Rising Sun Tavern
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
Rising Sun Tavern as it looks today
Turn of the century photo of the tavern
A rendition of the Peace Ball, held in the tavern, following the victory at Yorktown.
Plaque with sketch of Charles Washington
The Tap Room of the Tavern
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Rising Sun Tavern was originally a home owned by Charles Washington, the youngest brother of George Washington. Charles bought the property and constructed the one-and-a-half story residence around 1760. He lived here for the next twenty years before leaving to establish Charles Town in present-day West Virginia. During the Revolutionary War, the home was visited by prominent figures including Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, John Marshall, James Madison, and John Paul Jones. In 1781, George Washington held a “Peace Ball” here to celebrate his victory at the Battle of Yorktown nearby. The Virginia chapter of the Society of Cincinnati held their first meeting here in 1783.
In 1786, Charles transferred ownership of the home to his son George Augustine Washington. From there it apparently changed hands several times, and at some point was converted into a tavern. It was originally named the Eagle or Golden Eagle Tavern, but was known as the Rising Sun Tavern by 1822. It was considered to be an “upper” or “proper” tavern- a respectable establishment that could be used by the upper class and women. In addition to providing lodging for both travelers and their horses, taverns also served as restaurants and an assembly place for socializing. At one point, the Rising Sun Tavern also housed Fredericksburg’s post office. It closed at some point around 1830.
In 1907, the tavern was purchased by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (Preservation Virginia). It has since been restored and renovated several times over the past century, and retains much of its original woodwork. In 2013, Preservation Virginia transferred ownership of the tavern to the Washington Heritage Museums organization. Today the Rising Sun Tavern is open to the public as a museum, and also hosts events throughout the year.
Sources
“Historic American Buildings Survey: Rising Sun Tavern.” National Park Service. https://cdn.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/va/va0900/va0929/data/va0929data.pdf.
“National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Rising Sun Tavern.” www.dhr.Virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Fredericksburg/111-0088_Rising_Sun_Tavern_1966_NRHP.pdf.