Work along the Sunken Road will include several major improvements
The National Park Service and the City of Fredericksburg are restoring the historic Sunken Road, the focal point of the Battle of Fredericksburg. Between September 2004 and May 2005, workers will be rebuilding missing sections of stone wall, removing pavement, marking house sites, burying power lines, and installing pathways and exhibits for visitors. This work will be messy, a bit noisy, and it will limit the ability of visitors to move through the site, but the results should be dramatic-the reclamation of one of the most famous military features in the world.
The Stone Walls During the fall of 2004, workers will be rebuilding missing sections of the stone wall that once ran the length of the Sunken Road. Their work is based on detailed analysis of historic photographs, examination of the existing section of original wall (in front of the Kirkland Memorial), and archeological investigations done in 2002 and 2003. The new wall will be dry-laid, like the original. The local quarry that provided stone for the orginal wall is now closed, and a wide-ranging search for appropriate stone culminated at a quarry near Reading, Pennsylvania. The rebuilt wall will require nearly 1,0000 tons of stone. In many places, the footers for the original wall remain underground. Construction of the new section of wall will not disturb those archeological remains; the new wall requires excavation of only a few inches as a base. Reconstruction of the wall will be done by the Dry Stone Conservancy of Lexington, Kentucky, a non-profit organization committed to the preservation of dry stone structures across the nation. Reconstruction of the stone walls will be the first piece of the project completed, scheduled for October 2004.
The Road and House Sites The most challenging part of the project is the reclamation of the surface of the Sunken Road. Analysis of photographs and archeological evidence indicates that the 1862 surface of the road was in fact only a few inches lower than the modern surface. In 2005, workers will remove the existing pavement, put down a support base, and install a dirt surface. To prevent erosion and enhance safety, this dirt surface will be hardened by mixing it with a binding agent. It will look like a dirt road, but will be as durable as concrete. The project also includes marking the sites of houses that stood along the road in 1862. Archeology in 2003 revealed the precise locations of both the Martha Stephens House and the Ebert House, an oft-forgotten home that doubled as a grocery store in the 19th Century. Hard-surface pathways (instead of worn and rutted dirt walkways) will link these and other sites along the road. More than a dozen new wayside exhibits will tell the story of the people who lived along Sunken Road, as well as the momentous events of December 13, 1862.
Managing The Mess While the work goes on, visitor access to the Sunken Road area will be severely limited. Heavy equipment, stone cutters, drills, and cement mixers will be a regular presence in the project area. Safety fences border the work zones. Please respect the fences at all times. Check at the visitor center desk for advice on how best to access Marye's Heights and the Sunken Road. As work progresses, or as the focus of work changes, the National Park Service will do its best to provide maximum access to as much of the area as possible. We regret any inconvenience this project may cause, but feel certain the results will prove worth it-to this and future generations.
