The Envelopment of an Evolving Suburban Plantation: The Sentry Box in Fredericksburg, Virginia

Summary

In 1786, the town of Fredericksburg was just over 50 years old. The original core of town comprised just 18 blocks, and a 1759 expansion doubled its size to over 40. But the newly completed home of General George Weedon and his wife Catherine sat outside of the boundaries of this burgeoning community. As originally designed, the Sentry Box comprised a carefully designed, five-part Palladian plan with a dwelling, four symmetrical outbuildings, terraced gardens, quarters, barns, and surrounding agricultural fields. Over the next 250 years, development slowly encroached on this parcel, and today, the Sentry Box is central to the urban arena of the Fredericksburg Historic District. All but one of the outbuildings are gone’removed through both purposeful demolition and the ravages of war’and the agricultural fields are lined with dwellings. The terraced landscape, though, still remains. This paper will discuss the transformation as this suburban plantation became an urban landmark.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• The Intersecting Plantation Landscape II

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-65,06