Historical Fredericksburg

Enjoying Historical Fredericksburg

Many of the adventure posts recently have been in and around historical Fredericksburg, Virginia, and for good reason. Fredericksburg is rich with Adventuring opportunities. This past weekend, I decided to venture into downtown Fredericksburg to enjoy a nice cup of coffee and a bite to eat at a nice little cafe. As I sat there people watching, I noticed a little alleyway across the street and wondered where it led. I made sure to write it down on my list of Adventuring ideas. Unfortunately, I already had other Adventuring plans afterwards. I’m trying really hard to stay focused in order to gather great content for my readers.

Remember Numero Uno

One of the main reasons I was in downtown was to take advantage of the quiet and solitude. I think that it’s very important to take time for yourself, whether it’s on a daily basis or once a week. Life can get really crazy and you have to take care of you. For me, I enjoy finding little coffee shops and taking in all of the sights and scents; I absolutely love the way coffee shops smell. As I sit here and type this I am overcome with the urge for a cup of coffee…… Annnnd I’m back with my cup of coffee. Ok now, back to business.

Abandoned Germania Flour Mill, Fredericksburg

Exploring the Riverfront

Let me preface this narrative by saying that I definitely want to make sure that it’s clear that I do not condone trespassing or putting yourself in danger in any way. I do not jump fences or trespass into areas that are clearly marked. OK, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let me tell you about my Adventures. The Rappahannock River has so many amazing spots to explore, so I will definitely be posting quite a bit about all of the different areas.

On this trip, I had only wanted to take a quick peek so that I would know how to plan my Adventuring trip for the following day. I knew that there was an old electric building on the riverfront, so I wanted to scope it out and see if it was going to be possible to take a look inside. The day turned out to be perfect for taking pictures and grabbing video. Even though I hadn’t intended on shooting anything I ended up using the clouds to my advantage. Luckily, I carry my GoPro with me everywhere! It’s very compact and easy to carry. It has proven to be perfect on quick trips and sudden Adventures.

Germania Flour Mill

The power of the Rappahannock River enabled numerous mills that were located along its banks to generate power between the 19th and 20th centuries. One of those mills, the Germania Flour Mill still looms over the banks of the Rappahannock. The original Germania Flour Mill burned down in 1876, but was immediately rebuilt. The Mill has seen several iterations and additions. There were several other structures attached and adjacent to the current structure that have since been demolished. Until the mid 1900’s, Fredericksburg was an important industrial area, but with the changes in electricity, power from the Rappahannock became obsolete.

Urban Decay

The outside of the building has obviously been defaced with graffiti and there is a homeless encampment right behind the structure. Unfortunately the doors were clearly marked with KEEP OUT signs, so I decided against trying to enter the building. I was able to walk around most of the outside of the building, with the exception of the back. I did not want to disturb anyone or run into any problems.

Wheel Pit

Because I got so caught up exploring the Germania Flour Mill, I did not get a chance to get over to the old Electric Plant. So, that will definitely be on a follow-up post. But I did get a chance to explore the remnants of the wheel pit for the City of Fredericksburg Electric Light Works. The electric output was only Direct Current, so the range was limited. Because of the limited reach, the power plant was in operation for less than 20 years, only until 1919. Other plants were built nearby that generated Alternating Current, which had a far greater reach, rendering the ELW obsolete. I learned quite a bit about power while doing some research for this article. It’s interesting to see how the area has changed due to the plants and mills closing.