history s stories: dr urbane bass what’s in a vision? makers district

history’s stories I can recall growing up hearing stories from my Grandfather about two local men who had fought with him in World War I, receiving the (DSC) D i s ti n gu i s h e d Service Cross. They were Alexander Stone who had come back with him and Dr. Bass who was killed in the France, however, they both were buried in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery located on Lafayette Boulevard. It would not be for many years that I would hear about Dr. Urbane Francis Bass. In 1980 I was elected Dr. Urbane Bass By Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks to City Council and it was at this time I would meet another Council member, Sidney Ellison . He was the brother of Dr. Richard Ellison , a local physician who had been in practice for many years serving mostly the Black community. Dr. Ellison and I became friends and he would tell me of Dr. Bass and his accomplishments in the Fredericksburg community. He advised me that in 1920 Shiloh New Site Church installed a stained-glass window in honor of Dr. Bass. Dr. Ellison went on to tell me that Dr. Bass was the first Black Physician between Richmond and Washington.

I contacted the local expert on WW I, Glen Hyatt for more information on Dr. Urbane Bass and as usual, Glenn was no disappointment. He was quick to verify Dr. Ellison's information and adding even more. Dr. Urbane Bass was born in Richmond in 1880, graduated from Virginia Union University and Leonard Medical College in North Carolina in 1906. After graduation he married Maude Vass and set up a practice in Richmond, that he would move to Fredericksburg around 1909, at 508 Amelia Street. Dr. Bass was the first Black physician in the city since Reconstruction.

In 1916 with a well-established practice he wrote Secretary of War Newton Baker wanting to work as a Physician for the Army. In 1917 Dr. Urbane F. Bass became one of the 104 Black medical doctors who volunteered for service, and one of eight that would be assigned to a combat zone. The Black doctors would serve with the 92nd or 93rd divisions as these were the first black combat divisions.

He would end up working with the French since they were short of medical help. These units found themselves in the trenches on the front lines near the end of the war.

On October 17, 1918, Dr. Bass was working at a forward aid station when he was hit with shrapnel and he died at age 38. His Distinguished Service Cross citation reads: Urbane F. Bass, First Lieutenant (Medical Corps), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Monthois, France, October 1-6, 1918. During the attack on Monthois Lieutenant Bass administered first aid in the open under prolonged and intense shell fire until he was severely wounded and carried from the field.

On July 23, 1921, his body was returned home and buried in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, the only Black officer buried there. His wife Maude never remarried and died in 1986 at 100 years old and is buried next to her husband. A true hero one of only two of the awards to WW I Fredericksburg soldiers Dr. Richard Ellison went on to practice a total of 51 years, into the 1980's. They were honored by having the Bass-Ellison Health building named in their honor by the city.

Dedicated to: Pat Pelletier, Carlton Musselman, Jack Hicks, Bill Harr, Lawrence Decatur, Brenda Haley, Tom Johnson & Artemis Wilhour

Tuffy is the Front Porch resident FXBG historian

What’s in a Vision?

THe Maker District By jon gerlach

In 1967 our Rambler station wagon broke down in Fredericksburg on a trip from PA to FL. The lumbering beast was towed to a service station along Princess Anne Street. We thought it was belly up for good, but we were back on the road in a few days (only to break down again in GA, but that's another story). While stranded here, we explored historic sites around Fredericksburg and vowed to return, which we did often in ensuing years. Oddly enough, the machinations of a fickle engine - a uniquely modern experience - kicked off a child's lifelong passion for history and Fredericksburg. Today, the Princess Anne Street and Fall Hill Avenue corridors retain a wonderful mix of eclectic buildings that conjure up the City's growth in the mid20th Century, tied to mobility and America's "love affair" with the automobile. Nearly all of the structures are at least 50 years old, exhibiting a wide variety of architectural styles. This unique commercial area has lived several lives, and it's time now to map a new direction along its arc of history. The Planning Department contracted with Streetsense to complete an intensive planning study of the area in 2017. Working with a wide variety of stakeholders including the Canal Quarter Neighborhood Association , the City's vision for changing this area into a Creative Maker District is well on its way, as part of the Small Area Plan for Area 6. The idea behind the Creative Maker District is to foster a mix of light manufacturing in harmony with nearby residential neighborhoods, by attracting marketable uses and encouraging adaptive reuse of old buildings. Businesses will run the gamut from making and repairing small parts, machines and equipment, to mom-and-pop concerns that produce all manner of things; and yes, even breweries. The Creative Maker District aims to strike a balance between sustainable levels of land use and neighborhood interests such as traffic, school capacity, and the

character of adjacent development, a type of "Smart Growth" popular today among urban planners. New construction will follow a "Form Based Code", a land development tool that relies on "Transects" of density levels to foster predictable results in a high-quality public realm by using physical form as the organizing principle, instead of land use types. More intensive types of development will require a special use permit with opportunities for public comment at the Planning Commission and City Council. The Form Based Code adds standards to the zoning ordinance to ensure that any future development is compatible in form and scale to adjacent neighborhoods by using "Transitional Zones". This is achieved through urban fabric, frontage, and building type standards that require a harmonious public realm and compatible building forms. High on the list are strategies that incentivize the preservation of character defining historic buildings. In 2018 the Architectural Review Board (ARB) identified almost three dozen buildings that contribute to the character of the commercial core in this area, a key step toward future incentive-based preservation efforts. Among the character-defining structures identified by the ARB are Carl's, the Embry Power Plant, Old Silk Mill, George Washington Executive Center, 2400 Diner, Maxon-Dixon Café, Little Tire, Washington Woolen Mills Pants Factory, the old Mary Washington Hospital, and a variety of motels, show rooms, garages, auto service centers and filling stations. So, what's in a Vision? Here, exciting prospects for economic vitality, quality of life, and the adaptive reuse of some wonderful old buildings. Stay tuned!

An attorney and retired archaeologist, Jon Gerlach serves on the Architectural Review Board in Fredericksburg. Embry Power Plant photo by Jon Gerlach