The Fredericksburg Gun Manufactory was established by the Virginia Convention in 1777 for the purpose of repairing and manufacturing small arms for the American Revolution. The gun manufactory functioned in this strategic role until 1783, supplying arms to the regiments of numerous Virginia counties. The enterprise was run by Fielding Lewis and Charles Dick. Its stone magazine was ordered built with the same plan and dimensions as Williamsburg’s powder magazine. Other structures here included a coal house, storage house, and mill house. In 1783 the property became the site of the Fredericksburg Academy, which remained here until 1801. Located at the southern edge of the city of Fredericksburg’s historic district, only fragments of foundations remain above ground today. The city-owner Fredericksburg Gun Manufactory Site should hold significant archaeological information on 18th-century American arms technology.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia