When we think of April, thoughts of spring, Easter, flowers and gardens typically come to mind. The Heritage Center has information on all of these subjects.

The word "Easter" appears in 178 records in the Center's data base. Some of these records just mention Easter where others contain detailed stories from local residents. You will also find colorful greeting cards from both the Druid Mills and Stearns Collections, along with programs from Easter services. Easter was also the given name of several enslaved people listed in court records and estate inventories.

Flower gardens have been important to Fredericksburg residents as long as anyone can remember. The Center has dozens of letters that mention the beautiful flowering trees and plants in the spring. A letter written by Thomas Fitzhugh Knox on May 27, 1863, says "The old town looks well now because of the trees & gardens Roses flowers &c but it is almost ruined." The flowers and trees brought beauty to Fredericksburg despite two horrific Civil War battles.

Several garden clubs have entrusted their records and scrapbooks to the Center. Three of these clubs are the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club, the Anne Page Garden Club, and the Town and Country Garden Club. These scrapbooks contain hundreds of photographs of garden club members, events and of course, flower arrangements.

Also in the Center's collection are most of the Garden Club of Virginia's annual guide books which describe the garden tours on each day of Garden Week. The Garden Club of Virginia has been preserving Virginia landscapes for 82 years. The first project was Kenmore in 1929. Landscapes at Belmont, Mary Washington House and the Mary Washington Monument have also benefited from Garden Week.

The Fredericksburg area Garden Day is sponsored by the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club. The event has been covered in many April editions of The Spur and Fredericksburg Times magazines. This year Garden Day is on Tuesday, April 21st. It will feature five of Caroline County's historic properties: Prospect Hill (1838 - 1842), Moss Neck Manor (1854), Riverview (1846), Townfield (1745) and Rose Hill (1790). The Heritage Center holds more than two hundred records that mention these homes, including WPA reports on Prospect Hill and Moss Neck Manor. All of the properties are on the Department of the Interior's Register of Historic Places. For history lovers, this is a rare opportunity to see these privately owned homes and their spectacular gardens.

Beth Daly

Click on photo to enlarge

On April 1, 1887, a storm covered Fredericksburg in several inches of snow. This photo shows the home of Robert Taylor Knox. Several people, presumably Knox family members, are watching the snow from the covered porch.  Known as "The Cottage", the home was located at the corner of Prince Edward and Fauquier, but no longer stands.

Beth Daly