The Rappahannock Hotel stood in the 500 block of Princess Anne Street, directly across from Hotel McGuire. Its broad porch and distinctive roofline were a well known part of the downtown streetscape.

The Hotel was built by carpenter Arthur Brown and his sons. Later accounts state that there were several owners, and an advertisement identified its proprietors as the “Brown Brothers.”

By 1940, the Rappahannock and the McGuire were two Black-owned hotels serving Fredericksburg. In an era when segregation restricted where Black travelers could stay, these businesses provided essential hospitality.

The building was subsequently demolished; the sources consulted do not establish when or why.