Happy birthday to a free Virginia! On May 15, 1776, the 5th Virginia Convention declared the colony independent from King George III and Parliament, instructing its delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to seek the same action for all the colonies.
We’re celebrating the 250th anniversary of Virginia’s independence by hosting a free-to-the-public open house on Friday, May 15 from 5 to 9 p.m. Take a tour of the historic 1816 building, see new artifact displays, and enjoy some complimentary birthday cake and refreshments!
At 7 p.m., a lecture will be held on the 5th Virginia Convention by Shelby L. Chandler, Past Master and Lodge Historian. Spotsylvania county’s two members of the 5th Virginia Convention, Mann Page III and George Thornton, were Fredericksburg Freemasons. The lecture is the third in a series of ten free lectures to be held at the Lodge on Fredericksburg’s Revolutionary War Heroes, hosted in collaboration with the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. The topics and speakers can be found at masoniclodge4.org/lectures.