Saturday, September 7th was the Second Annual Vintage Route 1 Event in Downtown Fredericksburg, VA. According to the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Event Coordinator, "this year we focused on our research efforts on Lafayette Boulevard. The blocks closest to town were once known as Prussia Street; later, when the National Cemetery was built, the road was extended outside of town to reach the cemetery and was appropriately named National Boulevard. The portion of the road in town known as Prussia Street was changed to Lafayette Boulevard due to the U.S. involvement with World War I. Finally the entire road was renamed Lafayette Boulevard when city council proposed it in 1933 and it was approved in 1935. The road has also gone by the name of Route 1, long before the bypass was built that is known today as Route 1 or Jefferson Davis Highway."
701 Lafayette Boulevard
Long before fried fish was available here and even before it was a hamburger stand, this block of Lafayette Boulevard was part of the residential landscape that covered much of what was then National Boulevard. Originally an open-air hamburger stand, Hardees opened at 701 Lafayette in March of 1968, proudly advertising its "charco-broiled cookout flavor," as well as a Grand Opening Special of a cheeseburger, apple turnover, and coke for only 39 cents. The glass enclosure was probably added in 1973, just in time to be broken by a car crashing through it and pinning an employee to the counter. Hardees continued to run its business at 801 Lafayette until the late 1970s when Mr. Dees took over the location selling many of the same products. Today, Mr. Dees continues to serve burgers, fries, and what some say is the best fried catfish in town!
1013 Lafayette Boulevard
Visitors have been coming to learn about Fredericksburg's Civil War history for over a century, but their experience has changed dramatically since the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park was created in 1927. Its first offices were located at 1009 Princess Anne Street. In 1935, construction began on the current Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitors Center. The building first functioned primarily as office space for park staff. Early visitors needed to ring the doorbell (still located on the front of the building today), and park staff would greet the guest, give a short lecture on the Civil War, and then show them to one room of exhibits. When the National Park Service added Chatham to their properties, its offices were relocated, freeing up space for additional displays and exhibit areas. Much of the interior of the building remains the same and a large amount of its architectural details remain.
