Built 1760 VLR # 111-0088 Opened 1760 Architect Charles Washington | NRHP Reference # 66000919 Added to NRHP October 15, 1966 Phone +1 540-371-1494 | |
 | ||
Location 1304 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia Part of Fredericksburg Historic District (#71001053) Address 1304 Caroline St, Fredericksburg, VA 22401, USA Hours Open today · 10AM–5PMThursday10AM–5PMFriday10AM–5PMSaturday10AM–5PMSunday12–4PMMonday10AM–5PMTuesday10AM–5PMWednesday10AM–5PMSuggest an edit Similar Mary Washington House, Hugh Mercer Apothecary, Ken, Chatham Manor, Fredericksburg and Spotsylva | ||
The Rising Sun Tavern is a historic building in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It was built in 1760 as a home by Charles Washington, younger brother of George Washington, and became a tavern in 1792.
History
This house, built by the younger brother of George Washington, was a popular stop for many, including John Marshall, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and John Paul Jones, among others, during the American Revolutionary War. It was the site of George Washington's "great reception" after the Battle of Yorktown. It was also the site of the first meeting of the Virginia Chapter of the Society of Cincinnati in 1783. The property was sold to Larkin Smith in 1791and in 1792 was bought by Colonel Gustav Wallace who turned the building into a tavern.
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. The building is filled with period furnishings and stories of early life in Fredericksburg. 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 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
No longer serving food and drink, "Tavern Wenches" and male "Indentured Servants" provide visitors with a lively interpretation of eighteenth-century tavern life. The site is open daily.