Fredericksburg’s former town hall and connecting square is a rare Federal-period public complex. Completed in 1816, the town hall is a plain, almost domestic appearing building. The rear elevation (pictured above), set on a stone arcade, dominates the market square, a sloping space on the interior of the block. The Fredericksburg Town Hall and Market Square complex follows the precedent of English town halls which traditionally had meeting spaces above an arcaded market area. Here, farmers, craftsmen and other vendors sold their goods in the formerly open arcades of the lower level. Political leaders and social elite held public meetings, assemblies, and dances above. Businessmen rented the wings for office space. Although the market ceased with the development of produce stores, the town hall continued to house the local government until 1982. In 1988 the building was converted to a local history museum in Fredericksburg.