From Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP News
Join the National Park Service and Salem Baptist Church for a musical celebration of our nation’s history on the lawn of historic Old Salem Church on July 4, 2018. The Mid-Atlantic Wind Symphony under the direction of Aaron Noe will provide the music—a mix of patriotic and historic tunes suitable for the day. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. and last just over an hour. Admission is free. Bring a lawn chair! Old Salem Church will be open to visitors for an hour before the formal program begins.
Parking for the event will be at new Salem Baptist Church, 4044 Plank Road, Fredericksburg, 22407—immediately adjacent to the historic sanctuary. In the event of rain, the program will be moved inside to the adjacent Family Life Center at new Salem Church.
Historic Salem Baptist Church was built in 1844 and witnessed battle in May 1863. The walls of the church, inside and out, still bear the scars. In 1961, the congregation of Salem Baptist Church donated the historic sanctuary to the National Park Service. Today the congregation thrives in the newer sanctuary constructed in 1955. Volunteers from the congregation keep the historic church open to visitors on weekend summer days, from 2 – 5 p.m.
