About Washington Heritage Museums

The mission of the Washington Heritage Museums (WHM) is to preserve, promote and maintain its four 18th century properties in Fredericksburg, VA and develop dynamic educational resources and programs to engage and inspire the interest of everyone.

Washington Heritage Museums is a 501(c)3 membership organization established in 2012 to assume ownership and management of four 18th-century house museums in downtown Fredericksburg: Mary Washington House, Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, Rising Sun Tavern, and St. James' House. The first three museums are open year-round, offering guided tours for individuals and groups with historic interpreters.  St. James’ House serves as the organization’s headquarters and business office and opens its doors for tours on selected weeks in the spring and fall.

An active organization of several hundred members located throughout Virginia and across the nation, Washington Heritage Museums is dedicated to growing the support that will ensure the relevance of these legacies for generations to come. WHM offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities and welcomes all members as partners to share these important sites with the public.  We are vigorously committed to a new era of health and relevance for these architectural and cultural treasures.  Their historical importance is national as well as local.