Featured Event:
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Twilight History at Washington Heritage Museums
Monday, July 28 to Thursday, July 31, 2025
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location varies by evening
Young historians will enjoy the gift of historic games & activities this summer! This four-evening program is designed engage students with hands-on experiences that explore local history. Programs will rotate between four of Fredericksburg’s most historic sites, including the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, Rising Sun Tavern, Mary Washington House, and Mary Washington Monument. This a great chance for parents to relax and enjoy downtown Fredericksburg during Fredericksburg’s Restaurant Week!
$150 per registrant, $125 for WHM Members.
Participants must be 8 to 12 years of age during the program.
Upcoming Events:
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Rising Sun Tavern Behind The Scenes Tour
Saturday, June 14, 2025
5:00 PM to 6:30 PM & 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Rising Sun Tavern
1304 Charles Street
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Join us on Saturday, June 14 for a behind the scenes tour of the Rising Sun Tavern. The 265 year-old building on Caroline Street once served as the home of Charles Washington, and later as a Federal-era tavern. The tour will be hosted by Michael Spencer, Associate Professor of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington. His tour will immerse you in the multi-layered history of the Rising Sun Tavern. We will examine the building’s design and construction as we look underneath the reconstructed porch, peak behind the corner cabinet to see the original chair rail, study the basement framing, and inspect the attic, which was damaged during the Civil War. The tour will conclude with a discussion of the property that once contained a stable, a kitchen, and a billiards hall! A Q&A with Professor Spencer will be held after the tour. Please note: this tour is not handicap accessible and will include movement over uneven terrain and up and down steep steps.
Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence
Friday, July 4, 2025
11:00 AM, 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM
Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop
FREE, museum tours available with admission ticket
Join Washington Heritage Museums at the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop as we celebrate our independence with the annual live reading of the Declaration of Independence. Living historians will read this historic document from the steps in front of this 18th-century building in a moving experience you won't want to miss!
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WHM Speaker Series
October 2, 2025
November 6, 2025
December 4, 2025
Central Rappahannock Regional Library
Join WHM for the Speaker Series. With a variety of topics, there is something to interest everyone! Our speakers and subjects will be announced soon. In the meantime, we hope you will enjoy watching some of our past lectures on the WHM YouTube Channel.
Bourbon and Boxwood – 10th Anniversary
October 4, 2025
7:00 – 10:00 PM
Mary Washington House
Attend this annual, sell-out event: a spirited garden party with live music, plentiful food, drinks, tastings, silent auction, fantastic guests, and an outstanding way to financially support all five historic properties and their educational programs.​
Sponsorships currently available, individual tickets available to the public on August 1, 2025.
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St. James’ House Fall Opening
Monday, October 6 to Saturday, October 11, 2025
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Daily
Tour the beautiful home and garden of one of Fredericksburg's early attorneys, James Mercer. The house is particularly noted for its fine collection of antique furniture and decorative arts acquired by Daniel Breslin and William Tolerton. Together, they restored St. James’ in the mid-1960s and eventually bequeathed it to Preservation Virginia. St. James’ House now serves as the headquarters for Washington Heritage Museums.
Tickets available October 1.
