Spotsylvania County Museum at Lick Run

Spotsylvania County Museum at Lick Run A free museum dedicated to Spotsylvania County's 300-year history. The museum is open every day and admission is free.

The mission of the Spotsylvania County Museum is to collect, preserve, interpret and share Spotsylvania County’s cultural and natural history with local citizens and area guests through a variety of innovative and creative medias, educational programming, and local events, while continuously striving to ensure inclusive accessibility for all visitors.

🔍 The structures built during the Revolutionary era, in Spotsylvania County and throughout Virginia, were often construc...
05/28/2026

🔍 The structures built during the Revolutionary era, in Spotsylvania County and throughout Virginia, were often constructed from sturdy log and timber to endure the demands of frontier life. This Spotsylvania County lodging venue honors deep colonial legacy by carefully relocating and meticulously restoring 18th- and 19th-century log cabins and cottages.

👉 This is Clue No. 12 in Spotsylvania County Museum's Journey Through Spotsylvania VA250-themed virtual scavenger hunt! Test your local knowledge for the chance to win big! Please do not comment or message answers; all entries must be submitted via official form(s) found at link below. Clues will be posted here twice per week through June 18. Winner(s) will be announced at Spotsylvania Stars & Stripes Spectacular on June 27. Participants can guess one clue at a time via individual clue forms or tackle all at once in one form containing all 18 clues. Happy hunting!

📝 To submit your guess or for rules and prize info, go to: https://ow.ly/hXnv50YNC0q

VA250 - American Revolution 250 Commission

How did the North and South reconcile after the Civil War? Men like Union Army Major General Daniel Sickles helped bridg...
05/26/2026

How did the North and South reconcile after the Civil War? Men like Union Army Major General Daniel Sickles helped bridge the gap. 🤝

Across the former Confederate States, reactions to the end of the Civil War and the impact of Reconstruction policies varied dramatically. Spotsylvania County limped on for decades after the conflict, with much of its populace facing economic uncertainty while living alongside the war’s physical ruins and unburied soldiers’ remains. Sentiments toward the Union victory were greatly divided in the county and neighboring Fredericksburg, fueled by the heavy losses of local Confederate soldiers, the death of many of the area's prominent pro-slavery advocates, and the emergence of a large, newly liberated Black population.

As Spotsylvania slowly climbed from the post-war devastation by the start of the 20th century, the Society of the Army of the Potomac Union veterans lodge held its first major Southern meeting in Fredericksburg on this day in 1900. They were accompanied by distinguished guests such as Sickles and US President William McKinley. This time, these veterans were met not with hostility and violence from locals, but with warmth and friendly rivalry.

During the meeting, Sickles, a passionate advocate for battlefield preservation, recalled the terror of the Battle of Fredericksburg and lauded the locals' warm reception as well as the efforts of people across the South to rejoin the Union. He also called for the preservation of battle sites at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Courthouse to remember those who fought here and to weave those stories into the region's large historic tapestry.

Want to learn more about the reunion of the Spotsylvania region with the rest of the nation after the Civil War? Visit the Spotsylvania County Museum. We are open every day (except some major holidays) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

🔍 Virginia had reached a dire point by spring 1781. The young state’s Revolutionary forces were dangerously depleted, st...
05/25/2026

🔍 Virginia had reached a dire point by spring 1781. The young state’s Revolutionary forces were dangerously depleted, still reeling after suffering catastrophic losses at the Siege of Charleston and Battle of Camden in South Carolina a year earlier. What remained of Virginia’s fighting force was stretched woefully thin, scattered under the orders of Gov. Thomas Jefferson. When word arrived in May that British commander Lord Cornwallis’s forces were heading northward toward Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg, panic swept through the region. A few Spotsylvania militiamen, under Capt. Francis “Frank” Coleman, were posted at key defensive points throughout the region. This meager defense had Spotsylvanians fearing the region would be completely overwhelmed if the Brits invaded.

👉 This is Clue No. 11 in Spotsylvania County Museum's Journey Through Spotsylvania VA250-themed virtual scavenger hunt! Test your local knowledge for the chance to win big! Please do not comment or message answers; all entries must be submitted via official form(s) found at link below. Clues will be posted here twice per week through June 18. Winner(s) will be announced at Spotsylvania Stars & Stripes Spectacular on June 27. Participants can guess one clue at a time via individual clue forms or tackle all at once in one form containing all 18 clues. Happy hunting!

📝 To submit your guess or for rules and prize info, go to: https://www.spotsylvania.va.us/3203/Journey-through-Spotsylvania-A-VA250-Sca

VA250 - American Revolution 250 Commission

Today, the Spotsylvania County Museum remembers the brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to ou...
05/25/2026

Today, the Spotsylvania County Museum remembers the brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. The museum and the Spotsylvania Visitors Center are open today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All other county facilities are closed in observance of the holiday.

🔍 In honor of the VA250 commemoration, we’re inviting you to "Journey Through Spotsylvania!" Connect with the Revolution...
05/22/2026

🔍 In honor of the VA250 commemoration, we’re inviting you to "Journey Through Spotsylvania!" Connect with the Revolutionary-era stories that shaped our county and test your local knowledge for a chance to win big. 🏆

Our VA250-themed virtual scavenger hunt highlights some of the landmarks and businesses that make our community unique. Answer all 18 riddles correctly to be entered into a drawing for incredible prizes!

Check out these unbelievable prizes from our amazing local partners:
✨ One-night getaway for two at Stevenson Ridge
➡️ Day passes for Wilderness Presidential Resort & Rapp Rocks Climbing Gym
✨ 1781 Brewing Company filled growler or T-shirt
➡️ Itavie New York Grill & Bakery gift card & Cider lab - Spotsylvania gift card & growler courtesy of Spotsylvania Courthouse Village
✨ Gift card from Biscuit B LLC (Biscuit Batch)
➡️ Special merch from Spotsylvania County Museum at Lick Run & Visit Spotsy

🗓️ How to play: Follow the Spotsylvania County Museum page for individual clues posted through June 18, or jump in and tackle all 18 at once!

👉 Get started here: https://ow.ly/6LAy50YMKb6

05/21/2026

Maj. Campbell Brown, a staff officer and stepson to Confederate Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell, wrote to his mother Lizinka on May 20, 1864, explaining Ewell’s safety after the difficult fighting the day before at Harris Farm.

In the letter Brown explained, “Gen. Ewell had his horse shot under him, but was not touched himself.” The major wanted his mother to know this “because you are likely to hear exaggerated stories—perhaps of his being wounded.” As a dutiful son he tried to reassure her that “Of the Gen’l’s death there is not much danger, for really the Gen’l is conscientious about it & does not expose himself more than required.”

Maj. Brown was captured at Sailors Creek on April 6, 1865. He lived until 1893, when he committed su***de at age 52.

Image courtesy of Find A Grave.

https://www.cvbt.org

Are you familiar with the old FMC Plant 🏭 in Spotsylvania?First opened by May 21, 1930, the factory manufactured a plant...
05/21/2026

Are you familiar with the old FMC Plant 🏭 in Spotsylvania?

First opened by May 21, 1930, the factory manufactured a plant-based, plastic-like film known today as “cellophane.” Shown here are a few rolls produced by the plant.

Beginning operations just in time for the Great Depression, the plant served as an economic lifeline for the region. The FMC Corporation eventually acquired the facility, giving the plant its colloquial name, but rising production costs and the growth of plastic as a packaging material forced the plant to shut down in 1978.

To learn more about the plant and other significant sites in the county, visit the Spotsylvania County Museum at 6159 Plank Road. We are open every day (except some holidays) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

🔍 During the time of the American Revolution, organized competitive racing was a well-established and highly popular pas...
05/21/2026

🔍 During the time of the American Revolution, organized competitive racing was a well-established and highly popular pastime, particularly for the elite. The primary forms of racing centered on the most critical means of transportation: horses and boats. Today’s high-octane environment of motor racing, while a modern spectacle, embodies several fundamental virtues that resonate deeply with the spirit of patriotism, such as competition, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence.

👉 This is Clue No. 10 in Spotsylvania County Museum's Journey Through Spotsylvania VA250-themed virtual scavenger hunt! Test your local knowledge for the chance to win big! Please do not comment or message answers; all entries must be submitted via official form(s) found at link below. Clues will be posted here twice per week through June 18. Winner(s) will be announced at Spotsylvania Stars & Stripes Spectacular on June 27. Participants can guess one clue at a time via individual clue forms or tackle all at once in one form containing all 18 clues. Happy hunting!

📝 To submit your guess or for rules and prize info, go to: https://www.spotsylvania.va.us/3203/Journey-through-Spotsylvania-A-VA250-Sca

VA250 - American Revolution 250 Commission

The Spotsylvania County Museum and the Spotsylvania Visitors Center will remain OPEN on Monday, May 25, 2026. Both sites...
05/20/2026

The Spotsylvania County Museum and the Spotsylvania Visitors Center will remain OPEN on Monday, May 25, 2026. Both sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All other county facilities will be closed in observance of Memorial Day.

🔍 The Revolution sent many fathers, sons, and brothers into harm’s way in the name of resisting British rule. Four broth...
05/18/2026

🔍 The Revolution sent many fathers, sons, and brothers into harm’s way in the name of resisting British rule. Four brothers of a notable Spotsylvania family all served in the Revolution in different roles. Robert Brooke served in the 4th Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons, a unit of mounted infantrymen. On the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin, Dr. Lawrence Brooke served as the surgeon aboard the Bonhomme Richard, under the command of John Paul Jones. Lawrence saw some of the era’s most devastating combat at the 1779 Battle of Flamborough Head, where Jones is said to have uttered his famous line: “I have not yet begun to fight!” Lastly, Francis Brooke documented in a memoir his service as a Continental Army artillery officer guarding weapon stores in Virginia during the latter part of the war while his twin brother John also served as a Continental artillery officer.

👉 This is Clue No. 9 in Spotsylvania County Museum's Journey Through Spotsylvania VA250-themed virtual scavenger hunt! Test your local knowledge for the chance to win big! Please do not comment or message answers; all entries must be submitted via official form(s) found at link below. Clues will be posted here twice per week through June 18. Winner(s) will be announced at Spotsylvania Stars & Stripes Spectacular on June 27. Participants can guess one clue at a time via individual clue forms or tackle all at once in one form containing all 18 clues. Happy hunting!

📝 To submit your guess or for rules and prize info, go to: https://ow.ly/S1LV50YNAOc

VA250 - American Revolution 250 Commission

Address

6159 Plank Road
Fredericksburg, VA
22407

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+15405077278

Website

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