The Rappahannock Fall Line: An Intersection

Symposium Recap & Resources

In March 2025, Gari Melchers Home & Studio hosted a public symposium exploring the ecological, historical, and cultural significance of the Rappahannock River Fall Line, by examining its role in shaping both the region’s natural environment and human history.

Introduction: Michelle Crow-Dolby, Education & Communications Manager, Gari Melchers Home and Studio

Welcome: Scott Harris, Executive Director, University Museums

Opening Remarks: John Tippett, Adjunct Instructor, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Mary Washington and former Executive Director of the Friends of the Rappahannock

Speakers

• Woodie Walker, Conservationist, Historian, and Owner of Rappahannock Adventures
  “The Rappahannock Fall Line: Land in Transition” 
• Dr. Jason Sellers, UMW Assistant History Professor
  “Contested Visions of the Rappahannock River and Fall Line”
• Mary O’Neill, Supervisory Park Ranger, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields National Military Park 
  “Armies on the Move: The Fall Line and the Civil War”
• Mike Lott, Regional Supervisor/Northern Region Steward, Department of Conservation and Recreation    
  “Heron Highway/Crow’s Nest”

Panel Discussion

Moderated by Brent Hunsinger, Friends of the Rappahannock Advocacy and Coastal Programs Director, the speakers addressed the challenges and opportunities facing the Fall Line and the Rappahannock River.

Recorded Program

Resources

Where Rapids Meet the Tide, video, Friends of the Rappahannock

John Tippett: Oral History of the Rappahannock River, video, Friends of the Rappahannock

Hal Wiggins Oral History, video, Friends of the Rappahannock

Rappahannock River – Upper, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

Rappahannock River – Tidal, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

The Rappahannock Valley, City of Fredericksburg, VA

Rappahannock, American Whitewater

Harnessing the Rappahannock River, by Hal Wiggins

The Regions of Virginia, Virginia Museum of History & Culture

Geology of the Fall Line, Virginia Places

Get to know the Rappahannock River through the Virginia Outdoor Center, Fredericksburg, VA Economic Development and Tourism

This is Fredericksburg, Virginia ~ Rappahannock River, video, Fredericksburg, VA Economic Development and Tourism

How the Fall Line Shaped Colonial Settlement in Virginia, Virginia Places

Following the Fall Line, Chesapeake Bay Magazine

Spring Shad Run Hits Hard on the Rappahannock Fall Line, Virginia Water Trails