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Carl's - Artistic Rendering
A Fredericksburg icon since 1947, this site is a registered National Landmark and number-one go to place for frozen custard in the ‘burg. In fact, according to many on-line surveys, it is ranked number one in Virginia, and according to “Best in America On-line”, it is ranked number nine in the USA.
Originally founded by Carl Sponseller, the business continues to be efficiently run by his family, as it has for decades. During the summer, it is common to have customers lined up around the building, even in bad weather.
This print was created from an image made May 2018 in Fredericksburg, VA.
COPYRIGHT: V-Poly Design, LLC. All rights reserved.
May 2018
Buddy Lauer, Fredericksburg, VA
buddylauer@vpolydesign.com
www.vpolypics.com
Goolrick's Pharmacy - December 2020
Goolrick’s opened for business perhaps as early as 1867 and has been located in Fredericksburg, Virginia at 901 Caroline Street since 1892. The pharmacy was founded as Goolrick’s Modern Pharmacy by W.B. Goolrick and sold to Charles Rector and Robert Thompkins in 1933 by Goolrick’s heirs. The Rector’s son, Charles T. Rector, then owned and ran the business from 1973 until 1990, when he sold it to Steve May. In 2017 it was sold to Christopher Conder.
If not officially an historic place, Goolrick’s Pharmacy is certainly one of the iconic landmarks of Fredericksburg. The pharmacy still has a real soda fountain, just like the one you probably had growing up in your home town - if you are a “Baby Boomer”. This one however, has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operated soda fountain in the United States.
This print was created from an image made December 2020 in Fredericksburg, VA.
COPYRIGHT: V-Poly Design, LLC. All rights reserved.
December 2020
Buddy Lauer, Fredericksburg, VA
buddylauer@vpolydesign.com
www.vpolypics.com
Chatham Monor
Built between 1768 and 1771 by William Fitzhugh, this grand Georgian-style house was for many years the center of a large, thriving 1,280-acre plantation. The house was named after William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham. Fitzhugh left Chatham in 1796. Major Churchill Jones, a former officer in the Continental Army, purchased the plantation in 1806 for $20,000. His family held the property for the next 66 years.
After the Civil War, Chatham was badly damaged. Chatham deteriorated under a succession of owners until Daniel and Helen Devore restored the property in the 1920’s. Today the house and 85 surrounding acres are open to the public thanks to the generosity of Chatham's last owner, John Lee Pratt. Mr. Pratt purchased Chatham from the Devore’s in 1931 and in 1975 willed it to the National Park Service. Five of the ten rooms in the 12,000 square-foot mansion are open to the public.
This print was created from an image made March 2018 in Fredericksburg, VA.
COPYRIGHT: V-Poly Design, LLC. All rights reserved.
March 2018
Buddy Lauer, Fredericksburg, VA
buddylauer@vpolydesign.com
www.vpolypics.com
Hugh Mercer Apothecary
Before coming to America, Hugh Mercer attended the University of Aberdeen, Marischal College, in Scotland, studying medicine and graduating a Doctor. Mercer left Scotland in 1747 and moved to America, settling near what is now Mercersburg, Pennsylvania before moving to Fredericksburg in 1760.
Located at the corner of Caroline and Amelia Street, Hugh Mercer founded his apothecary shop in the 1760’s at the recommendation of his friend, George Washington.
He reached the rank of brigadier general in the Continental Army and died from his wounds at the Battle of Princeton, while serving the cause of the American Revolution. Legend has it that a beaten Mercer, with a bayonet still impaled in him, did not want to leave his men at the battle and was given a place to rest on a white oak tree's trunk, while those who remained with him stood their ground. The tree became known as "the Mercer Oak" and is the key element of the seal of Mercer County, New Jersey.
Succeeding generations include Virginia Governor John Mercer Patton, General George S. Patton, Jr. and songwriter Johnny Mercer to name a few.
This print was created from an image made July 2018 in Fredericksburg, VA.
COPYRIGHT: V-Poly Design, LLC. All rights reserved.
July 2018
Buddy Lauer, Fredericksburg, VA
buddylauer@vpolydesign.com
www.vpolypics.com