Rising Sun Tavern (Fredericksburg, Virginia)

	Rising Sun Tavern
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. National Historic Landmark
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
	Virginia Landmarks Register
	Rising Sun Tavern
Location	1304 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Coordinates	38°18′24″N 77°27′42″W / 38.30667°N 77.46167°W
Built	1760
Part of	Fredericksburg Historic District (ID71001053)
NRHP reference No.	66000919
VLR No.	111-0088
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NHL	January 29, 1964
Designated CP	September 22, 1971
Designated VLR	September 9, 1969

The Rising Sun Tavern is a historic building in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It was built in about 1760 as a home by Charles Washington, youngest brother of George Washington, and became a tavern in 1792.

History

This house, built by the youngest brother of George Washington, was occupied by the Washington family until about 1780. The property was sold to Larkin Smith in 1791 and in 1792 was bought by Colonel Gustav Wallace who rented the building to Mr. John Frasier, who operated a tavern there. Though the tavern became known as the "Rising Sun Tavern" in the 20th century, it was actually known as the "Golden Eagle" or the "Eagle" in the 1790s. The ordinary at the old Washington family home served travelers into the 1820s under various owners.^[4]

The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, which is now called Preservation Virginia, purchased the building in 1907 and it was given to the Fredericksburg branch of that group to operate. In 1933, the Society of Cincinnati hosted a Sesquicentennial celebration on the property and presented Preservation Virginia with a bronze medal in appreciation of their preservation efforts.^[5] The building is filled with period furnishings and stories of early life in Fredericksburg.^[6] In mid-2012, Preservation Virginia signed an agreement passing ownership to the newly created "Washington Heritage Museums" group by 2013. The site continues to be open as a museum.

It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964^[3] and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.^[2]^[7]^[8]

Originally, the large front porch was not part of the structure. It was added during the tavern phase of the property. No longer serving food and drink, guides provide visitors with a lively interpretation of eighteenth-century tavern life. The site is open daily.

References

^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
^ ^a ^b "Rising Sun Tavern". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
^ Ahalt, Daphnie. Chronology of the Rising Sun Tavern. University of Mary Washington.
^ Couture, Richard (1984). To Preserve and Protect. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 91. ISBN 0-917565-01-0.
^ "Rising Sun Tavern". Archived from the original on April 22, 2006. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
^ Stephen Lissandrello (February 10, 1975), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Rising Sun Tavern (pdf), National Park Service and Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1969 (32 KB)
^ Frank S. Melvin (June 30, 1972), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Rising Sun Tavern (PDF), National Park Service (at Virginia DHR, with topographical map showing location)

External links

Media related to Rising Sun Tavern (Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons

Official website
Rising Sun Tavern, Fredericksburg, one photo at Virginia DHR
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. VA-11-1, "Rising Sun Tavern, 1304 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg, VA", 14 photos, 6 measured drawings, 7 data pages, 1 photo caption page, supplemental material

[register-1] "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved March 19, 2013.

[nris-2] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.

[nhlsum-3] "Rising Sun Tavern". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2008.

[4] Ahalt, Daphnie. Chronology of the Rising Sun Tavern. University of Mary Washington.

[couture-5] Couture, Richard (1984). To Preserve and Protect. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 91. ISBN 0-917565-01-0.

[6] "Rising Sun Tavern". Archived from the original on April 22, 2006. Retrieved April 26, 2008.

[nrhpinv2-7] Stephen Lissandrello (February 10, 1975), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Rising Sun Tavern (pdf), National Park Service and Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1969 (32 KB)

[nrhpinv_va1-8] Frank S. Melvin (June 30, 1972), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Rising Sun Tavern (PDF), National Park Service (at Virginia DHR, with topographical map showing location)

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v t e Washington family
First generation	Lawrence Washington (1602–1652)	Coat of arms of the Washington family
Second generation	John Washington
Third generation	Lawrence Washington (1659–1698)
Fourth generation	Augustine Washington Bailey Washington
Fifth generation	Lawrence Washington (1718–1752) Augustine Washington Jr. George Washington Elizabeth Washington Lewis Samuel Washington John Augustine Washington Charles Washington Henry Washington William Washington Bailey Washington Jr. Lund Washington
Sixth generation	William Augustine Washington Bushrod Washington George Steptoe Washington Lawrence Augustine Washington George William Washington
Seventh generation	John Thornton Augustine Washington George Corbin Washington Bushrod C. Washington Peter Grayson Washington
Eighth generation	Lawrence Berry Washington Lewis Washington Benjamin Franklin Washington William D. Washington Eugenia Washington
Tenth generation	W. Selden Washington
Washington family residences Abingdon Arlington House Beall-Air Blakeley Cedar Lawn Claymont Court Fairfield Ferry Farm George Washington Birthplace National Monument Happy Retreat Harewood Kenmore Mary Washington House Mount Vernon Richwood Hall Ridgedale Rising Sun Tavern River Farm Sulgrave Washington Old Hall

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Fredericksburg, Virginia
Historic districts	Fredericksburg Historic District Washington Avenue Historic District
Other properties	Braehead Brompton Carl's The Chimneys Elmhurst Fall Hill Farmers Bank of Fredericksburg Federal Hill Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park Fredericksburg Gun Manufactory Site Fredericksburg Town Hall and Market Square Idlewild Mansion Kenmore The Lewis Store Matthew Fontaine Maury School Monroe Law Office Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg Rising Sun Tavern Rowe House Sentry Box Walker–Grant School Mary Washington House
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Fredericksburg, Virginia and List of National Historic Landmarks in Virginia

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
Lists by county	Accomack Albemarle Alleghany Amelia Amherst Appomattox Arlington Augusta Bath Bedford Bland Botetourt Brunswick Buchanan Buckingham Campbell Caroline Carroll Charles City Charlotte Chesterfield Clarke Craig Culpeper Cumberland Dickenson Dinwiddie Essex Fairfax Fauquier Floyd Fluvanna Franklin Frederick Giles Gloucester Goochland Grayson Greene Greensville Halifax Hanover Henrico Henry Highland Isle Of Wight James City King and Queen King George King William Lancaster Lee Loudoun Louisa Lunenburg Madison Mathews Mecklenburg Middlesex Montgomery Nelson New Kent Northampton Northumberland Nottoway Orange Page Patrick Pittsylvania Powhatan Prince Edward Prince George Prince William Pulaski Rappahannock Richmond Roanoke Rockbridge Rockingham Russell Scott Shenandoah Smyth Southampton Spotsylvania Stafford Surry Sussex Tazewell Warren Washington Westmoreland Wise Wythe York
Lists by city	Alexandria Bristol Buena Vista Charlottesville Chesapeake Colonial Heights Covington Danville Emporia Fairfax Falls Church Franklin Fredericksburg Galax Hampton Harrisonburg Hopewell Lexington Lynchburg Manassas Manassas Park Martinsville Newport News Norfolk Norton Petersburg Poquoson (no listings) Portsmouth Radford Richmond Roanoke Salem Staunton Suffolk Virginia Beach Waynesboro Williamsburg Winchester
Other lists	Bridges National Historic Landmarks
Keeper of the Register History of the National Register of Historic Places Property types Historic district Contributing property

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States