Fredericksburg dates to 1728, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #19 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
30 places in town are on the National Register, among them 4 National Historic Landmarks and four historic districts with 85 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1790.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fredericksburg is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #19 of 253 in Virginia. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fredericksburg’s overall grade.
Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fredericksburg’s 40.2 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 116 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1728.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Fredericksburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Fredericksburg, building by building, 1886–1919
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
At the time of European encounter, the indigenous inhabitants of the area that became Fredericksburg were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Manahoac. English colonists recorded the name of the Manahoac village there as Mahaskahod. Siouan tribes occupied much of the area of the Piedmont. The Tidewater areas of the coastal plain had primarily Algonquian-speaking tribes making up the Powhatan Confederacy.
Passages that mention Fredericksburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Old homes and history around Fredericksburg1929 · page 50Read the page →
Read the text
Fall Hill commands the town of Fredericksburg, and was the strong left of Lee’s line during the Battle of Fredericksburg and the winter following. Batteries were posted upon the hill here and played an important part in the second battle when by withdrawing and getting on the Plank Road, they did immensely important work in holding back the Federal advance.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Old homes and history around Fredericksburg1929 · page 55Read the page →
Read the text
settlement here before this, probably as far back as there was a settlement at Fredericksburg, which was sometime in the 1620’s. But in 1728 it was regularly laid out and seven trustees appointed to govern it: Robert Carter, president, Nicholas Smith, John Fitzhugh, Charles Carter, Henry Fitzhugh, John Warner, surveyor, and William Thornton.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Fredericksburg, 1728 to 2000
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fredericksburg. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1926Stafford sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fredericksburg.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this view"Havoc". Effect of a 32lb. shell from the 2nd. Mass. Heavy Artillery, Fredericksburg,Va, c. 1860
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fredericksburg’s page.
In 1728, according to Wikidata. the first U.S. census counted 1,485 people here in 1790.
How does Fredericksburg rank for history?
Fredericksburg is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #19 of 253 in Virginia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Fredericksburg?
30 listings, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks: 22 buildings, among them the Rising Sun Tavern (a National Historic Landmark since 1964), 4 historic districts with 85 contributing buildings, and 4 sites. 116 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Fredericksburg?
13% of Fredericksburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1986.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (30), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
c. 1860
c. 1860
c. 1860
