Historical Markers in
Spotsylvania County, Virginia

11th United States Infantry 126th Ohio Volunteer Infantry 12th Regiment New Jersey Volunteers 1862 - 1865 154th New York State Volunteer Infantry 15th Regiment New Jersey Volunteers 15th Reg’t. N. J. Vol’s 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment 23rd Regt., N. J. Vols. 23rd USCT At the Alrich Farm 49th New York Infantry A Bold Plan A Case of Negligence A Crime of Passion… A Devastating Loss… A Different Kind of War A Fatal Reconnaissance A Final Journey A Final Resting Place A Mass Capture A Midnight Amputation A Midnight Conference A Missed Opportunity A Monumental Task A Place Called "Courtland" A Place of Public Worship A Region of Gloom A Southern Memorial A Tavern at the New Courthouse A Tavern in the Midst of Battle A Very Hot Place About a mile in the distance... Aftermath Amid Shot and Shell An Old Jail...A New Home An Ordinary on the Road to Snell An Unexpected End to Life Apex of Hooker’s Last Line Artillery Duel Asbury’s Deathplace Ashes to Ashes Attack on the Muleshoe Batter Up: Spotsylvania Yellow Jackets Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Salem Church Battle of Spotsylvania Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Beneath This Sacred Soil Berea Christian Church Bernard's Cabin Trail Bernard's Cabins Birthplace of Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) Bivouac Bloody Angle, Crowded Ravine Bloody Morning Booth Hall Brig. Gen. E. F. Paxton, C.S.A. Brink of Victory Burying the Dead Catharine Furnace Chancellor Cemetery Chancellorsville Chancellorsville Chancellorsville Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Campaign Chancellorsville Clearing Chancellorsville Home of Mrs. Sanford Chancellor Chancellor's Churchyard to Battleground Civil War Earthworks Civil War Earthworks Civil War Veterans at rest in Zion's Cemetery Civilians in the Crossfire Climactic Struggle Col. James D. Nance Collis Zouaves Colonial Fort Colonial Post Office Colquitt Turns Tyler’s Flank Colquitt’s Attack Confederate Breakthrough Confederate Catastrophe Confederate Counterattack Confederate Defense Turns to Offense Confederate Earthworks Confederate Soldiers Containing the Enemy, Reclaiming the Works Cox House Crisis in Tapp Field Crisis in the Wilderness Dawn Assault Dead Horse Hill Death of Maxcy Gregg Doles Salient Earthworks Echoes Homeward Education in Spotsylvania County Elisha Franklin Paxton Ely’s Ford Engagement at Harris Farm (Bloomsbury) Engines of Destruction Fairview Farm to Killing Field Fatal Mistake at the East Angle Federal Raid Fighting for Time Final Meeting, Fateful March First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Day at Chancellorsville First Regiment Heavy Artillery Flank Attack! Flanking of Hays' Brigade For All Anguish – For Some Freedom Forever young, Forever in our hearts Forming for the Attack Fort Hood Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park Fredericksburg Campaign Fredericksburg Campaign Fredericksburg Campaign Fredericksburg Campaign Fredericksburg Campaign Fredericksville Furnace From Church to Hospital Gaspar Tochman George Washington: Statesman and Public Servant Grant Finds an Opening: May 12 Grant's May 18th Attack Grant’s Supply Line Hamilton's Crossing Harris Farm Harris Farm Harris Farm Harrison House Site Hazel Grove Hazel Grove—Fairview Trail Hell Itself Here Fell General Alexander Hays Heth's Salient Battle Site Heth’s Salient High Drama, Human Tragedy Hooker's Final Bastion Horror on the Orange Plank Road In His Father's Footsteps In the Nick of Time Jackson Jackson Jackson Attacks Jackson Holds Prospect Hill Jackson Monuments Jackson on the Move Jackson's Flank March Jackson's Impact Jackson’s Amputation James Farmer, Civil Rights Leader James S. Wadsworth Jerrell’s Mill John J. Wright Parksite John J. Wright School Joseph Sanford's Inn & Tavern Junction of Earthworks Lafayette at Corbin’s Bridge Landmark in the Wilderness Landram Farm Landram House Laurel Hill Laurel Hill Trail Lee Renews the Attack Lee to the Rear! Lee to the Rear! Lee-to-the-Rear Lee's Greatest Triumph Lee's Last Line Lee’s Head Quarters Lee’s Headquarters Lee’s Winter Headquarters Legend, Lore and Fact Lives Transformed Longstreet Felled Longstreet’s Winter Headquarters Maryland Monument Massaponax Baptist Church Massaponax Church Matthew Fontaine Maury Maury Birthplace Maury House Trail Mayhem in the Muleshoe McCarty Farm McCoull Spring McGowan's Brigade McLaws Trail Memorializing Jackson's Death Modification, Decay & Preservation More Than Just A Stone Mud Tavern Night-time Horror No Turning Back No Turning Back Noble Ladies of Spotsylvania Old Salem Church Old Wilderness Tavern On to Richmond! Opening of the Campaign Ordeal of the Wellfords Ordeal of the Wounded Pastor's Office Penny’s Tavern Site Plantations on Guinea Station Road Pressing the Attack Pvt. James Z. Branscomb, CSA Ramseur's Brigade Rearguard Action Refuge from Horror Riverside Plantation: Mannsfield Road to Guinea Station Roads Through the Battlefield Sadly in Need… Salem Church Samuel Alsop Jr. Sanctuaries in Spotsylvania Secondary Education for African American Children Sedgwick Sergeant Benjamin Brown Slaughter Pen Farm Slaughter Pen Farm Slaughter Pen Farm Slaughter Pen Farm Slaughter Pen Farm Slaughter Pen Farm Slaughter Pen Farm Slaughter Pen Farm Slave Entrance Social and Economic Richness in the Livingston District Spindle House Spotswood’s Furnace Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania Campaign Spotsylvania County Honor Roll Spotsylvania Court House Spotsylvania Court House Spotsylvania Sunday School Union Parksite Spotsylvania's War Effort Spotsylvania’s First African American Church Stanard’s Mill Start of Sheridan's Raid Stone's Reconnaissance Struggle for the Bloody Angle Stuart Stuart and Pelham Stubbs School Testing the Line: May 8-10 Texas The 124th New York Regiment’s First Battle The 27th Indiana Infantry The Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Harris Farm The Battle of Salem Church The Battle of Spotsylvania The Brown House The Chancellor Slaves The Chancellorsville Campaign The Chancellorsville Intersection The Chewning Farm The Climax The Confederate Earthworks The Confederate Line The Corner Store The Death of Sedgwick The First Day at Chancellorsville The First Stones Were Free The Flying Dutchmen The Fredericksburg Road The Gallant Pelham The Gallant Pelham The Good Hope Colored School The Harrison House The Home of Widow Tapp The Landram House The McCoull House The Meade Pyramid The Muleshoe Salient The Ninth Corps The Piney Branch School The Race for Spotsylvania Court House The Rise & Fall of the Rappahannock Navigation System The Slaughter Pen Farm The Spindle House The Spotsylvania Confederate Cemetery The Union Army Escapes The Union Center The Unknown Soldiers The Vermont Brigade The Widow Tapp House The Wilderness and the Overland Campaign The Wilderness of Spotsylvania County The Winter Line Third Spotsylvania County Courthouse Site Time Passages Todd’s Tavern Turn in Sheridan’s Raid Tyler’s Withdrawal To This Line U. S. Colored Troops in Spotsylvania Union Breakthrough Union Counterattack Union Earthworks Union Earthworks Union Lifeline Union Line Contained Along Mineral Springs Road Upton's Charge Upton’s Assault Upton’s Trail Valuable Crossroads Vista Clearing at Spotsylvania Warren's Line Widow Tapp’s Field Wilderness Campaign Wilderness Campaign Wilderness Campaign Wilderness Campaign Wounding of Jackson Zion Methodist Church "If It Takes All Summer" "The Toughest Fight Yet"
The first slave ship to arrive in the American colonies landed in Virginia in 1619. Virginia became a center of the transatlantic slave trade, and by 1860, Virginia had the largest population of enslaved people in the United States.
Spotsylvania County, Virginia has a rich and fascinating history that dates back to the early colonial period. The county was established in 1721, and it was named after Alexander Spotswood, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia at the time. The area was originally inhabited by Native American tribes such as the Pamunkey and the Mattaponi.

During the American Revolutionary War, Spotsylvania County saw some significant events. In 1781, the county was the site of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, a pivotal battle in the Southern Campaign. This battle saw the American forces, led by General Nathanael Greene, clash with the British forces under General Cornwallis. Although the Americans ultimately withdrew, the battle weakened the British position and set the stage for their surrender at Yorktown later that year.

In the 19th century, Spotsylvania County played a role in the American Civil War. It was the site of several major battles, including the famous Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. This battle, fought between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army under General Joseph Hooker, resulted in a Confederate victory but at the cost of the life of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, who was mortally wounded during the battle. Today, visitors can explore the Chancellorsville Battlefield and learn about the events that took place on this hallowed ground.

In the modern era, Spotsylvania County has experienced significant population growth and development. It is located in close proximity to the bustling city of Fredericksburg and has become a popular residential area for those commuting to larger urban centers. Despite this growth, the county has worked to preserve its historical landmarks and cultural heritage, and several museums and historic sites offer visitors a glimpse into Spotsylvania's past.

This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

  • 1721 - Spotsylvania County established as part of the British colony of Virginia
  • 1864 - The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House takes place during the American Civil War
  • 1872 - The county's courthouse is destroyed by fire and later rebuilt
  • 1901 - The Confederate Cemetery is established in Spotsylvania County
  • 1972 - Lake Anna, a reservoir located partially in the county, is created