The End of the Road--A Previous Tantrum by Mother Nature
Falmouth, VA--This is the end of the old Rt. 1.   Beyond the trees is the Rappahannock River and at one time this road spanned the river. On the other side one would have seen fields in front of them as Rt. 1 went off to the left and continued through the heart of downtown Fredericksburg. Here is what the bridge looked like in its heyday in the 1930's.......

.........Then on April 26, 1937 the Rappahannock,  flowing 39.1 feet above its normal level, washed out a section of the bridge.........

It was repaired but because Rt. 1 was the only major north/south road on the east coast it was decided to build a stronger and higher bridge over the Rappahannock which was opened in 1943 and is still in use today. 

Thanks to former Mayor Bill Beck for allowing me access to his extensive Fredericksburg postcard collection.