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Make a tax-deductible donation to the Stafford County Historical Society (Discover Stafford) and help keep Stafford’s history alive! Your generous donations will provide Discover Stafford with the means to continue its free community programs and move forward to a true Museum and Cultural Center that celebrates Stafford’s rich history! On behalf of Discover Stafford, we…

The Stafford County Historical Society live history programs is in its fifth decade. The dates of upcoming events are listed below along with archived recordings for the series at the bottom of the page. We look forward to seeing you! All presentations are open to the public and are free of charge!

Additional Museum Features Places Explore the past with our interactive historical map, featuring artifacts and locations throughout history. Zoom in to discover more information and click on markers to learn more about specific time periods and places. History Trail Explore over 20 locations and countless stories that showcase the strength and resilience of the African…

Stafford County, Virginia is a “burned record” county. About two-thirds of our court records were lost to deliberate fires during the Civil War, making family and historical research in Stafford County a challenge. The Stafford County Historical Society is happy to help you with your queries pertaining to the people and places of Stafford County. Please…

The Stafford County Historical Society is a 501c(3) non-profit organization that works to document and preserve the history of Stafford County, Va. We support all periods of Stafford’s history from the prehistoric era to modern times. Stafford’s stories are America’s stories. Please read our Museum Stories to learn more about the people of Stafford who…

Marker inscription: Here at Berea, during the Great Depression, was the site of Civilian Conservation Corps Company 2363. This camp, one of many in Virginia, was organized in 1935 and disbanded in 1940. During its existence, the company strung farm fences, planted trees, fought forest fires, and instructed farmers in the practice of soil conservation.…

Marker inscription: Frustrated by the Army of the Potomac’s lack of progress, President Abraham Lincoln replaced army commander Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan with Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, who assumed command on 9 Nov. 1862. Within a week, he had the army marching from its camps near Warrenton toward Fredericksburg along this road. Burnside…

Marker inscription: In Jan. 1863, after the Federal defeat at the First Battle of Fredericksburg on 13 Dec., Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside sought to restore the army’s morale by crossing the Rappahannock River at Banks’s Ford two miles south and attacking the rear of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army. The march began on 19…

Marker inscription: During the Civil War, a railroad station stood on this site. The station consisted of a warehouse, a platform, quartermaster tents, and several sidings. Trains arrived and departed on the hour traveling to and from Aquia Landing. The station witnessed distinguished visitors like President and Mrs. Lincoln, Clara Barton, and Walt Whitman. In…

Marker inscription: The Creek provided fish for centuries for the Patawomeck people who in turn taught the colonists to fish to survive, to plant vegetables hitherto unknown to the English and to hunt in the forests. A surviving remnant of the Patawomeck became commercial fishermen in the 19th Century and their descendants today continue to…

Marker inscription: Three Stafford High graduates competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Jeff Rouse won a gold and a silver medal in swimming. Mark Lenzi received a gold medal in diving. Conrad Adams was the captain of the U.S. Olympic Pentathlon Team. In 1996, Rouse and Lenzi participated in the Atlanta, Georgia Olympics.…