the southeast side to serve as a four-bay machine shed. 

Another smaller addition extends from the north corner of the building and is covered with 

overgrowth. It rests on continuous poured concrete, has a frame structural system clad in 

diamond-shaped asphalt shingles, and is covered by a shed roof. A lean-to porch addition 

extends from the middle of the southwest elevation to shelter two large loading bays, one of 

which is covered by a sliding wood door. From the northeast elevation, a window in the 

foundation lets light into a basement area. 

FIGURE 3-127: SLAUGHTER PEN FARM, EAST OBLIQUE OF GRANARY (TOP); SLAUGHTER PEN 

FARM, SOUTHWEST ELEVATION OF GRANARY (BOTTOM) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-124 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

A barn previously identified as a “Horse and Wagon Barn,” does not appear to have served either 

in recent decades. The original section of the barn was likely constructed circa 1920. It rests on a 

continuous poured-concrete foundation and has a balloon-frame structural system clad in 

weatherboard siding. It is covered by a gambrel roof sheathed in v-crimped metal and features a 

large hay hood at the southeast elevation (Figure 3-128). At some point in the mid-twentiethcentury, the southwest wall of the barn was removed and replaced by a series of metal posts with 

a poured-concrete floor below and a lean-to addition made that included a feedway for cattle 

(Figure 3-129). Another lean-to addition was made to the southeast side of this earlier expansion 

and may have provided a space for machine or wagon storage. A third barn, last surveyed in 

October 2015, has been recently demolished. This barn appears to have been of pole-type 

construction and may have been the circa-1900 horse barn mentioned in local court records (City 

of Fredericksburg Circuit Court 1904). Some of the large poles used to support this barn remained 

on site, but most of the materials have been removed. 

A circa-1894, one-and-a-half-story, tenant house—part of which is log construction—was also 

noted in local court records (Figure 3-130). Shortly after initial construction, a frame addition was 

made to the northwest end of the house. Both sides of the house are clad in weatherboard siding 

and covered by a side-gabled roof sheathed in v-crimped metal. An interior-end brick chimney 

is partially visible at the southeast end of the house and an exterior-end brick chimney is centrally 

located on the northwest elevation. The building was covered in overgrowth and could not be 

closely inspected during the current survey. However, a partial-width, one-story porch was 

observed across the southwest elevation and is believed to shelter the main entrance. Windows 

are six-over-six, wood-framed, double-hung sashes throughout the house. A one-story rear ell is 

located at the north corner while a lean-to addition extends across much of the southeast elevation 

of the house. 

FIGURE 3-128: SLAUGHTER PEN FARM, SOUTHEAST ELEVATION OF BARN 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-125 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-129: VIEW OF CENTRAL AISLE AND FEEDWAY AT RIGHT IN BARN LOOKING 

SOUTHEAST 

FIGURE 3-130: NORTHEAST OR REAR ELEVATION OF TENANT HOUSE 

According to signage posted by the Civil War Trust, a “Virginia Ditch Fence” runs in a northwestsoutheast direction across the center of Slaughter Pen Farm (Figure 3-131). This feature predates 

the Civil War and continues to divide the farms pastures and fields, improving drainage 

throughout the property. Over time, the ditch has become shallower and narrower, but remains 

clearly visible from the ground and in historic aerials of the farm. Though few other built features 

survive from the time of the Civil War at Slaughter Pen Farm, the area remains underdeveloped 

with many battle viewshed left intact (Figure 3-132). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-126 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-131: VIEW OF DITCH FENCE AND FIELDS CROSSED BY GENERAL JOHN GIBBON’S 

UNION TROOPS DURING THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG, LOOKING NORTHEAST FROM 

DRIVEWAY 

FIGURE 3-132: SLAUGHTER PEN FARM (088-0254), VIEW ACROSS FIELDS TOWARDS RF&P 

RAILROAD AND JACKSON’S CONFEDERATE TROOPS DURING THE BATTLE OF 

FREDERICKSBURG, LOOKING SOUTHWEST ALONG DRIVEWAY 

3.9.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The Slaughter Pen Farm property (088-0254) was the site of a fierce engagement during the Battle 

of Fredericksburg in December 1862. On December 13th, Federal troops led by Major General 

William B. Franklin, crossed the property’s open fields to attack Confederate defensive positions 

in the woods just west of the RF&P rail line. Though Federal troops briefly succeeded in breaking 

through the Confederate line, they were repelled by a counterattack and forced to retreat. 

The action at Slaughter Pen Farm was one of the most intense engagements of the Battle of 

Fredericksburg and the Civil War as a whole. The fighting resulted in more than 5,000 casualties 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-127 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

and the awarding of five Congressional Medals of Honor. The Union forces’ penetration of the 

Confederate line, though brief and ultimately repelled, was one of their only successful actions 

of the entire Battle of Fredericksburg (Civil War Trust 2017). 

Though a post-Civil War dwelling and small farm complex were erected on the property, the site 

retains much of its Civil War-era layout and appearance, and possesses sufficient integrity of 

setting, feeling, location, and association. For these reasons, the Slaughter Pen Farm property 

(088-0254) is recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion A for its significance 

and association with the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg with a period of significance 

dating between 1861 and 1865. 

The resource has no known associations with any particularly significant people and, therefore, 

is recommended not eligible for the NRHP under Criteria B. Though the property’s circa-1898, 

Italianate-style primary dwelling remains extant, it has been vacant for a number of years and is 

in a deteriorating state. These condition issues have impacted the building’s integrity of design, 

materials, and workmanship. Moreover, though the surrounding property retains its rural 

character, the demolition of associated outbuildings and structures has impacted the dwelling’s 

integrity of setting, feeling and association with regard to its significance as an element of 

agricultural complex. Lastly, the building does not embody characteristics of a type, period, or 

method of construction, represent the work of a master, possess high artistic value, or represent 

a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction. For 

these reasons, this resource is recommended not eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion 

C. This property was not evaluated under Criterion D. 

In sum, the Slaughter Pen Farm property (088-0254) is recommended as eligible for listing in 

the NRHP under Criterion A for its significance and association with the December 1962 Battle 

of Fredericksburg with a period of significance dating between 1861 and 1865. 

In 2014, DHR staff determined that the resource contributes to the eligibility of the Fredericksburg 

and Spotsylvania County Battlefields National Military Park Historic District (111-0147). The 

DC2RVA Team recommends that it continue to contribute to the historic district. 

The proposed NRHP boundary for the resource at Slaughter Pen Farm at 11232 Tidewater Trail 

follows the legal lot description for one Spotsylvania County parcel: Parcel Number 25-A-27 

(Figure 3-133). It is bounded to the southwest by the current CSXT railroad tracks, to the 

northwest by a private airport, to the northeast by Tidewater Trail, and to the southeast by several 

industrial properties. The proposed boundary for Slaughter Pen Farm includes a dwelling, 

kitchen, shed, granary, barn, Virginia Ditch Fence, and agricultural fields. 
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP 

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-133

Proposed NRHP

Boundaries for Slaughter

Pen Farm (088-0254)[

0 500 1,000

Feet

0 200 400

Meters

088-0254
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-129 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.10 THE CITY OF RICHMOND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS 

MAINTENANCE YARD (127-6840) 

The City of Richmond Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard (127-6840) at 2728 

Hermitage Road is located within a predominately industrial area of the city. The resource is 

currently bounded on the west by the CSXT railroad (historically the RF&P Railroad, 500-0001) 

and situated south of the Richmond Flying Squirrel baseball stadium and Avenue of Champions 

(Figures 3-134 through 3-136). This resource was recorded in 2016 as part of the DC2RVA rail 

identification-level survey. At that time, access to the resource was not obtained and the DC2RVA 

Team recommended that additional studies would need to be completed in order to gather 

sufficient data to make an NRHP eligibility evaluation. In a letter dated November 30, 2016, DHR 

concurred with this recommendation. 

In early 2017, this City of Richmond Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard was 

demolished. The current narrative provides a brief history of the complex and lot followed by 

photographs of the lot as it currently appears and an updated recommendation on resource 

eligibility to complete the evaluation process. 

FIGURE 3-134: LOT OF THE FORMER CITY OF RICHMOND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS 

MAINTENANCE YARD (127-6840), LOOKING SOUTH FROM AVENUE OF CHAMPIONS 
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Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-135

Former Location Of The

City Of Richmond

Department Of Public

Works Maintenance Yard

(127-6840)

[

0 100 200

Feet

0 30 60

Meters

127-6840
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-131 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-136: CITY OF RICHMOND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS MAINTENANCE YARD 

(NOTED IN WHITE) IN 2016 (TOP) AND IN 2017 AFTER DEMOLITION (BOTTOM) (GOOGLE 

2010, 2016) (MAPS NOT TO SCALE) 

3.10.1 Historic Context 

Throughout the nineteenth century and the turn of the twentieth century, the area in which the 

City of Richmond Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard was located was near Henrico 

County’s southern border (Richmond Assessor of Real Estate 2011). Although infrastructure in 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-132 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

the county, such as the RF&P Railroad and present-day Hermitage Road, Brook Road, and North 

Boulevard, were in place by the late 1800s, Richmond’s dense development along its northern 

edge was bounded by Broad and Lombardy streets throughout the first two decades of the 1900s, 

leaving southern Henrico County relatively rural during this period (Figure 3-137) (United States 

Geographical Survey [USGS] 1895). 

FIGURE 3-137: 1895 USGS 15-MINUTE TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA (USGS 

1895). THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF THE RICHMOND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS 

MAINTENANCE YARD IS NOTED IN BLUE. (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 

In 1906, the Virginia State Agricultural Society established the Virginia State Fair on a triangular 

piece of land bounded by the RF&P Railroad, North Boulevard, and Hermitage Road (Figure 3-

138) (State Fair of Virginia Records 2017). In addition to the development of railroad spurs and a 

series of internal roads that provided convenient multi-modal access to the grounds, the owners 

advertised and contracted outside firms for construction of a race track, grand stand, and a variety 

of other buildings and structures (Sanborn Map Company 1950; The Times Dispatch 1906a; USGS 

1934). For the first time in its new location, the Virginia State Fair captivated audiences from 

October 9 to October 13, 1906. The owners boasted a new track for horse races and trotting events, 

a midway complete with amusement features from Coney Island, a hot air balloon, visiting 

military from other cities and states, parade, a medieval tournament with knights, “The Great Air 

Ship,” which was the “first Air Ship ever brought to Virginia,” and a wide variety of exhibits 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-133 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

including those on farming machinery, women’s work, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and 

livestock (Figure 3-139) (The Times Dispatch 1906a, 1906b, 1906c, 1912). 

FIGURE 3-138: ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE RAILROADS TO THE NEW 

STATE FAIR SITE (THE TIMES DISPATCH 1906B) 

FIGURE 3-139: ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE 1912 VIRGINIA STATE FAIR (THE TIMES 

DISPATCH 1912)
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-134 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Over the next several decades, the State Fair continued to operate in this location and its presence, 

along with continued advances in streetcars, roadway technology, and automobiles, likely helped 

spur additional development beyond Broad and Lombardy streets into neighboring Henrico 

County (Figure 3-140) (USGS 1934). In 1914, the City of Richmond annexed a large swath of land 

in southern Henrico County primarily populated with early-twentieth-century suburban 

neighborhoods; this area was also dotted with industrial buildings, especially along the RF&P 

Railroad, including the Virginia State Fairgrounds at Boulevard (Richmond Assessor of Real 

Estate 2011). 

During the 1930s and 1940s, the City of Richmond constructed a variety of buildings at the 

southern edge of the fairgrounds, including maintenance garages, auto and truck repair shops, 

storage buildings, offices, and workshops and the southern end of this group of warehouses is 

the City of Richmond Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard (Figures 3-141 and 3-142) 

(Sanborn Map Company 1950, 1952). The State Fair remained in this location on North Boulevard 

until 1946, when Atlantic Rural Exposition, Inc. relocated the fairgrounds to a new site on 

Laburnum Avenue in Henrico County (Richmond Times-Dispatch 2009). 

FIGURE 3-140: 1934 7.5-MINUTE USGS TOPOGRAPHIC MAP (USGS 1934). THE CITY OF 

RICHMOND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS MAINTENANCE YARD IS NOTED IN BLUE. 

(MAP NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-135 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-141: CITY OF RICHMOND DEPARTMENT PUBLIC WORKS BUILDINGS ALONG 

HERMITAGE ROAD IN 1950 (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1950) (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 

FIGURE 3-142: DETAIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS 

MAINTENANCE YARD AT 2728 HERMITAGE ROAD IN 1950 (SANBORN MAP COMPANY 1950) 

(MAP NOT TO SCALE) 

Although the State Fair moved from this location, this area in Richmond continued to be a spot 

for local attraction when, in 1954, a stadium that was built as part of the old fairgrounds was 

formally repurposed for baseball; it was known as Parker Field (Figure 3-143). In 1985, the 

baseball complex known as Parker Field was demolished and replaced by the current stadium 

known as the Diamond, currently the home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels (United Press 

International, Inc. 1985). The area south and southeast of the baseball complex remains heavily 

industrial. In 2017, the City of Richmond Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard was 

demolished. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-136 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-143: 1974 AERIAL MAP (RIGHT) (USGS 1974). THE CITY OF RICHMOND 

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS MAINTENANCE YARD IS NOTED IN BLUE. 

(MAPS NOT TO SCALE) 

3.10.2 Architectural Description 

City of Richmond Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard once comprised an office, 

workshop, auto repair shop, and a machine shed. In early 2017, this resource, including all 

buildings, parking lots, roads, and other infrastructure, was demolished. Today, the lot is covered 

in grass; no above-ground elements remain of the once-extant complex (see Figure 3-134). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-137 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.10.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The City of Richmond Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard at 2728 Hermitage Road 

was an industrial complex associated with machine and auto repair. It was demolished in early 

2017, resulting in a complete loss of historic integrity. As such, the City of Richmond Department 

of Public Works Maintenance Yard is recommended not eligible for the NRHP under Criteria 

A‒C. It was not evaluated under Criterion D; however, photographs taken of the demolition show 

notable subsurface disturbances completed during the demolition process. The probability for 

encountering intact, significant archaeological deposits is low. 

3.11 CHESAPEAKE & OHIO RAILROAD SEGMENT (127-6793) 

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Segment (C&O Railroad Segment) (127-6793), the currently 

documented segment of a much larger railroad system, runs from the Shockoe Valley area of 

downtown Richmond near North 20th Street, westward along the northern bank of the James 

River and ending at Powhite Parkway (Route 76) (Figure 3-144). 

3.11.1 Historic Context 

The C&O Railroad Segment was a private railroad designed to connect the Tidewater region of 

Virginia with the Ohio River, a major water transportation route in the west. However, the 

railroad did not begin with such wide-reaching goals in mind; instead, it began with a small, local 

railroad linking the citizens of Louisa County with commercial opportunities in Richmond. 

Following the successful chartering of the RF&P Railroad (500-0001) in 1834, citizens in Louisa 

County, Virginia, were eager to establish their own railroad connection between their farm 

markets and the large consumer base of Richmond. In 1836, after approximately a year of 

surveying, a group of interested county residents petitioned the General Assembly to charter the 

Louisa Railroad Company to build a line of track from Doswell to Gordonsville (Turner 1975). 

Rather than connecting directly with Richmond, the company decided to pay the RF&P Railroad 

in passenger and freight returns for the use of their newly constructed track between Doswell 

and Richmond. Progress was slow but steady, reaching Louisa Court House in December 1838 

and Gordonsville on January 1, 1840. Throughout the 1840s, construction slowed drastically as 

an economic slump and legal battles with the RF&P Railroad hampered the company’s efforts to 

independently connect with Richmond and Charlottesville. It took until 1850 for the railroad to 

connect independently to Richmond, but it celebrated its new range by renaming itself the 

Virginia Central Railroad (Figure 3-145). 
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Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-144

Location Of The C&O

Railroad Segment 

(127-6793)

[ 0 1,600 3,200

Feet

0 600 1,200

Meters

127-6793
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-139 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The Virginia Central Railroad continued to push westwards across the Blue Ridge Mountains 

throughout the 1850s. To help the railroad’s efforts, the Commonwealth chartered the Blue Ridge 

Railroad specifically to handle construction across the mountain range while the Virginia Central 

worked west across the Shenandoah Valley to the Allegheny Mountains. The Commonwealth 

chartered a second railroad, the Covington and Ohio Railroad, to work across the Alleghenies 

but work was suspended during the Civil War. The Virginia Central Railroad was used to 

transport supplies, food, and occasionally troops for the Confederacy and as a result suffered 

significant damage at the hands of Union forces in both the Shenandoah Valley and around 

Richmond. By 1865, the railroad was left virtually bankrupt with only 5 miles of usable track left 

(Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society 2016). Desperate to remain solvent, the Virginia Central 

Railroad courted Northern and foreign interests and eventually tempted railroad magnate Collis 

P. Huntington to purchase a majority interest in the company. Huntington wanted to establish a 

transcontinental railroad that would stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific and felt that the 

Virginia Central and Covington and Ohio lines would be the perfect eastern section of his 

railroad. He financed the railroad as far as the Ohio River and, in recognition of the new extent 

of the line, renamed the railroad the C&O Railroad. 

FIGURE 3-145: CIRCA-1860 MAP OF VIRGINIA CENTRAL WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE 

MOUNTAINS (CITTI CA. 1860) 

The C&O Railroad was hit hard during the financial depression of 1873 and went into 

receivership in 1878, eventually reorganizing into the C&O Railway Company. Fortunately for 

the company, the majority of its most recently constructed track cut directly though West Virginia 

coal country and throughout the 1880s, the C&O Railroad was able to regain its financial security 

by shipping huge quantities of bituminous coal back east, especially to the port in Newport News 

along the historic Virginia Central Railroad track through Richmond. In 1889, the C&O Railroad 

merged with the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad, a descendent of the James River & Kanawha 

Canal, to open a shallower-graded route from the base of the Alleghany Mountains down to 

Richmond and make shipping coal even more efficient. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-140 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

More mergers and expansions from the 1890s to the 1920s opened up lines to Kentucky, Chicago, 

Cincinnati, Columbus, and numerous other cities throughout Ohio (Dixon and Griffin 2010). 

Even during the Great Depression, the C&O Railroad remained a healthy company and was even 

able to rebuild existing infrastructure and pursue new construction projects, based almost 

entirely on its coal trade (Figure 3-146) (Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society 2016). With its 

newly renovated resources, the railroad thrived during the transportation boom of World War II 

and carried its success into the post-war years. 

Because the railroad had actually grown during the Great Depression years and carried that 

momentum through the 1940s, the C&O Railroad was especially well-placed to lead the advance 

in railroad technology. To encourage ridership and track development, the company established 

the slogan “Sleep Like a Kitten and Arrive Fresh as a Daisy in Air-Conditioned Comfort” 

(Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society 2017). The C&O Railway Company was the first railroad 

company to use a large-scale computer system, was one of the early adopters of diesel power, 

and worked to diversify its traffic, giving the company greater financial security and allowing it 

to challenge trucking for freight service. 

FIGURE 3-146: THE NEW C&O LOCOMOTIVE “EDWARD RANDOLPH” BEFORE GOING INTO 

SERVICE, 1935. THE C&O WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE AND REFURBISH ROLLING STOCK AND 

INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE 1930S AND 1940S. (SHORPY.COM 2017) 

In the 1960s, the C&O Railway Company was still gaining in power and prestige and began to 

merge with larger railroads like the Baltimore & Ohio. In 1972, the C&O Railway Company 

merged with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Western Maryland Railroad to become 

Chessie Systems. Eight years later, Chessie Systems merged once again, this time with Seaboard 

Coast Line Industries, under the name CSXT. CSXT continues to operate as a freight line and is 

one of the most dominant rail companies east of the Mississippi (Figure 3-147). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-141 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-147: CSXT ENGINE AND ROLLING STOCK, CIRCA-1980 (CSXT 2017) 

3.11.2 Architectural Description 

The C&O Railroad Segment first began as a local spur connecting Louisa County, Virginia, with 

the RF&P Railroad and its Richmond terminal. Over the course of nearly two centuries, the 

railroad grew to encompass a line stretching from Norfolk, Virginia in the east to the Mississippi 

River in the west and Lakes Huron and Michigan in the north. A majority of its line runs east-towest, moving through Richmond and working its way through several large cities like 

Charlottesville, Virginia; Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia; and Lexington and 

Louisville, Kentucky. Three main north-south routes branch off the line: the eastern-most 

connects the western end of the original Louisa-Richmond line with Washington, D.C.; the central 

line runs from Huntington, West Virginia up through Columbus and Toledo, Ohio into Michigan; 

and the western line passes through Cincinnati, Ohio and terminates in Chicago, Illinois. 

Numerous smaller lines branch off the main lines throughout the system, although this is more 

prevalent throughout West Virginia and Ohio than along the oldest sections around Richmond. 

Current survey was limited to the rail line within the RF&P Railroad corridor. 

In the Richmond area, the C&O Railroad Segment consists of two lanes of elevated track along 

the northern embankment of the James River, within the city’s flood wall (Figure 3-148). The 

tracks sit on a steel-plate, deck girder structure that is connected with rivets and bolt repairs. The 

girders sit on a variety of support members from reinforced concrete or steel bents with rounded 

ends supported by paired, square, poured concrete piers, steel I-beam piers with varied 

transverse bracing and longitudinal cross bracing. A few places along the rail line, a metal grated 

pedestrian walkway with metal roping is along an elevation (Figure 3-149). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-142 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-148: A C&O ELEVATED STEEL-PLATE-GIRDER BRIDGE AT SOUTH 14TH STREET, 

RICHMOND, VA, LOOKING SOUTHWEST 

FIGURE 3-149: ELEVATED SUBSTRUCTURE OF THE RAIL LINE IN RICHMOND, LOOKING 

WEST FROM THE VIRGINIA CAPITAL TRAIL 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-143 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.11.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The C&O Railroad Segment (127-6793) was first established in 1836 as the Louisa Railroad to 

connect Louisa County with the town of Doswell and the RF&P Railroad. With the notable 

exception of the Civil War years (1861–1865) and their immediate successors, the nineteenth and 

twentieth centuries were a time of consistent growth for the company, both in terms of its net 

worth and its material assets. The C&O increased their track mileage through independent 

construction projects and savvy mergers with other railroads in mid-Atlantic region. 

As the company grew over a long period of time and incorporated assets from numerous other 

companies, most of the railroad’s resources, when taken as a whole, are heterogeneous in style 

and form. However, specific areas within the overall system, like the original corridor between 

Louisa and Richmond, often display similarities in form, materials, style, and feeling as they were 

typically built and renovated in the same time period. 

The historic C&O Railroad Segment corridor has been surveyed in parts on several occasions 

within the Richmond vicinity. It was a significant transportation resource throughout the eastern 

United States and remains an active force in the region as part of CSXT. It was especially 

important in the development of a strong transportation network in central Virginia as a whole 

and in the Richmond area specifically. Therefore, it is recommended that the C&O Railroad 

Segment is eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion A for its association with 

Transportation at the regional level. 

It has no known association with any individuals of historical significance and is therefore 

recommended not eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion B. The railroad corridor has 

undergone numerous changes throughout its history, primarily related to general, routine 

maintenance practices; this did result in the updating or replacement of most of its materials. This 

diminished the railroad’s integrity of materials and workmanship resulting in it being 

recommended not eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion C. As an architectural resource, 

it was not evaluated under Criterion D. 

In sum, the C&O Railroad Segment is recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP under 

Criterion A for Transportation. 

The proposed NRHP boundaries follow the historic C&O Railroad Segment line as outlined in 

the architectural reconnaissance survey of structures for the DC2RVA Project (Figure 3-150) 

(Chase 2017). It begins in the Shockoe Valley area of the City of Richmond approximately 1,000 

feet east of Interstate 95 and runs westward along the north embankment of the James River to 

the Powhite Parkway. The period of significance for the C&O Railroad Segment begins in 1865, 

when the many smaller rail lines linked and became the C&O Railroad and extends to 1968. This 

end date follows the NPS guidelines which say: “Fifty years ago is used as the closing date for 

periods of significance where activities begun historically continued to have importance and no 

more specific date can be defined to end the historic period” (NPS 1997). 
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02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP 

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-150

Proposed NRHP

Boundaries for the C&O

Railroad Segment

(127-6793)

[ 0 1,600 3,200

Feet

0 600 1,200

Meters

127-6793
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-145 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.12 SOUTHERN RAILWAY SEGMENT (127-6792) 

The Southern Railway Segment (127-6792), a short segment of a much larger railroad system, runs 

along the south end of the Shockhoe Bottom area of Richmond, Virginia, adjacent to the James 

River and then crosses the river, traveling southwest along the railroad tracks west of the Mayo 

Bridge (127-5808; 127-5809). The railway then follows the southern embankment along the river 

to the Powhite Parkway (Route 76) (Figure 3-151). 

3.12.1 Historic Context 

The Southern Railway Company was formed by the consolidation of six southern railroads, the 

largest of which was the R&D Railroad Company in 1894 (Southern Railway Historical 

Association 2017). Its earliest predecessor line, however, was the South Carolina Canal & Rail 

Road Company in South Carolina, chartered in 1827. The R&D Railroad, chartered in 1847, 

connected Richmond to the City of Danville, located just above the Virginia/North Carolina 

border, and opened in 1856 on a 5-foot-wide, broad-gauge system (Figure 3-152) (Americanrails.com 2017a; Langley Jr. 2010:4). The R&D Railroad played an important role in the Civil War, 

connecting Richmond with the rest of the Confederacy, but it suffered some damage including 

burned bridges during the fighting around Richmond (Figure 3-153). After repairing wartime 

damages, the R&D Railroad began to expand its territory by acquiring small, local railroads, such 

as the Orange and Alexandria Railroad (O&A Railroad) and connecting them to their existing 

lines (Figure 3-154). Although most of their initial growth occurred in Virginia, the railroad tried 

to become a Southern regional carrier by branching out of Virginia into North Carolina. The line 

was connected to Greensboro, North Carolina, by 1864 via the Piedmont Railroad and in 1873 the 

system served Atlanta through the Piedmont Air-Line (American-rails.com 2017a). 

The growth of the R&D Railroad was severely limited by a caveat in the original charter that only 

allowed the railroad to control lines to which it was already connected. To get around this issue, 

the R&D Railroad helped form the Richmond & West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse 

Company in 1880. As a separate organization, the Terminal Railway could acquire any company 

they desired. The Terminal Railway began by assuming control of the R&D Railroad through 

stock ownership and then acquired numerous local lines to lease to the R&D Railroad, thus 

increasing their practical holdings without violating their charter (Langley Jr. 2010:4). In 1882, the 

R&D Railroad began operating along with five other, smaller local companies as the Piedmont 

Air-Line System (Figure 3-155); the Terminal Company continued to manage the R&D Railroad 

throughout this era. 
\\DTS2\Main Job\14-015 RAPS\GIS\2018Work\14_015_AH_PhII.mxd | Last Updated: 02.19.2018

02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-151

Location Of The Southern

Railway Segment 

(127-6792)

[ 0 2,000 4,000

Feet

0 800 1,600

Meters

127-6792
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-147 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-152: EXCERPT OF A MAP OF VIRGINIA, SHOWING THE R&D RAILROAD IN RED 

(RANDOLPH 1861) (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 

FIGURE 3-153: CIRCA-1863 MAP OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, SHOWING THE R&D RAILROAD 

(SNEDEN CA. 1863) (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-148 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-154: SECTION OF O&A RAILROAD IN MANASSAS (O’SULLIVAN 1862) 

FIGURE 3-155: AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE PIEDMONT AIR-LINE SYSTEM, 1882 

(CHATAIGNE 1882) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-149 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

The Terminal Company suffered from chronic mismanagement and was on the verge of 

bankruptcy in 1892; the Company opened negotiations with John Pierpont Morgan that year to 

take control of the company. Negotiations lasted for two years but finally led to Morgan receiving 

full control of the Terminal Company in 1894 (Harrison 1901). He promptly disbanded it and all 

of its affiliated railroads and formed the Southern Railway Company using the existing 

infrastructure; the R&D Railroad alone contributed over 1,500 miles of track to the new company. 

The Southern Railway Segment, known as one of the “Big Three” rail lines, began in Richmond, 

southwesterly through the Carolinas, and later further south through Atlanta, Birmingham, 

Columbus, Meridian, and New Orleans (Langley Jr. 2010:3). It then expanded further acquiring 

rail lines to reach Asheville, Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, Memphis, 

Norfolk, and St. Louis (Figure 3-156). In 1895, Southern Railway Company purchased the Atlanta 

& Florida Railway; a year later, leased the Georgia Midland Railway. In 1899, Southern Railway 

controlled the South Carolina & Georgia Railroad along with the Augusta Southern Railway 

(Storey 2017). Samuel Spencer served as president of Southern Railway Company from 1894 to is 

death in 1906; during that time, 3,000 miles rail lines had been added and 68 railroad entities and 

their over 100 charters were assimilated into the company (Langley Jr. 2010:18). 

FIGURE 3-156: MAP OF THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY AND ITS CONNECTIONS, 1896 (NATIONAL 

RAILWAY PUBLICATION COMPANY 1896) (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 

The Southern Railway Company flourished throughout the 1900s and early 1910s (Figure 3-157). 

However, the outbreak of World War I in 1914 virtually eliminated the European market for 

southern-produced goods and drastically reduced the railroad’s freight traffic until the U.S. 

entered the war in 1917 (Langley Jr. 2010). Following the cessation of hostilities, the railroad 

continued to expand its holdings and improve infrastructure until the 1929 stock market crash 

(Figure 3-158). The company was able to secure loans that kept them afloat during the Great 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-150 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Depression but these loans put the company deeply in debt. Throughout the 1930s, the Southern 

Railway Company remained on tenuous ground as the Great Depression kept profits low and 

their loan debt mounted. 

FIGURE 3-157: THE TRIPLE CROSSING IN RICHMOND WITH THE C&O RAILWAY ON THE 

TOP, THE SAL IN THE MIDDLE, AND THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY SEGMENT ON THE GROUND 

(SOUTHERN BARGAIN HOUSE 1919) (LEFT); A SOUTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY 

ADVERTISEMENT FROM 1924 (VIRGINIAPLACES.ORG 2017) (RIGHT) 

FIGURE 3-158: SOUTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY SYSTEM MAP, 1921 

(SOUTHERN.RAILFAN.NET 2005) (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-151 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

With the outbreak of World War II in Europe in 1939, the Southern Railway Segment saw an 

uptick in traffic as lend-lease material production stimulated the economy and increased the need 

for freight shipping. When America entered the war in 1941, the Southern Railway Segment 

serviced the huge numbers of training camps that appeared in the south and transported troops 

and supplies to embarkation areas. The company also assisted the government in training soldiers 

to operate rail lines overseas (Langley Jr. 2010:22). 

Following the war, the company continued to expand, although only within the South (Figures 

3-159 and 3-160). In 1963, it purchased the Central of Georgia Railway and the Georgia & Florida 

Rail line (Storey 2017). Three years later, they purchased Georgia Northern and the Albany & 

Northern Rail lines; in 1971 they acquired the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway. As its 

competition diversified their holdings throughout the 1960s and 1970s, mainly through mergers, 

the Southern Railway Company began a series of ultimately unsuccessful attempts to establish 

independent service into Chicago and points further west. In 1980, Chessie System, Inc. and 

Seaboard Coast Line Industries merged to form CSXT, which rapidly became one of the most 

dominant railroad companies in the East. Later that year, Southern Railway began merger 

negotiations with the Norfolk & Western Railway Company in an attempt to remain competitive 

with CSXT. In 1982, the new Norfolk Southern Corporation began operations throughout the 

eastern United States, serving markets from Florida to New York to Missouri and continues to 

use the line. 

FIGURE 3-159: A 1962 MAP OF THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY’S NETWORK 

(AMERICAN-RAILS.COM 2017A) (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-152 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-160: NORFOLK SOUTHERN TRAIN CROSSES THE JAMES RIVER SOUTH OF 

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA (RAILPICTURES.NET 2016:562087) 

3.12.2 Architectural Description 

The Southern Railway Company grew from several small, local railroads chartered in the 1840s 

and 1850s, most notably the R&D Railroad (1847) which ran from Richmond to Danville along 

the North Carolina border. While the railroad eventually operated throughout the southeast, the 

historic R&D line and the many smaller railroads it operated in Virginia and North Carolina 

formed the Railway’s core. As the Southern Railway Segment stemmed from numerous regional 

railroads, it featured a wide variety of engineered rail lines and associated structures such as 

signals, towers, stations, tunnels, yards, culverts, and bridges. The surveyed portion of the rail 

line extends from the Triple Crossing in Richmond near the Riverfront Canal Walk, south over 

the James River, on the edge of a former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) Shops Yard, crossing 

under the Manchester Bridge (9th Street Bridge, 127-0240) and the Robert E. Lee Bridge (Route 

301, 127-0366). It then runs along the northern edge of suburban residential housing, passing 

under the Boulevard Bridge (Westover Hills Boulevard, 127-5147) and the Richmond Railway 

Bridge (44HE0840) before turning south along the east side of Powhite Parkway (Route 76) and 

terminating at the intersection of Powhite Parkway and Forest Hill Avenue. 

From the Triple Crossing, the rail line is carried across the James River by a steel-plate, halfthrough (pony) girder, railroad bridge with poured concrete piers, a through truss bridge, and 

crosses under the city’s flood walls (Figure 3-161). Just south of the flood wall, is a steel-plate deck 

girder that carries the rail line over a low-lying area. The rail line contains one track that joins 

with additional track on the river’s southern embankment through the former ACL Railroad 

Shops Yard (Figure 3-162) (Hawkins 2011). Once past Cowardin Avenue (Route 1), Southern 

Railway runs westward with two tracks, parallel to the James River Bike Path and returns to one 

track near Hillcrest Circle. 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-153 Architectural In

FIGURE 3-161: NORFOLK-SOUTHERN RAILROAD STEEL-PLATE PONY TRUSS BRIDGE IN RICHMOND, LOO

TOWARD A THROUGH TRUSS (LEFT); VIEW OF SOUTHERN RAILWAY SEGMENT’S ONE TRACK, LOOKING SO

FIGURE 3-162: VIEW OF THE THROUGH TRUSS BRIDGE CARRYING THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY SEGMENT A

RIVER, LOOKING SOUTHEAST (LEFT); VIEW OF THE JAMES RIVER BRIDGE CARRYING THE SOUTHERN RA

LOOKING NORTHEAST (RIGHT) (BRIDGEHUNTER.COM 2017C)
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-154 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.12.3 NRHP Evaluation 

Based on archival research, the Southern Railway Segment (127-6792) was found to be a 

prominent regional railroad operating throughout the South, with its historic core anchored in 

Richmond, during the mid-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Formed around six smaller, 

regional carriers, the Southern Railway transported passengers and freight throughout the South 

and brought Southern goods to more national markets in the north and west. It was the largest 

railroad in the south and served a majority of the southeast (American-rails.com 2017a). The line 

is a product of approximately 150 predecessor lines in the southeast (Southern Railway Historical 

Association 2017). In order to remain competitive in the modern, oligopoly-focused market, 

Southern Railway merged with the Norfolk and Western Railroad to form the Norfolk Southern 

Railroad; this company operates along the historic Southern Railway corridors, as well as in 

expanded northern and western markets. 

The historic Southern Railway Segment corridor has been surveyed in parts on several occasions. 

As the railroad had played such a significant role in transportation development in both the area 

around Richmond and in the state as a whole, the railroad has not changed significantly and has 

retained the majority of its original path and continues to be operated by Norfolk Southern, it is 

recommended that the Southern Railway Segment is eligible for listing in the NRHP under 

Criterion A for Transportation. 

It has no known association with any individuals of historical significance and was therefore 

recommended not eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion B. Most of its resources have 

undergone significant changes to their physical makeup and had lost a great deal of their historic 

character and integrity, leading to the railroad being recommended not eligible for the NRHP 

under Criterion C. As an architectural resource, it was not evaluated under Criterion D. In sum, 

the Southern Railway Segment is recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP under 

Criterion A for its association with important events that led to broad patterns in regional 

Transportation. 

The proposed NRHP boundaries follow the historic Southern Railway as outlined in the 

Architectural Reconnaissance Survey of Structures for the DC2RVA Project (Figure 3-163) (Chase 

2017). The segment begins in the Shockoe Bottom area of the City of Richmond and intersects 

with Bridge #2835 (1275149) running westward on the north embankment of the James River and 

then runs south across the river and continues westward along the southern embankment of the 

river. The period of significance for the Southern Railway Segment starts in 1850, its date of 

construction, and extends to 1968. This end date follows the NPS guidelines which say: “Fifty 

years ago is used as the closing date for periods of significance where activities begun historically 

continued to have importance and no more specific date can be defined to end the historic period” 

(NPS 1997). 
\\DTS2\Main Job\14-015 RAPS\GIS\2018Work\14_015_AH_PhII.mxd | Last Updated: 02.19.2018

02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP 

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-163

Proposed NRHP

Boundaries For The

Southern Railway

Segment 

(127-6792)

[ 0 2,000 4,000

Feet

0 800 1,600

Meters

127-6792
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-156 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

3.13 RICHMOND, FREDERICKSBURG, & POTOMAC RAILROAD HISTORIC 

DISTRICT (500-0001) 

The RF&P Railroad Historic District (500-0001) is made up of the RF&P Railroad and a wide 

variety of associated secondary resources, such as bridges and culverts. The railroad was a 

privately operated, local railroad that provided rail service between Richmond, Virginia, and 

Washington, D.C., by way of Fredericksburg, Virginia (Figure 3-164) (V-CRIS 2017). The railroad 

primarily runs parallel to Interstate 95 and Route 1 on a north-south orientation, although the 

railroad bed does move laterally to the east and west in areas like Ruther Glen, Guinea, and 

Woodbridge (Figure 3-165). 

From Washington, D.C. to Woodbridge, the railroad bed passes through heavily populated areas 

including the City of Alexandria and numerous suburban communities; however, in most cases, 

the railroad does not pass directly though residential areas (with the exception of Alexandria) 

and instead borders industrial or commercial corridors. As the railroad passes through Marine 

Corps Base Quantico, the land surrounding it becomes more rural and less densely populated. 

While this pastoral setting is interrupted as the railroad passes through downtown 

Fredericksburg, it is the predominant environment as the railroad moves further south through 

Guinea and Ruther Glen. Numerous small railroad towns are located along its length in this area 

and owe much of their existence to the rail line. The railroad then passes directly through the 

heart of downtown Ashland, actually running down the middle of the main road, before 

returning to a more rural environment. As the railroad approaches Richmond, it passes through 

more populated areas including the suburbs of Glen Allen and Laurel. Historically, it terminated 

in the heart of the city at both Broad Street Station and later Main Street Station. 

3.13.1 Historic Context 

The RF&P Railroad was originally chartered in 1834, making it only the sixth railroad to be 

chartered in the state and only the third to use steam-powered locomotives (Griffin 1994). The 

RF&P Railroad, operated by the RF&P Railroad Company, initially received its charter to 

complete a line linking Richmond to a spot north of Fredericksburg where the railroad could 

connect with steamship travel on the Potomac River or one of its tributaries (Figure 3-166) 

(McGehee 1992). By 1837, the railroad had reached the City of Fredericksburg and completed its 

path to Aquia Creek in 1842. By the 1850s, proposals were already being made to extend the rail 

line all the way to Alexandria to fully connect Richmond and Washington, D.C. A new company, 

the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad Company, was chartered in 1851 to complete the 

project (Mordecai 1940). However, with the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, expansion plans 

were tabled. 

Throughout the war, both Union and Confederate forces sought to control the railroad and 

prevent the enemy from utilizing the valuable transportation corridor (Figure 3-167). Both sides 

tactically destroyed bridges and sections of rail to cover their retreats and to disrupt enemy troop 

movements while also repairing damage wrought by the opposing army (Figure 3-168). While 

these cycles of destruction and reconstruction lasted throughout the war, by 1865 most of the 

railroad was in ruins and virtually unusable. However, the RF&P Railroad quickly began 

rebuilding and had restored its pre-war service by 1866 and completed the proposed link with 

the Alexandria and Fredericksburg in 1872 (McGehee 1992). 
\\DTS2\Main Job\14-015 RAPS\GIS\2018Work\14_015_AH_PhII.mxd | Last Updated: 02.19.2018

02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Resource Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-164

Location Of The RF&P

Railroad Historic District

(500-0001)

[

05 10

Miles

0 10 20

Kilometers

500-0001
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-158 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-165: MAP DEPICTING THE LENGTH OF THE RF&P RAILROAD FROM RICHMOND TO 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (PRINCE 1973) (MAP NOT TO SCALE) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-159 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-166: MAP OF 1835 PLANS FOR SOUTH END OF RF&P RAILROAD (GRYMES 2017) 

FIGURE 3-167: SKETCH OF A RF&P TRAIN LEAVING THE 8TH AND BROAD STREET STATION 

(MORDECAI 1940) 

FIGURE 3-168: RUINS OF NORTH ANNA RIVER BRIDGE, MAY 25, 1864 BY TIMOTHY H. 

O’SULLIVAN (O’SULLIVAN 1864) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-160 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

As the nineteenth century progressed, the route flourished. The two companies operating the 

route, the RF&P Railroad Company and the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad Company, 

prospered, although they continued to function independently of each other until 1901. In 

September of that year, a holding company called the Richmond-Washington Company was 

incorporated to own the entirety of both railroads’ capital stock and bring them together under a 

single management structure without outright merging the companies (Mordecai 1940). Under 

this new management, the RF&P Railroad did not expand its material holdings but continued to 

grow in regional respect and prosperity. In 1903, the rail line modernized its track by double 

tracking the entire route from Richmond to Washington, D.C. In Richmond, the RF&P connected 

with the C&O Railway, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. In 

the Alexandria area, the rail line connected with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore & Ohio 

Railroad, Southern Railway, and Washington & Old Dominion Railroad. 

The RF&P Railroad operated out of several major switching yards throughout Virginia. One of 

the largest is the Acca Yard located on the northwest edge of Richmond. The yard was first 

constructed circa 1895 as a simple siding to serve as a junction between the James River Branch 

and Belt Line that would divert freight traffic around the city center (Prince 1973). By the early 

1900s, the original footprint, while advantageously located, was too small to accommodate more 

traffic and to facilitate connections with other railroads. It was therefore expanded to become the 

main RF&P Railroad yard in Richmond and continued to grow with traffic needs throughout the 

1910s. In the 1920s, the switching yard expanded to include an engine terminal with a 30-stall 

roundhouse and massive coaling station (Prince 1973). All locomotive shop work moved into 

Acca in 1937 and the railroad ran all of its repair and maintenance operations out of Acca from 

that time onwards. The RF&P Railroad operated the Acca Yard as its primary, and eventually 

only, yard throughout the rest of the twentieth century, eventually becoming part of the CSXT 

network in the 1991 acquisition. 

First opened in 1906, Potomac Yard quickly became one of the primary yards used by numerous 

railroads passing through Washington (McGehee 1992). The facility operated two receiving 

yards, classification yards, gravity humps used to sort cars, and a roundhouse in addition to 

numerous other amenities for passing trains (Figure 3-169). Originally operated by the 

Richmond-Washington Line, the RF&P Railroad took over the yard’s ownership in 1920 (Prince 

1973). 

After the 1929 stock market crash and the onset of the Great Depression, the RF&P Railroad faced 

many of the same challenges as most small, regional railroads across the country. Many 

Americans either outright curtailed travelling or opted for less-expensive, motorized public 

transportation. Freight transportation also dropped significantly with marked cutbacks in the 

overall consumption of goods (Griffin 1994). However, the railroad had always been somewhat 

involved in real estate ventures to acquire land for track expansions and this section of the 

business helped sustain the company through the Depression. A separate division was later 

created within the company in the 1950s, titled the Richmond Holdings Company, to more 

efficiently handle the RF&P Railroad’s land assets. 

During World War II, American rail traffic increased significantly as the economy recovered, 

gasoline and tire rubber were rationed, and troops and war materiel moved all across the country 

(Mordecai 1948). However, the war-time boom for railroads like the RF&P Railroad was short 

lived. With the double tracking and faster, heavier locomotives, the rail line continued to improve 

its track with grade reductions, curve straightening, and structures to accommodate additional 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-161 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

weight (American-Rails.com 2017b). While freight-driven companies like the C&O Railroad 

continued to thrive on shipments of coal and manufactured goods, the RF&P Railroad and other 

passenger-driven companies faced stiff competition from the burgeoning popularity of the 

personal car and commercial air travel. The development of the Interstate Highway System, 

especially Interstate 95 on a parallel route to the railroad, made personal-vehicle transportation 

even easier and further cut into the railroad’s business (Figure 3-170). As rail ridership continued 

to decrease throughout the 1960s, the Richmond Holdings Company gradually became the 

primary source of income for the company. By 1970, passenger traffic had dropped so 

dramatically across the country that the federal government issued the Rail Passenger Service Act 

to create a single, strong, public-private railroad known as Amtrak (Amtrak Reform Council 

2000). Amtrak took over passenger service for the RF&P Railroad later that decade, leaving the 

company to focus on its freight traffic and real estate development (Figure 3-171). 

Since the railroad was no longer providing passenger service, the company began focusing almost 

exclusively on developing its real estate branch. In 1988, the company underwent a massive 

restructuring to officially make its focus real estate; to that end, it created the RF&P Corporation, 

which specialized in real estate investing, leasing, and management (McGehee 1992). 

FIGURE 3-169: AERIAL VIEW OF POTOMAC YARD CIRCA-1945 (MORDECAI 1948) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-162 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-170: INTERSTATE 95 IN RICHMOND, 1958 (KOLLATZ 2015) 

FIGURE 3-171: AN RF&P FREIGHT TRAIN IN ASHLAND CIRCA-1970, AFTER PASSENGER 

SERVICE WAS DISCONTINUED (BERNARD 2013) 

By the 1970s, the Richmond-Washington Company still held over 60 percent of the RF&Ps voting 

stock. But while the Company held majority control over RF&P Railroad stock, its own stock was 

held by two major, eastern railroad companies: Chessie Systems Inc. (formerly the C&O Railway) 

and the Seaboard System Railroad. When these two companies merged in 1980 to form CSXT, 

they sought to acquire the RF&P Railroad from the Richmond-Washington Company (McGehee 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-163 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

1992). The RF&P Railroad held out against the acquisition throughout the 1980s to see out their 

corporate restructuring. 

In 1991, CSXT struck a deal with the other major RF&P Railroad stockholder, the Virginia 

Retirement System (VRS), to acquire the railroad. VRS acquired 99 percent of the RF&P 

Corporation’s shares and then sold the entirety of the railroad stock to CSXT. VRS kept the real 

estate branch for a while before selling it off as well. With these two deals, the RF&P ceased to 

exist as its own independent enterprise (McGehee 1992). However, many of its historic rail line 

and its associated structures remain and are still used by CSXT and Amtrak traffic (Figure 3-172). 

The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) began in 1992 and continues to operate during the week on 

the former RF&P line, providing passenger service from Richmond to Washington, D.C. (Vre.org 

2017). 

FIGURE 3-172: THE CIRCA-1945 AQUIA CREEK BRIDGE (500-0001-0028) 

3.13.2 Architectural Description 

The RF&P Railroad is a double-tracked line running primarily through rural areas and modestlypopulated towns almost exclusively at ground level (Figure 3-173). As the railroad passes through 

more urban areas, such as downtown Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria, the rail bed is 

typically elevated to accommodate vehicular traffic and ease congestion in the urban centers 

(Figure 3-174). Numerous bridges, primarily dating to the first two decades of the twentieth 

century, carry the railroad across some of the major waterways in the area including the 

Rappahannock, North Anna, South Anna, Occoquan, and Potomac rivers and large creeks like 

the Aquia and Chopawamsic (Figure 3-175). Other structures carry track over highways, minor 

roads and waterways, and former livestock crossings (Figure 3-176). 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-164 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

FIGURE 3-173: VIEW OF THE RF&P RAILROAD CROSSING AT PAIGE ROAD IN WOODFORD, 

LOOKING WEST 

FIGURE 3-174: VIEW OF THE ELEVATED TRACK OF CHARLES STREET BRIDGE IN 

FREDERICKSBURG, PART OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER RAILROAD BRIDGE 

(111-0132-0025) 
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-165 Architectural In

FIGURE 3-175: A RAILROAD BRIDGE OVER THE NORTH ANNA RIVER (042-0731), NORTH OBLIQUE (LE

CULVERT OVER A STREAM NEAR LORTON MARKET ROAD (500-0001-0019), LOOKING EAST (R

FIGURE 3-176: A RAILROAD CULVERT WEST OF DABNEY ROAD, USED TO ALLOW LIVESTOCK TO PASS (

LOOKING WEST (LEFT); BRIDGE AT TAYLORSVILLE ROAD (042-5306), LOOKING EAST (RIG
SURVEY RESULTS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 3-166 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

Much of the structures of the Acca Yard relating to the early twentieth century have been 

removed from the landscape. Over the years the yard has been downsized with the outer acreage 

developed for other commercial and industrial purposes. The current yard includes numerous 

tracks with a few maintenance buildings dating to the 1960s or later. 

The other major switching yard used by the RF&P Railroad was the Potomac Yard located in 

Alexandria, just south of Four Mile Run. While the Acca Yard remained a vital part of the RF&P’s 

operations throughout the twentieth century, Potomac Yard’s significance waned as the company 

lost passenger and freight traffic in the 1960s and 1970s. When the railroad reorganized in the 

1980s, Potomac Yard closed permanently and has since been significantly developed with multifamily residential and commercial buildings between Route 1 and the Potomac River (Lamb 

1991). 

3.13.3 NRHP Evaluation 

The RF&P Railroad Historic District (500-0001) is an historic rail corridor that stretches from the 

Potomac River to Main Street Station in the City of Richmond. From 1837 to 1943, the railroad 

played a critical role in the development and evolution of the region and was a prominent local 

railroad within the mid-Atlantic region. Previously, the RF&P Railroad was documented into two 

segments: a segment in Prince William and Stafford Counties (076-0301) and a segment in 

Spotsylvania, Caroline, Hanover, and Henrico Counties (088-5413). These were previously 

determined to be potentially eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A for their association with 

Transportation in Virginia (2016 and 2012, respectively). Since that time, the rail line from the 

Potomac River to Broad Street Station has been surveyed, encompassing these two segments into 

one rail corridor. The trains under CSXT, Amtrak, and VRE continue to run along the former 

RF&P rail line. Given the long and significant history of this line and the important economic role 

it has played in the development of cities along its path, it is recommended that the RF&P 

Railroad Historic District, from Washington, D.C., to Richmond, Virginia, is eligible for listing in 

the NRHP under Criterion A for Transportation. 

It has no known association with any individuals of historical significance and, is therefore, 

recommended not eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion B. Although some of the 

elements within the railroad corridor like bridges and switch towers may be individually eligible 

for the NRHP, the corridor as a whole has undergone numerous physical changes that have 

impacted its overall integrity. It is therefore recommended not eligible for the NRHP under 

Criterion C. As an architectural resource, it was not evaluated under Criterion D. The bridges, 

culverts, towers, and other structures along the line were individually surveyed at the 

reconnaissance-level as part of the DC2RVA Project and documented for their potential as a 

contributing element to the rail line. In sum, the DC2RVA Team recommends that the RF&P 

Railroad Historic District is eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion A for its 

association with important events that led to broad patterns in regional Transportation. 

The proposed NRHP boundaries follow the historic RF&P Railroad line as outlined in the 

architectural reconnaissance survey of structures for the DC2RVA Project (Figure 3-177) (Chase 

2017). The period of significance for the RF&P Railroad Historic District starts in 1837, its date of 

construction, to 1943. This end date follows the NPS guidelines which say: “Fifty years ago is 

used as the closing date for periods of significance where activities begun historically continued 

to have importance and no more specific date can be defined to end the historic period” (NPS 

1997). 
\\DTS2\Main Job\14-015 RAPS\GIS\2018Work\14_015_AH_PhII.mxd | Last Updated: 02.19.2018

02/2018

Legend

Architectural APE

Preferred Alternative

Proposed NRHP 

Boundary

Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

State Plane Virginia North FIPS 4501 Feet

North American Datum of 1983

Base Mapping: 2016 VBMP 

Aerial Imagery

Figure 3-177

Proposed NRHP

Boundaries For The RF&P

Railroad Historic District

(500-0001)

[

05 10

Miles

0 10 20

Kilometers

500-0001
 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 4-1 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

The DC2RVA Project Team conducted an intensive-level architectural survey of a total of 54 

resources, 13 of which are presented in the current report. The DC2RVA project is being 

completed under the auspices of the FRA in conjunction with the DRPT. Because of FRA’s 

involvement, the undertaking is required to comply with the NEPA and Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. The Project is being completed as DHR 

File Review #2014-0666. 

Of the 13 resources detailed in this report, the DC2RVA Project Team are recommending 11 as 

individually eligible for the NRHP (Table 4-1). Listed in numerical order, they are as follows: 

Slaughter Pen Farm (088-0254), Fredericksburg Historic District Expansion (111-0009), Pulliam’s 

Service Station (111-0009-0795), Purina Tower (111-0132-0020), Rappahannock River Railroad 

Bridge (111-0132-0025), George Aler House (111-0132-0522), Fredericksburg Train Station (111-

0132-0704), Southern Railway (127-6792), C&O Railroad (127-6793), RF&P Railroad Historic 

District (500-0001), and RF&P Railroad Bridge over Occoquan (500-0001-0022). Of those, one 

resource (088-0254) is recommended as contributing to the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania 

County Battlefields National Military Park Historic District (111-0147), one resource (111-0009-

0795) is recommended as contributing to the Fredericksburg Historic District Expansion (111-

0009), two resources (111-0132-0025 and 500-0001-0022) are recommended as contributing to the 

RF&P Railroad Historic District (500-0001), and four resources (111-0132-0020, 111-0132-0025, 

111-0132-0522, and 111-0132-0704) are recommended as contributing to the Fredericksburg 

Historic District (111-0132). 

During the current survey, the DC2RVA Team found that the remaining two resources (111-0023 

and 127-6840) are no longer extant and as such are recommended as not individually eligible for 

the NRHP (Table 4-1). 

TABLE 4-1: TABLE OF SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ARCHITECTURAL 

RESOURCES PRESENTED IN THE CURRENT REPORT 

DC2RVA 

Corridor 

Area 

DHR ID Name/ Description City/ County 

Date / 

Time 

Period 

Phase II 

Recommendation 

2 500-0001-0022 RF&P Bridge over 

Occoquan River 

Prince William 

County 1915 

Eligible Under Criterion C; 

Contributing to the RF&P 

Railroad HD 

3 111-0132-0025 Rappahannock River 

Railroad Bridge 

City of 

Fredericksburg 1927 

Eligible Under Criterion C; 

Contributing to the 

Fredericksburg HD and the 

RF&P Railroad HD 

4
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 4-2 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

TABLE 4-1: TABLE OF SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ARCHITECTURAL 

RESOURCES PRESENTED IN THE CURRENT REPORT 

DC2RVA 

Corridor 

Area 

DHR ID Name/ Description City/ County 

Date / 

Time 

Period 

Phase II 

Recommendation 

3 111-0023 Dixon House, 401–403 

Sophia Street 

City of 

Fredericksburg ca. 1834 No Longer Extant; Not Eligible 

3 111-0132-0704 

Fredericksburg Train 

Station, 200 Lafayette 

Boulevard 

City of 

Fredericksburg ca. 1910 

Eligible Under Criteria A & 

C; Contributing to the 

Fredericksburg HD 

3 111-0132-0020 Purina Tower Complex, 

401–403 Charles Street 

City of 

Fredericksburg ca. 1916 

Eligible Under Criteria A & 

C; Contributing to the 

Fredericksburg HD 

3 111-0132-0522 

George Aler House, 

314–316 Frederick 

Street 

City of 

Fredericksburg 1851 

Eligible Under Criteria A & B; 

Contributing to the 

Fredericksburg HD 

3 111-0009-0795 Pulliam's Service Station, 

411 Lafayette Boulevard 

City of 

Fredericksburg ca. 1937 

Eligible Under Criteria A & 

C; Contributing to the 

Fredericksburg HD Extension 

3 111-0009 Fredericksburg Historic 

District Extension 

City of 

Fredericksburg 

1794–

1967 Eligible Under Criteria A & C 

3 088-0254 Slaughter Pen Farm, 

11232 Tidewater Trail 

Spotsylvania 

County ca. 1861 

Eligible Under Criterion A; 

Fredericksburg and 

Spotsylvania County 

Battlefields National Military 

Park HD 

6 127-6840 

The City of Richmond 

Department of Public 

Works Maintenance 

Yard, 2728 Hermitage 

Road 

City of 

Richmond ca. 1955 No Longer Extant; Not Eligible 

6 127-6792 Southern Railway 

Segment 

City of 

Richmond ca. 1850 Eligible Under Criterion A 

6 127-6793 Chesapeake & Ohio 

Railroad Segment 

City of 

Richmond Pre-1851 Eligible under Criterion A 

all 500-0001 

Richmond, 

Fredericksburg, & 

Potomac Railroad 

Historic District 

Multiple ca. 1837–

1943 Eligible Under Criterion A 

Source: Dovetail, 2018b. 

Note: Resources are presented from north to south. 

 
 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail 5-1 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

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Virginiana Room, Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Fredericksburg, Virginia. 

Williams, Isaac D. 

1885 Sunshine and Shadow of Slave Life: Reminiscences As Told by Isaac D. Williams to “Tege.”

Evening News Printing & Binding House, East Saginaw, Michigan. 

Willis, Barbara, and Paula Felder 

1993 Handbook of Historic Fredericksburg, Virginia. Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, 

Fredericksburg, Virginia. 

Works Progress Administration (WPA) 

1938 “Early Mayor’s House.” Copy on file, Central Rappahannock Regional Library, 

Fredericksburg, Virginia. 

Wright, Catherine 

2015 “Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad during the Civil War.” 

Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Electronic document, 

https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Richmond_Fredericksburg_and_ 

Potomac_Railroad_During_the_Civil_War#start_entry, accessed February 2018. 

Wright, Donald R. 

1993 African Americans in the Early Republic, 1789–1831. Harlan Davidson, Inc., Arlington 

Heights, Illinois. 
D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-1 Architectural Intensive Survey (Report A) 

APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

Note: Chains of titles are organized as they appear in the report; however, some resources, such 

as rail-related structures, do not have chains of titles. 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-2 Architectural In

TABLE A-1: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR DIXON HOUSE (111-0023), CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIAInstr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/ Comments Transfer Instrument 2008-1151 n/a 5/7/2008 Lee P. Rowe Rowe Holdings I, LLC Lee P. Rowe set up a corporatBargain & Sale 242 313 4/1/1991 Rixey Johnson Lee P. Rowe Value $45,000 Bargain & Sale 1983 Rixey Johnson Source: Spencer 2013:3 Bargain & Sale 82 451 1946 Howard Masters Edward Gibson Conveyance of half interest in Bargain & Sale 70 310 1936 Ada Masters Gibson Edward Gibson Conveyance of half-interest in 

Edward Gibson in 1928 

Will R 2006 1929 Estate of J. W. Masters (dec) Ada Masters and Howard Masters Grantees are surviving children Bargain & Sale JJ 500 1/25/1904 T. N. Brent, Mary E. Brent, and Annie M. Brent J. W. Masters Prince Edward Street Bargain & Sale JJ 500 1/25/1904 James Corbin, Trustee J. W. Masters Prince Edward Street Bargain & Sale JJ 191 11/4/1902 T. N. Brent, Mary E. Brent, and Annie M. Brent J. W. Masters Prince Edward Street Bargain & Sale JJ 191 11/4/1902 J. P. Corbin, Trustee J. W. Masters Prince Edward Street 

Source: Dovetail, 2016a. 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-3 Architectural In

TABLE A-2: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR THE FREDERICKSBURG TRAIN STATION (111-0132-0704), CITY OF VIRGINIA Instr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments B&S 344 283 12/6/2000 CGM Properties LLC Thomas H. Mitchell 

Parcel one. Shown in Plat Book 9, page station building and immediate area. Incperpetual easement for railroad and uti(south) portion of the property, measu

B&S 297 277 12/30/1996 

RF&P Company (formerly known as the RF&P Railroad Company) 

CGM Properties LLC 

Includes conveyance of a perpetual easeutility repairs along the rear (south) pomeasuring 15 feet. 

B&S K 200 6/9/1836 Joseph Alsop RF&P Railroad Company 5 lots in Fredericksburg. For constructi

and a wheel house. 

B&S K 52 10/7/1835 Lindsay Pullen Joseph Alsop Lot 238 B&S H 289 3/29/1825 John B. Pullen Lindsay Pullen Lot 238 DT G 544 7/15/1823 John B. Pullen Robert S. Chew Lot 238 B&S G 543 7/15/1823 George French J.B. Pullen Lot 238; Last name listed as “Pullin” on B&S B 119 4/29/1789 L. Battaile George French Lot 238; Lot was part of Fredericksburg

Source: Dovetail, 2016b. 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-4 Architectural In

TABLE A-3: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR THE PURINA TOWER (111-0132-0020), CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGInstr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Deed 330 500 10/12/1999 Prime Properties, LLC Hamilton G. Palmer Deed 275 467 9/14/1994 Farm & Tack Supply Prime Properties, LLC (Carl Braun) 3 Parcels (FDB 176:361, 4/22/1981) Deed 176 361 4/22/1981 Mary F. Frances Moore, widow Farm & Tack Supply Deed 172 519 2/12/1976 Young-Sweetster Co. Inc. Mary Frances Moore Parcels 1-3 Deed 67 330 8/4/1933 

Edgar W. Young & Mattie F., his wife, H.K. Sweetser & Mary M., his wife 

Young-Sweetser Co., Inc. 

Parcel 3, 49/94; "...have heretofor engaged dealers in hay, seed, grain, dairy & poultry f

H.K. Sweetser together with Mary M. Sweecorporation for the purpose of taking over co-partnership... under the new name of Yo200 shares went to Young, 195 shares to SMary M. Sweetster. "...the parties of the firsconvey to the parties of the second part all belonging to the aforementioned partnersh

Deed 48 581 3/5/1915 Eddie White E.G. and Laura Heflin SEE CFDB 49:94 (DBS, E. G. and Laura Hef

M. Young) 

Deed 48 581 3/5/1915 

Eddie White & Josephine, his wife, Lucy White widow of John Seymore White 

E.G. Heflin & R. S. Royer Parcel 3 

Deed 49 11 3/29/1915 Houston K. Sweetser and Edgar M. Young RF&P R R Co. "65.85 ft x 30 ft Chas St mbp being N pt 30 

fr Est Thos Griffin Dec 11, 1914. Edgar M YIndex to Land Records, Deeds, Wills) 

Deed 49 94 9/11/1915 E.G. and Laura Heflin 

H. K. Sweetser and E. M. Young (Young-Sweetser, Co.) 

43.2 ft x 104 ft N side Frederick St bet Pr AWhite Mch 5, 1915 E M Young Co-Grantee Amrhine 2001; "Starting in 1966, it was shaCo., which continued in business until 1992Redgrave decided to close its doors" (Sour
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-5 Architectural In

TABLE A-3: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR THE PURINA TOWER (111-0132-0020), CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGInstr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Deed 49 94 3/15/1915 

E.G. Heflin & Laura, his wife, R. Stuart Royer & Corbin H., his wife 

E.M. Young & H. K. Sweetser Parcel 3 

Deed 48 545 12/11/1914 Estate of Thomas Griffin (dec.) Young & Sweetster Parcel 1 Deed 49 11 3/29/1914 R.F. & P. RR. Co. Young & Sweetster 

Parcel 2; 65.85 ft x 30 ft Chas St mbp being Frederick St fr Est Thos Griffin Dec 11, 19grantor 

Deed 48 517 12/23/1904 Robert S. and Emma A. Griffin John M. Griffin 

Lot NW corner Main & Wolfe part Lot 33: also lot Wolfe: also part of 33: also lot W slot corner Frederick & Sophia part of lot 26Frederick & Chas part of lot 220: also one-part of lot 4: 4 All my est Thos. Griffin 

Deed of Trust BB 516 5/17/1888 Rufus T. King John T. Goolrick 220 Deed CC 20 11/13/1888 Rufus T. King William I. King 220 Deed Y 492 9/24/1878 

Mary F. King, Charles D. King, John H. King, Mary W. King, and George W. King 

Rufus T. King 220 

Deed U 118 3/2/1866 Juliet Ann Perry Thomas Griffin "Fred & Chas" Release T 153 7/20/1860 John James Chew, Jr. Rich Wallace 220 Deed T 154 7/20/1860 Rich Wallace John L. Marye Part 220 Deed Q 127 5/10/1851 Charles Edward Middleton Maria Brown L 220 Deed Q 94 5/27/1851 Maria Brown Rich Wallace 220 Deed of Trust Q 95 5/27/1851 Rich Wallace John James Chew 220 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-6 Architectural In

TABLE A-3: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR THE PURINA TOWER (111-0132-0020), CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGInstr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Deed of Trust Q 95 5/27/1851 Rich Wallace Peter Goolrick 220 Deed P 460 6/7/1850 Eustace Conway, Commissioner George H. King 220 Deed P 460 6/7/1850 Loman Cooke George H. King 220 Deed N 473 7/22/1845 William Marders George Aler 220 Deed N 502 9/15/1845 George Aler Sally Hagar 220 Deed O 29 8/20/1845 William Bankhead R F & P R R 220 Deed L 329 1/14/1840 Elizah Rawlins (Rollins) Major Cooke 220 Deed L 329 1/14/1840 Elijah Rawlings Major Cooke 220 Deed L 330 1/14/1840 Major Cooke Lomax Cooke 220 Deed L 180 5/3/1839 Gulielmus Smith Elijah Rawlings 220 Deed K 297 1/5/1837 John Metcalfe William Bankhead 220 Deed K 310 5/31/1836 Richard I. King RF&P RR Co. 9-9 adj 220 Deed K 294 12/22/1836 Thomas H. Botts RF&P RR Co. 220 Deed K 75 11/24/1835 John Metcalfe William Mardiss 220 Deed J 162 10/12/1832 John Cooker G. Smith 220 Deed I 460 11/15/1830 Lucy L. Minor - Devisee of John Minor (dec.) John Metcalfe 220 Deed F 694 10/7/1765 Roger Dixon Maxmilian Calvert of Norfolk 

Lots Fbg 210 Princess Augusta & Princess EAnne: Princess Augusta & Princess ElizabethAugusta & Frederick adjacent Lewis Willis lindistinct but I think correct since 213 does Elizabeth (Rec Spots) 

Source: Dovetail, 2016c. 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-7 Architectural In

TABLE A-4: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR GEORGE ALER HOUSE (111-0132-0522), CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRInstr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Deed 2004– 1356 6/4/2004 Margaret F. Quinn and Robert M. Quinn James C. Obaugh and Joann E. Obaugh See Also Deed Instrument # 2004-790 Deed of Trust 256 130 11/20/1992 T.E. Cottrell, Jr. Bruce R. O'Brien Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed 256 549 11/24/1992 Fredericksburg Savings & Loan T.E. Cottrell, Jr. Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed 200 312 1/24/1986 R.C. Gossweiler, Jr. T.E. Cottrell, Jr. Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed of Trust 200 313 1/17/1986 T.E. Cottrell, Jr. Fredericksburg Savings & Loan Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed 183 94 5/23/1983 W. A. Hatch & Susan R.C. Gossweiler, Jr. Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed 171 590 1/1/1979 Margaret N. Fowler Margaret F. Quinn and Robert M. Quinn Deed 160 348 2/22/1977 G. B. & V. B. Hey David Grey Index: 314 Frederick Street Deed 157 499 4/19/1976 Hey & Bank of VA. William Hatch Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed of Trust 157 506 4/16/1976 William A. Hatch A. G. Denice, Inc. Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed 154 418 2/4/1975 H.H.H., Inc. G. B. & V. B. Hey Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed of Trust 154 425 3/13/1975 G. B. & V. B. Hey Bank of VA. Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed 152 248 4/15/1974 H.F.F.I. H.H.H., Inc. Index: 316 Frederick Street; Property conv

easement attached (held by HFFI) 

Deed 152 249 4/15/1974 H.F.F.I. H.H.H., Inc. Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed of Trust 152 254 5/1/1974 H.H.H., Inc. Bank of VA. Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed 150 101 1/29/1973 Albert Sivak and Betty D. Sivak Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI) Index: 316 Frederick Street 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-8 Architectural In

TABLE A-4: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR GEORGE ALER HOUSE (111-0132-0522), CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRInstr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Will P 345 9/27/1972 Laura Davis Betty Sivak Index: Laura Davis (317 Charles Street), Be

Street) 

Will P 345 00/00/1967 Laura Davis Beatrice Davis Index: Laura Davis (317 Charles Street), Be

Street) 

Will W/K 74 4/16/1935 Ella M. Purcell (Formerly Ella M. Hicks) Laura Hicks Davis Index: 316 Frederick Street Deed KK 82 10/10/1904 Estate of William I. King (dec.) J. G. King and F. S. King Deed HH 245 9/9/1898 Thomas Wallace Ella M. Hicks 316 Frederick Street Deed HH 245 9/10/1898 M. J. Gately Ella M. Hicks "Chas & Frederick" Deed of Trust EE 561 2/17/1894 M. J. Gately Enterprise Build. Assoc. 316 Frederick Street Will W/I 323 1/13/1891 Elizabeth McDougal Mary Jane Gately 

316 Frederick Street (NOTE: Present-day p316 Frederick Street, was referenced in landirectories as "316 Frederick Street" until t

Deed CC 176 9/16/1889 Elizabeth McDougal William I. King Lot 219 - East-adjoining parcel containing th

frame dwelling 

Deed of Trust CC 178 9/16/1889 William I. King John G. Mason Lot 219 Deed T 296 10/22/1861 George Aler Elizabeth McDougal Lot 219 (Frederick Street & Charles StreetDeed of Trust T 312 5/12/1862 George Aler Elizabeth McDougal Lot 219 Deed of Trust T 312 5/12/1862 George Aler John M. Herndon, Trustee Lot 219 Deed of Trust R 265 1/3/1855 George Aler Building Fund Association Lot 219 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-9 Architectural In

TABLE A-4: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR GEORGE ALER HOUSE (111-0132-0522), CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRInstr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Deed of Trust R 396 6/21/1855 George Aler Building Fund Assoc. Lot 219 Deed of Trust O 113 2/6/1846 William Jones John James Chew Lot 219 Deed of Trust O 113 2/6/1846 William Jones Mary E. Jones Lot 219 Deed M 409 1/11/1843 Patton, Trustee of John Buck's Estate (dec.) William Jones Lot 219; 1844-1859: Remaining portion of l

Jones (“of Patton Trustee Buck”; Building VValue: $400) (CFDB M:409) 

Deed M 460 2/23/1843 

John Marye, Administrator of Anthony Buck's (dec.) Estate 

George Aler 

Fredericksburg Land Tax Records: 1844-18

purchased by George Aler ( -1872/1874) (pBuck”; Building Value: $400, Land Value: $1Value: $550.00); 1856-1859: A portion of thGeorge Aler) is referred to in land tax reco

Deed M 104 5/1/1841 

John and Mary Conway (Buck), husband and wife 

Anthony Buck 

Part of Lot 219; "Beginning at the corner foPrincess Augusta and Frederick Streets and Princess Augusta Street 100 feet, thence at Augusta Street and parallel with Frederick SSamuel Thompson (Tompkins) lot, thence wtowards Frederick Street 100 feet, thence abeginning corner" (CFDB M:104, 5/1/1841; (Buck), husband and wife, to Anthony Buck

Deed K 122 1/13/1836 

Henry T. Phillips, John S. Caldwell and Arthur L. M. Masson, Commissioners of the Corporation Court of Fredericksburg, Virginia 

John Buck William Brooks died intestate; Property so

Deed E 272 3/6/1815 Robert Mackay Capt. William Brooks [Alt. Sp., "Brookes"] Lot 219 Acknowledgement E 337 5/30/1815 Robert Mackay Capt. William Brooks [Alt. Sp., "Brookes"] Lot 219 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-10 Architectural In

TABLE A-4: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR GEORGE ALER HOUSE (111-0132-0522), CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRInstr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Deed D 275 1/17/1810 George Baggott Capt. William Emmerson Lot 219 Deed D 316 2/19/1810 William Emerson and Nancy, his wife Thomas Crosby 

Part of Lot 219 - "Beginning at a point on CAugusta Street) 92 feet from a corner of its Frederick St., and running down Charles Stthence along the dividing line of Lot 218 an227, then along the dividing line of Lot 227 straight line and parallel with Frederick St., Charles St" (CFDB D:316, 2/19/1810, Williawife, to Thomas Crosby). 

Deed E 28 7/4/1803 John Baylor and Ann Diggs, his wife George Baggot, Sr. Lot 219 Deed C 284 4/10/1799 David C. Kerr and Margaret, his wife John W. Baylor 

Lot 219; "...a certain lot of ground situate, of Fredericksburg, Va. On the streets PrincFrederick and know in the plat of the said t(CFDB C:284 4/10/1799, David C. Kerr and W. Baylor (of Caroline County). 

Deed of Trust C 184 4/28/1798 Frances Harvey, wife of William Harvey (dec.) David Corbin Kerr Lot 219 Deed A 46 9/27/1783 James Jamison (Jameson) William Harvey 

In 1796, William Harvey was issued a MutuReel 1, Vol. 3) on a two-story, wood-frame located on the south side of Frederick Strein 1799 

Deed F 702 10/7/1765 Lucy and Roger Dixon Thomas Jameson 

"Lot 219, Fredericksburg; Pr. Augusta & Frebelonging to Andrew Frasher" (SCDB F:702of that lot or half-acre of ground lying and bFredericksburg, Va., described and known athe lot belonging Andrew Frazer on PrincesF:702, 10/7/1765) 

Source: Dovetail, 2016d. 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-11 Architectural In

TABLE A-5: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR PULLIAM’S SERVICE STATION (111-0009-0795), CITY OF FREDERICKSBUInstr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Transfer Instrument 2008-1151 n/a May 7, 2008 Lee P. Rowe Rowe Holdings I, LLC Lee P. Rowe set up a corporation in 20Bargain & Sale 242 313 April 1, 1991 Rixey Johnson Lee P. Rowe Value $45,000 Bargain & Sale 1983 Rixey Johnson Source: Spencer 2013:3 Bargain & Sale 82 451 1946 Howard Masters Edward Gibson Conveyance of half interest in parcel Bargain & Sale 70 310 1936 Ada Masters Gibson Edward Gibson Conveyance of half-interest in parcel; A

Edward Gibson in 1928 

Will R 2006 1929 Estate of J. W. Masters (dec) Ada Masters and Howard Masters Grantees are surviving children of J. WBargain & Sale JJ 500 1/25/1904 

T. N. Brent, Mary E. Brent, and Annie M. Brent 

J. W. Masters Prince Edward Street 

Bargain & Sale JJ 500 1/25/1904 James Corbin, Trustee J. W. Masters Prince Edward Street Bargain & Sale JJ 191 11/4/1902 

T. N. Brent, Mary E. Brent, and Annie M. Brent 

J. W. Masters Prince Edward Street 

Bargain & Sale JJ 191 11/4/1902 J. P. Corbin, Trustee J. W. Masters Prince Edward Street 

Source: Dovetail, 2016e. 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-12 Architectural In

TABLE A-6: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR SLAUGHTER PEN FARM (088-0254), SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VIRGINIA Instr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Deed 

#: 200600020676 

 6/16/2006 Heirs of John Pierson Civil War Trust 

Slaughter Pen Farm (200.61 Acres) [“resident farmer—owner John Piersosold the 208-acre spread in 2006 for single most expensive land purchase (Schemmer 2014)]. 

Deed of Trust 94 148 8/10/1921 V. R. Pierson and Jane D. Pierson Leonard F. Pierson 287.856 acres "Wayside" Courtland Deed 90 488 2/27/1919 R. L. Biscoe and Emma L. Biscoe [Alt. Sp. “Briscoe"] V. R. Pierson 287.856 acres "Wayside" Courtland Assumption of Deed of Trust 

90 488 2/27/1919 V. R. Pierson Leonard F. Pierson, Trustee 287.856 acres "Wayside" Courtland 

Deed & Plat 90 379 12/24/1918 Leonard F. Pierson, Special Commissioner R. L. Biscoe [Alt. Sp. "Briscoe"] 287.856 acres Courtland Deed of Trust 90 381 12/24/1918 R. L. Biscoe and Emma L. Biscoe Leonard F. Pierson 287.856 acres "Wayside" Courtland Deed AV 255 9/13/1906 Thomas P. Yerby and Jane H. Yerby R. F. & P. R. R. 2 metes and bounds River Road adjoLP AR 114 1/12/1904 Thomas P. Yerby, Jr., et als. ADS W. S. Embry 255 metes and bounds Courtland DisDeed of Trust AS 119 10/13/1904 Thomas P. Yerby and Jane H. Yerby Duff Green 210 acres, being Slaughter Pen tract, 

1/1/1894: Being part of Mannsfield. Sarecorded 7/26/1905 

Release AK 92 2/6/1899 

William A. Little (dec.), Trustee, William A. Little, Jr., Trustee, Executor of Estate of William A. Little, Sr. (dec.) 

William S. Bernard 286.56 acres part of "Mannsfield" fr t

Deed AI 262 7/15/1898 Thomas P. Yerby and Jane D. Yerby Richard M. Doswell 5 acres, part of Slaughter Pen from W

RF&P RR 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-13 Architectural In

TABLE A-6: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR SLAUGHTER PEN FARM (088-0254), SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VIRGINIA Instr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Plat AG 122 12/6/1895 N. Alfred Bernard Estate William Bernard 1141.55 metes and bounds Rappahan

lots. (See plat SCPB:AG 224) 

Deed of Trust AF 70 2/21/1894 Thomas P. Yerby John L. Marye 

210 acres, Slaughter Pen part of Manpart of Mannsfield. Both from William $1046.66-1yr: $1046.67-2yr: $1046.6

Deed AH 288 5/31/1897 William Bernard Thomas P. Yerby 210 acres, being Slaughter pen; also 5

Also right of way - All from estate of 

Partition AF 2 11/23/1893 N. Alfred Bernard Estate Elizabeth Bernard 

157 metes and bounds of 911.5 Bendand bounds of 1836.5 Mannsfield. DeFredericksburg (See plat AG 224); 21

Deed NN 61 9/25/1849 

William Bernard Estate and Elizabeth Bernard (widow) 

Arthur H. H. Bernard All int Mannsfield house, garden & lot

Deed P 65 5/13/1848 Estate of William Bernard (dec.) and John Bernard A. H. Bernard and A. N. Bernard Interest in Estate of William Bernard Deed LL 426 12/2/1845 Arthur H. H. Bernard and Alfred N. Bernard John H. Bernard Mannsfield & Minors' if both Arthur B

died without issue 

Deed LL 426 12/2/1845 Arthur H. H. Bernard and Alfred N. Bernard 

Elizabeth Bernard, Trustee, Arthur H. H. Bernard, and Alfred N. Bernard 

"Mannsfield"; Minors' & King Copsico Mannsfield for widowhood said Elizabdied without issue then to Alfred -- OMinor & King Copsico for Alfred & if part of Mannsfield, Minors & 2/3 King 

Partition LL 426 12/2/1845 William Bernard Estate: and Alfred N. Bernard Arthur H. H. Bernard, Sr. Arthur chooses Mansion House part 

William Bernard's will 

Agreement LL 496 2/6/1846 Heirs of William Bernard (dec.) Heirs of William Bernard (dec.) Agreement as to disposition of the E

(dec.) 

Will W-A 25 5/17/1844 William Bernard Mrs. William Bernard (wife) 563 "Mannsfield" embracing land NE 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-14 Architectural In

TABLE A-6: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR SLAUGHTER PEN FARM (088-0254), SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VIRGINIA Instr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Will W-BB 16 5/17/1844 William Bernard 

Arthur H.H. Bernard, Sr. and Nathaniel A. Bernard, Sr. 

To draw lots one to have Mannsfield have rem of Mannsfield and 200 adj fRing Copsico in Westmoreland with conditions; also residuary legatees 

Will W-BB 16 5/17/1844 William Bernard Mrs. William Bernard (widow) 563 part of Mannsfield for life or so l

widow 

Will W-BB 16 5/17/1844 William Bernard John H. Bernard, Sr. Cross remainder from Nathaniel A. BWill W-BB 16 5/17/1844 William Bernard 

Arthur H. H. Bernard, Sr. and Nathaniel A. Bernard, Sr. 

To draw lots one to have Mannsfield have remainder of Mannsfield and 20also Ring Copsico in Westmoreland wconditions; Also residuary legatees. 

Deed BB 463 7/7/1828 

Luncy L. Minor, Executrix of Estate of John Minor (dec.) 

William Bernard (of Mannsfield) 

510 metes and bounds south side HaRappahannock River -- Being uper enAlso 196 woodland: Also reversionarbounds Stage Road, part of Mrs PageMannsfield from estate of Mann Page 

Will W 310 11/6/1820 John Minor Lucy Minor, Executrix Will recorded in the Corporation Co

She is sole devisee. Reference 

Partition V 380 5/27/1819 Mann Page (I) Mary Page (widow) Dower in 814 metes and bounds p nPartition V 380 5/27/1819 Mann Page (I) Mann Page, Sr. (II) 557.5 metes and bounds: Also 563 RaDeed W 312 11/6/1820 Mann Page (II) and Robert C. Mann (III) Lucy Minor, Executrix and Devisee of John Minor (dec.) Reversion of 210 metes and bounds s

widow of Mann Page, the Younger, bHarrison. Deed by Robt Patton, Comin Lloyd vs Page. 

Deed U 126 6/5/1815 

Burr. Harrison and Mary W. Harrison Prince William County 

John Minor 

Reversionary interest in 210 metes aMrs. Mann Page, Sr.; On Deep Run afrom estate of Mann Page, Sr. (dec.) t

Page, widow of Mann Page, III (1749-Harrison of Prince William County in U:126, 6/5/1815) 
APPENDIX A: CHAIN OF TITLES 

D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail A-15 Architectural In

TABLE A-6: CHAIN OF TITLE FOR SLAUGHTER PEN FARM (088-0254), SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VIRGINIA Instr. Type Book Page Date Grantor Grantee Notes/Comments Deed S 365 9/2/1811 Mary W. Page William Bernard Reversionary interest in about 800 ac

Mannsfield known as Mrs. Page's Dow

Will W-D C 200 10/13/1803 Mann Page (III) 

Mary Page (wife), Lucy Page (daughter), John Taylor Page (son), Robert Carter Page (son), and Mann Page (son) 

Mannsfield House to wife for life; Upbetween mouths of Deep & Hazel Ruand bounds & 300 woodland to rear Mannsfield to Mann Page: NassaponaNassaponax to John; Chattels to Mar

Deed Q 18 2/2/1802 Mann Page, Sr. (II), and Mary Page Mann Page, Jr. (III) 1462 metes and bounds Massaponax 

Fredericksburg & New Port. Deed mCourt, 5/4/1763 

Deed O N/A 1/6/1795 Mann Page (of Spotsylvania Co.) Thomas Colson (of Spotsylvania Co.) 

Mann Page of Spots. Co. to Thomas Ccurr. Abt. 1180 a., part of a larger traparcels have formerly been sold] in SHughes, Littleton Goodwin, Jno. Bayl

Mercer, Tho. Goodwin. 1/6/1795 (SC

Lease L N/A 1/1/1788 Mann Page (of Spots. Co.) Roderick White (of Spots. Co.) Lease. 210 acres in St. George Parish

etc., 2100 lbs. tobacco yearly, etc., et

Will W-E 387 4/19/1781 Mann Page (I) Mann Page, Sr. (II) All land in Spotsylvania, subject to life 

Home place: Also Bull Run tract in N

Unknown N/A N/A John Pierson 

Source: Dovetail, 2016f.