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On the job at the Princess Anne Hotel Date published: 2/17/2007 By Jennifer Strobel The Princess Anne Hotel in Fredericksburg has undergone many changes since the days of its prime as an inn The 91-room hotel at 904 Princess Anne St. closed in 1976 after 62 years. It hosted many notable guests in its heyday, including British statesman David Lloyd George. The hotel's contents--chandeliers, footed bathtubs, kitchen equipment, among many items--were auctioned. Two back portions were leveled. Then extensive renovation transformed it into the handsome office building it is today. The dining staff captured a moment in hotel history, posing in 1948. They are (seated, left to right): waiters William Paul Brooks and Clarence Boyd; head waiter Royal Peace; waitresses Mavis Hevelow, unknown and Lena Coleman. Standing, left to right: unknown; waiters William Dudley, Reginald Brooks, Joseph Brooks Jr., George Brittenham Jr., unknown and Lester Brown. According to Ruth Coder Fitzgerald's book "A Different Story," many local black men began their working lives at the Princess Anne Hotel. That was certainly the case for several of the waiters in the photo: George Brittenham, William Dudley, Joseph Brooks and brothers William Paul and Reginald Brooks were still students at Fredericksburg's Walker-Grant High School when they went to work at the hotel. Brittenham's sister, Gloria Brittenham Johnson, submitted the photo in response to a request from "Flashback" for photos documenting the region's black heritage. The restaurant business was only a short-term stint for her brother, by the way. Even as a youngster, George Brittenham's heart was in aviation. He would build model airplanes and hang them all over his bedroom. After high school he served in the Air Force, then spent the rest of his career in the aviation industry. Retired now, he lives in Los Angeles. His sister still lives in Fredericksburg. --Jennifer Strobel
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