Spotsylvania County Museum at Lick Run

09/05/2026

For National Cheese Pizza Day, let's take a bite out of pizza's past in Virginia! 🧀

This may surprise you, but by the late 1800s, many Virginians were already aware of this Neapolitan dish. Virginia newspapers occasionally featured accounts of daily life around the globe, including Naples’ street food scene. In one early report, pizza was described simply as having "cheese with bacon." Despite this coverage, the word "pizza" was still far more familiar to locals as an Italian surname than a meal.

As the United States entered World War II, Virginia’s military bases fueled the spread of restaurants serving pizza, then considered an exotic delicacy. Arlington especially saw demand boom, driven by newspapers and word-of-mouth reviews. By the late 1940s, pizza and other Italian dishes exploded in popularity across the state, winning over even traditional eaters who typically preferred Virginia comfort foods.

🍕Here in Spotsylvania, The Hob Nob was one of the county’s earliest spots to serve pizza and spaghetti, introducing the dishes in 1951. The restaurant sat conveniently beside what many locals remember as the former FMC cellophane plant.

Want to learn more about how Spotsylvania transformed during the 20th century? Visit Spotsylvania County Museum! We're open every day (except select holidays) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

09/04/2026

Happy National Wildlife🐻 Day, everybody! Let’s celebrate local wildlife today by highlighting one of the county’s community green spaces: Loriella Park.

Originally part of a large plantation purchased in 1859 by Cosmo Gordon, the land was donated to Spotsylvania County in 1979 by his grandson, William Knox Gordon Jr. Stipulating that the parcel off Leavells Road "remain forever a conservation and recreational park," it was officially named Loriella, William Knox and Fay Kearby Gordon Conservation and Recreation Park, or Loriella Park for short.

While Loriella is primarily a conservation park, it also offers a wide range of recreational amenities, including tennis courts, multipurpose fields, a pool, a playground, a disc golf course, and walking trails. The original farmhouse built by Cosmo Gordon now houses Spotsylvania Parks and Recreation’s headquarters and a small museum honoring the Gordon family. The land also contains the Gordon family cemetery (near the tennis courts) and a cemetery for the enslaved people who once worked the farm (along the trail that starts near the play area).

These photos were taken in 1982. Can you locate 🔍 the spots where they were taken? While you're looking, check out the five wayside exhibits maintained by Spotsylvania County Museum at the park; each one adds historical context to the park, including how it got its name.

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, consider exploring Loriella, open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk.


Spotsylvania Parks Recreation

09/03/2026

This pair of coin silver spoons, made around 1840 by Benjamin Cromwell Van Vliet, belonged to the Walker family of Richardsville in Culpeper County. During the Civil War, when Union soldiers were on the march toward Ely's Ford for the 1864 Battle of the Wilderness, teenager Luvenia Walker and an enslaved worker named Lou buried the silver collection to protect it from Federal soldiers. Luvenia later moved to Fredericksburg and her family became part of the Spotsylvania community.

Want to learn more about how area residents endured the trials of the Civil War?

Visit Spotsylvania County Museum! We're open every day of the week (except some holidays) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

09/02/2026

Ever wonder what medicine looked like in 19th-century Spotsylvania?👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️

Today, we’re sharing a piece of Spotsylvania's scientific history with you.

This compounding kit from our collection was likely used by a local physician in the late 19th century to concoct the most advanced remedies of the time and to conduct experiments to help further their medical understanding.

The lack of carrying handles indicates this piece likely sat in a laboratory, possibly inside a physician’s home.

If you're interested in medical history, Spotsylvania County Museum offers insight into surgical methods during the American Civil War. Drop by at 6159 Plank Road, any day (except some holidays) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

08/26/2026

Let's celebrate Women's Equality Day with a spotlight on women's suffrage in Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg!🎉

In the decades following the Civil War, debates over women’s societal roles in Spotsylvania County and across the commonwealth began to intensify, sparking powerful movements for equal rights, education, and the right to vote.

During the 1910s, Stafford-born Janetta Fitzhugh led the Fredericksburg-area chapter of the Equal Suffrage League. As president, Fitzhugh organized awareness campaigns across the region while other members, such as Secretary Dr. Anne Humphreys, publicly addressed challenges from area residents who opposed women's suffrage. Although Virginia didn’t ratify the 19th Amendment until the 1950s, the amendment's adoption in 1920 finally granted Virginia women the right to vote.

Want to learn more about societal changes across Virginia after the Civil War? Visit Spotsylvania County Museum! We are located at 6159 Plank Road and are open every day (except some holidays) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

08/21/2026

Happy Friday, everyone! It's been a while since we've shown off an object from our collection, so let's reset the timer⏱ today.

Prior to 2011, Spotsylvania County Museum was located at Berea Christian Church in the Spotsylvania Courthouse Historic District. Before the museum’s establishment in 1964, the wooden sign shown here was mounted above the church's entrance. Though the museum has since moved, this piece of local history remains in our collection.

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, consider this post a "sign" to learn more about the county’s past. Spotsylvania County Museum, at 6159 Plank Road, is open every day (except some holidays) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Or, if you prefer to be outdoors, there are several wayside exhibits to explore around the Spotsylvania Courthouse Historic District, including some about Berea Church.

08/16/2026

Did you know Spotsylvania men served at one of the US military's worst defeats: the 1780 Battle of Camden?

Fearing British seizure of the Carolinas during the Revolutionary War, Virginia's state government ordered local militias across the commonwealth to raise companies for a campaign to defend that region. Sending Virginia militiamen out of state was often met with resentment, as local militias were intended for Virginia’s defense. Regardless, Spotsylvania mustered a small company of militiamen for the campaign, many with Continental Army combat experience under their belts after serving under Gen. George Washington.

Arriving at Hillsborough, North Carolina, the Virginia militia colonels organized their men into four regiments. The fiery veteran Col. George Stubblefield of Spotsylvania placed the local company under his command in the 2nd Virginia Militia Regiment. Facing a shortage of bayonets, these men marched hundreds of miles through grueling summer storms and heat. Officers and enlisted alike succumbed to illness, low morale, and desertion along the way.

Pressed into the Battle of Camden on this day 246 years ago, the militia fell into disarray amid British gunfire and bayonets, fleeing into Gum Swamp. Spotsylvanians like Continental veteran Vincent Vass managed to regroup at Hillsborough after evading British dragoons and Loyalist mobs.

Want to learn more about what led up to Spotsylvania's involvement in the Revolutionary War? Visit the Spotsylvania County Museum! We're open Mon-Fri from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

08/06/2026

Happy National IPA Day, everyone. Let's raise a glass 🍻 and talk about the colonial taverns that once served as social hubs in Spotsylvania.

Though British law distinguished between inns, ordinaries, and taverns, in colonial Virginia, the words were used interchangeably. These were county-licensed establishments that provided meals and alcoholic beverages at prices fixed by the government, offered clean lodging and horse care, and typically included a gaming room. Most tavern owners also lived on the property.

Rivaled only by churches, taverns were among the most popular gathering places for locals and travelers. Weedon's Tavern, located in modern-day Fredericksburg (then part of Spotsylvania), hosted many prominent patrons in the years leading up to the American Revolution, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. One British visitor even described the spot as a hotbed of sedition.

We may not offer meals, lodging, or a gaming room, but we'd still love to welcome you at the Spotsylvania County Museum. Stop by any day of the week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to explore the county's fascinating past.

08/06/2026

08/01/2026

Did you know that man's best friend has also been Spotsylvania's best friend for a long time?🐾

The history of hunting hounds and other working dogs in the Spotsylvania area goes back hundreds of years. In the late 17th century, Virginia's colonial government organized a series of local trade festivals between English settlers and Algonquian-speaking Native Americans living along the Rappahannock River. Well-bred hunting dogs were the most prized exchanges at the events, which were held to promote peaceful relations between the colonists and Native communities.

After Spotsylvania County's creation in 1721, hunting exploded as a pastime among northern Spotsylvania’s landowners. One of the county’s prominent residents was future minuteman and Continental Army officer Thomas Minor Jr., who frequently led foxhunts and captured hares with the aid of his large pack of hunting dogs. On one occasion, his hound Milo pursued a large red fox for an entire day. After the long chase, a neighbor took Milo in and cared for him before giving the tired hound a wagon ride back home to his owner.

Want to learn about the story of Spotsylvania hunters versus the wild wolfpacks of the region? Visit Spotsylvania County Museum! We are open every day (except some major holidays) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come on in and take a bite out of history!