Civil War Trails

Civil War Trails

Civil War Trails® has been working with communities since 1994 to share their stories and connect visitors with small towns and big stories across a network that now spans six states. Travelers look to Trails to put them in the footsteps of the generals, soldiers,...
Stafford Armed Services Memorial

Stafford Armed Services Memorial

For more than 200 years, residents of Stafford County have served honorably in our nation’s armed forces to preserve freedom and democracy. From the Revolutionary War to the present conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the world, many of these men and women...
Moncure Conway House

Moncure Conway House

The stately Federal-period Moncure Conway House in Falmouth is one of Stafford’s historic treasures. The home was associated earlier with the Vass and Beale families. It was the boyhood home of Moncure Daniel Conway, the South’s most prominent abolitionist. During the...
Shelton Cottage in Falmouth

Shelton Cottage in Falmouth

Shelton Cottage in Falmouth along River Road stands in contrast to Basil Gordon House and Moncure Conway House (houses of prosperous merchants and businessmen). It represents what a colonial workingman might aspire to possess in his own right – a far cry from his...
Government Island

Government Island

Located in the middle of Stafford I-95 exit 140, Visit the quarry where the U.S. Government’s most famous buildings were born. Government Island, a historic 18th and 19th century quarry site provided Aquia sandstone for the construction of the U.S. Capitol and...
Aquia Landing Park

Aquia Landing Park

Open year-round, this popular public beach offers fishing, picnicking, kayaking and two large picnic shelters for rent. Rich in outdoor recreation and steeped in history, Aquia Landing is a special place in Stafford County.  Located just 7 miles east of Stafford...
Stafford Civil War Park

Stafford Civil War Park

This 41-acre park tells the story of the Army of the Potomac’s Winter Encampment in 1863. More than 135,000 soldiers occupied Stafford County while their new commander, General Joseph Hooker rebuilt his army. This critical time has been referred to in...
Aquia Episcopal Church

Aquia Episcopal Church

The Historic Aquia Church is one of the oldest active colonial churches still in operation in America today, and is designated a National Historic Landmark.  Built between 1751-1757, Aquia Church is noted for its three-tiered wooden pulpit and Aquia stone trim....
Chatham Manor

Chatham Manor

This magnificent Georgian mansion, its various outbuildings and dependencies, and the historic ground which surrounds it represent a small preserve in which the entire scope of Virginia heritage from Colonial times to the 20th Century. Today Chatham is part of...
George Washington’s Ferry Farm

George Washington’s Ferry Farm

George Washington was 6 years old in 1738 when his family moved to a farm in Stafford County, Virginia. The Washingtons called this place the Home Farm but it later became known as Ferry Farm because people crossed the Rappahannock River on a ferry from the farm to...
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park

Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania – more than 85,000 men wounded; 15,000 killed. No place more vividly reflects the Civil War’s tragic cost, in all its forms. These places reveal the trials of a community and nation at war. In...
Hartwood Church

Hartwood Church

Echos of history are found within the walls of this historic Presbyterian Church which was occupied and vandalized by Union troops during the Civil War. Today the walls are new but the building is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National...
Trail to Freedom

Trail to Freedom

Where is it? Located halfway between Richmond, Virginia and Washington, DC, The Trail to Freedom retraces the routes of these freedom-seekers -men, women, and children – through the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia and the County of Stafford, Virginia. Why did...
Historic Port of Falmouth

Historic Port of Falmouth

Located off River Road, this area is a wonderful place to enjoy the beauty of the Rappahannock River. The area is a great place to fish (VA fishing license required), and it is equipped with picnic areas. Portable restroom facilities are available from Memorial Day...