Some of the dishes we eat today were also enjoyed by our colonial ancestors, but often with variations. Come join us in our Makerlab as we discuss the history of making cakes and quick-breads in colonial America, share the similarities and differences from modern baking in techniques and ingredients, and walk through the steps of baking a pan of gingerbread, using Mary Ball Washington’s recipe. According to tradition, Mary Ball Washington, George Washington’s mother, served this dish to General Lafayette when he visited her in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Whether you’re single, taken, or just in a long-term relationship with running, the Love the Run You’re With 4-Miler is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend! Join us for a heart-pumping race filled with love, laughter, and a little friendly competition.

Lace up your running shoes and hit the course solo, as a dynamic duo, or with your running squad—because love (and running) is better when shared! Expect a lively atmosphere with Cupid-approved race swag, sweet treats at the finish line, and a post-race celebration that will have your heart racing for more.

Race Highlights:

• A scenic 4-mile course to get your heart pounding
• Sweet surprises at the finish line (because love = chocolate)
• Plenty of photo ops to capture the love
• Awards for top finishers and best Valentine’s-themed outfits

Whether you’re running for love, running from love, or just running because you love it, Love the Run You’re With is the ultimate way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Give Me Liberty: Virginia & The Forging of a Nation will explore the unique and essential Virginia people, events, and sites that helped bring liberty and democracy to a nation. Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this exhibit will highlight the complex, diverse, and inspiring Virginia history which is, in fact, America’s story.

Give Me Liberty will provide context for the coming of the Revolution in Virginia and brings visitors into the core of the action from 1774 through 1776, highlighting how the American Revolution was a war, and more than a war.

Give Me Liberty: Virginia & The Forging of a Nation is the signature exhibition of Virginia’s 250th Commission. This exhibition is curated in partnership with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (JYF) and presented by VA250, Virginia’s semiquincentennial planning commission. Central Rappahannock Regional Library is honored to host this exhibition with sponsorship from Tour Stafford.

Presented by Dr. Gaila Sims of the Fredericksburg Area Museum. In 1824 and 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette visited the city of Fredericksburg as part of his multiyear Grand Tour of the United States. Lafayette was an extraordinary individual who made essential contributions to American history as a wealthy nobleman, revolutionary hero, military officer, enlightenment thinker, democratic supporter, and committed abolitionist. Lafayette’s World: Revolutionary Ideals and the Limits of Freedom celebrates the Marquis as an individual and the belief in freedom and democracy shared by those he fought alongside in the American Revolution.

Dr. Gaila Sims is the Curator of African American History and Special Projects at the Fredericksburg Area Museum. She is responsible for the development of exhibitions, interpretation, and programming related to African American History.

Presented by Kathi Lynn Austin of the Freedom Forge Foundation and Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor of the Stafford County Historical Society. During the American Revolutionary War, James Hunter was one of the largest producers of arms and supplies to the Continental Troops. Born into a well-established mercantile family near Glasgow, Scotland, James Hunter arrived in America in the mid-1740s where he began, over the course of the next three decades to, along the Rappahannock River near Falmouth, construct and refine what would soon be called “…the greatest Iron Works that is upon the Continent” as his business grew into arguably the largest manufacturing facility in Colonial America.

Despite his involvement in helping to build the foundations of America and ensure patriot victory during the Revolutionary War, Hunter’s Iron Works and his gun-making subsidiary, Rappahannock Forge, are almost forgotten to this day. The Freedom Forge Foundation, headed by Kathi Lynn Austin, looks to preserve and interpret the original site of the Iron Works on a local, state, and national effort by commemorating a previously overlooked Revolutionary War hero whose innovative spirit and defense of liberty and justice of all gave rise to America’s Defense Industry.

Kathi Lynn Austin is a collateral descendant of James Hunter and the current Director of the Freedom Forge Foundation. She is an internationally recognized expert on arms trafficking, peace and security, and human rights, having served with the United Nations Group of Experts on the DRC and Liberia, as well as Chief of the Joint Mission Analysis Centre for the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in Timor-Leste and Burundi.

Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor is the author of They Called Stafford Home, among other works related to the rich history of Stafford County. A life-long Staffordian, Jerrilynn continues to heavily contribute to historical and genealogical studies of the people and places of this County. She is a secretary of the historical society and a frequent lecturer on various historical topics to numerous regional historical organizations.

Presented by Connie S. Schroeder. The likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin are all well-known Founding Fathers. However, outside of the main individuals taught to every student in school, there were dozens of additional figures who contributed to the establishment of this nation but have often been overlooked. One such “Son of Liberty” was Dr. Joseph Warren, a physician who was one of the most prominent figures in the Patriot movement in Boston during the early days of the American Revolution. This presentation will explore the lives of these men whose actions are rarely included in the story of America.

Connie S. Schroeder is a local Stafford County resident of twenty-five years. She attended Georgetown College and holds a BS in Vocational Home Economics and is currently in the final stages of a Professional Studies degree at BYU in Advanced Family History Research. She was the Organizing Regent and is the current Regent of the Overwharton Paris Chapter, as part of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Connie has also presided as the Honorary President of the Virginia State Society, and has served on National Society United States Daughters of 1812, along with various other lineage organizations.

Join us at George Washington’s Ferry Farm on April 25, 2026, as Stafford County commemorates 250 years of American history. The Loyal Drums of Stafford County will present an exhibit of historic drums, including examples dating back to the Revolutionary War, alongside stirring performances of period fife and drum music.

Visitors can also enjoy a live blacksmithing exhibit and demonstration by Black Horse Forge, highlighting the craftsmanship that shaped early America.

Presented by Gail S. Watson of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Falls Church Chapter. Researching genealogy can prove difficult across all mediums, but many individuals experience setbacks when examining their ancestral history in the years prior to the founding of America as a country. Gail will demonstrate that, while it may appear daunting, it is far easier when one has the right resources, records, and knowledge at hand. Focusing on Virginian records during and before the American Revolution, there are also many clues in modern records that point hundreds of years to the past, many of which are found in Ancestry, FamilySearch, and the Library of Virginia, all of which, and more, will be demonstrated in this presentation.

Gail S. Watson is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution with a membership in the Falls Church Chapter. She is a genealogist on the state level who has assisted with numerous research challenges and at the national level indexing documents. A periodic speaker in the Virginia House Chapter’s Public Genealogy Workshop, Gail has also spoken at various conferences across the Commonwealth of Virginia and volunteers at the Warrenton Family Search Center.

Presented by Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor of the Stafford County Historical Society. Aquia Creek was at one point a major commercial waterway from the mid-1600s up until the early 1900s, in contrast to its modern geography. Three deep-water landings received international sailing vessels along the waterway, and industry flowed through the heart of the freestone quarrying area, much of which was used in the construction of various buildings in Washington D.C. and in the surrounding areas in Virginia. Moreover, several large fisheries operated along the creek, and thousands of cords of wood, along with hundreds of thousands of railroad ties, were shipped down Aquia Creek to many destinations across the United States. Learn of this area’s rich history, including the location of Stafford County’s only known military entanglement of the Revolutionary War: the Burning of Richland. In July of 1776, British warships sailed up the Potomac and met the Stafford Militia, who were stationed at the Richland Plantation, which was owned by William Brent.

Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor is the author of They Called Stafford Home, among other works related to the rich history of Stafford County. A life-long Staffordian, Jerrilynn continues to heavily contribute to historical and genealogical studies of the people and places of this County. She is a secretary of the historical society and a frequent lecturer on various historical topics to numerous regional historical organizations.

Presented by Dr. Jason Sellers, University of Mary Washington. The colonial unrest that led to the American Revolution offered opportunities for diverse Americans to pursue freedom. This program will discuss the roles Native nations on Virginia’s frontiers played in shaping its support for an independent United States. It will also consider how and why Virginia Indians participated in that struggle for independence.

Dr. Jason Sellers is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Mary Washington specializing in the cultural and environmental history of 17th-and 18th-century North American landscapes and bodies.

Presented by Dr. Will Mackintosh, Associate Professor at the University of Mary Washington. Looking backwards, the political decision to break with Great Britain and declare independence looks obvious. Because we all know what happened over the next 250 years, the independence of some of the North American colonies has taken on an air of inevitability. But it wasn’t so obvious to people at the time. This talk explores the politics of Virginia in the mid-1770s to understand who was pushing for independence, why they did so, and how they ultimately won the argument.

Dr. Will Mackintosh is a cultural and social historian of the 19th century United States, with particular interests in the history of leisure, the history of crime, and the cultural history of capitalism. He is the author of Selling the Sights: The Invention of the Tourist in American Culture.

Presented by Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor of the Stafford County Historical Society. Stafford County has played a vital role in the founding of this nation, from the original settlements of the families of our Founding Fathers to the construction of a number of privately owned architectural buildings still standing to this day to the early industries of commercial fishing, quarrying, and iron manufacturing. The locations discussed feature the people associated with them, their stories, and how they relate to our history, along with an overview of the communities who lived in Stafford across the years, with particular interest to the once bustling seaport of Falmouth.

Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor is the author of They Called Stafford Home, among other works related to the rich history of Stafford County. A life-long Staffordian, Jerrilynn continues to heavily contribute to historical and genealogical studies of the people and places of this County. She is a secretary of the historical society and a frequent lecturer on various historical topics to numerous regional historical organizations.

What could be more patriotic than spending July 4th on the grounds of George Washington’s Boyhood Home? Celebrate Independence Day the Revolutionary Way with acres of activities for all ages!

Play colonial games, tour the Washington House, enjoy live patriotic music, meet a George Washington reenactor, watch a flag retirement ceremony, talk with archaeologists around an active dig site, make crafts, explore different historical encamped military units — and much more! Food trucks on-site.

Tickets $1 per person, ages 3 and up. Children 2 and under free. Pay at the entrance, cash or credit.

No pets permitted on site at this event, excluding service dogs. No coolers and no alcohol permitted.

Presented by Shannon Combs-Bennett. DNA testing in genealogy can be a confusing and complicated process, but, when understood, can provide insight into your genetic origins and help you find new family connections. Moreover, it may showcase which region of the world your ancestors came from and help determine if you are descended from a specific group of people. Shannon will explain what autosomal DNA is, what it means for your research, how to understand your results if you have taken a DNA test, and how to get in touch with family members that may be new to you.

Shannon Combs-Bennett is an author and lecturer on genealogical topics to local and international audiences. She holds a BS in Biology with an emphasis in genetics from Indiana University and a MSc in Genealogical, Heraldic, and Paleographic Studies from the University of Strathclyde, where she is currently in the final stages of acquiring her PhD. Shannon is also a member of the Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

The Slave Dwelling Project comes to Stafford/Fredericksburg September 2026!

‘The goal of this living history event is to bring historians, students, faculty, writers, legislators, organizations, corporations, artists and the general public together to educate, collaborate and organize resources to save these important collectibles of our American history.’ -The Slave Dwelling Project

Participating Sites: Chatham Manor, George Washington’s Ferry Farm, Gari Melcher’s Home and Studio, Moncure Conway House, Mary Washington House, Fredericksburg Area Museum, the James Monroe Museum, and Falmouth Beach

More program information available soon!