what’s in A Journey? :freedom crossing site

When you freely walk the wellkept streets of our fair city, take a moment to reflect on the incredible strength and resolve of the American spirit that played out here 160 years ago.

In the 1870s, John Washington published his "Memorys [sic] of the Past", one of the very few slave memoirs ever written. It's a moving autobiography, laying bare the emotions and frustration of this man's 24 years in slavery. Born into slavery, John Washington (1838-1919), his mother, and four brothers and sisters, were owned by Katherine Taliaferro. He lived upstairs in the Farmers Bank Building, which he called the "white people's house", later known as the National Bank Building and today the home of the fine food restaurant Foode.

Washington often looked out from his bedroom window facing George Street, upon a world far different than his, where white children played in the streets, and white men and women freely went about their daily lives. He often looked for ways to grab a few moments here and there where he too might grasp a brief sense of what freedom felt like. Maybe it was a short boat ride on the river, or meeting friends for a few minutes on the streets of Fredericksburg.

In 1850, when he was still a boy, Washington's mother and three siblings were hired out to work as slaves for a farmer in Staunton. After a tearful farewell with his mother in his bedroom, he vowed to find his way to freedom one way or another - should the chance ever present itself. Time passed, and twelve years later that moment finally did arrive.

It was Good Friday, April 18th, 1862. Aged 24 now, Washington was working at the Shakespeare Hotel, located on the 800 block of Caroline Street, between George and Hanover Streets. It was here in the busy hotel lobby where panic (and opportunity) hit like a thunderclap that fateful day: the Union army had arrived in Falmouth, just across the river. Patrons quickly fled the establishment, and Washington took charge of closing up the hotel after them.

Knowing full well this was his chance, Washington made his way upriver, and crossed the Rappahannock near Bridgewater Mill, which today lies in ruins at the northern edge of Old Mill Park (see photo). He was one of the very first slaves to cross the river to freedom. Two weeks later, the Union army crossed the river in the opposite direction, beginning its five months of Federal occupation of Fredericksburg.

For the rest of that Spring and Summer, around 10,000 enslaved men, women and children, some arriving to the area on foot, or by wagon and rail, crossed the Rappahannock River to freedom in territory then under control of the Union Army. The Emancipation Proclamation hadn't yet been issued by President Lincoln. But even so, the news spread quickly that Yankee soldiers held both sides of the river at Fredericksburg. For many people, this began their journey to freedom, marking a key point in the arc of African American history.

To learn more about this remarkable human migration, visit the Trail to Freedom website: https://trailtofreedomva.com, where John Hennessy, former NPS Historian, narrates a fascinating tour.

I write this article on April 18, 2022, precisely 160 years to the day from Washington's crossing. Earlier today, historian Steward Henderson led a group of students and community members to the crossing site and talked about Washington's remarkable life. Standing there at river's edge, we saw a magnificent bald eagle, symbol of Liberty, soar gracefully overhead and cross to the other side with ease.

So … what's in a Journey? Here … one man's story that exemplifies the American spirit.

What’s in A Journey?

freedom crossing site

By jon gerlach

An attorney and retired archaeologist, Jon Gerlach serves on Fredericksburg's City Council, Ward Two.

Photo of Bridgewater Mill Ruins by Jon Gerlach

FURTHERNOTES “Thomas Goodwin kept the Rappahannock House, later the Shakespeare, on the east side of Caroline St. about halfway between George and Hanover streets. It burned down after the Civil War and storehouses were built on its site." ~FLS

Also in May 1862, President Lincoln visited the Farmers Bank Building, just a few weeks after Washington had seized his opportunity to flee to freedom.

The Central Rappahannock Heritage Center is a non-profit, all-volunteer archives whose mission is to preserve historically valuable material ofthe region and make it available to the public for research

900 Barton St #111, Fredericksburg, VA www.crhcarchives.org contact@crhcarchives.org 540-373-3704

Volunteers Wecome! Contact us about donating collections of documents and photographs