Formerly: Goolrick's Modern Pharmacy
Fredericksburg, Virginia · Founded 1869 · Building: 1808
A restored Fredericksburg soda fountain in an 1808 Caroline Street building, reopened in 2026 after a four-year restoration.
Goolrick's traces its association with the Goolrick family to 1869, when C. A. Jones and W. B. Goolrick acquired the pharmacy at 901 Caroline Street. The venue's own history dates its soda fountain to 1903. After a four-year closure and restoration, Goolrick's reopened to the public in August 2026.
An earlier residence on the 901 Caroline Street property is destroyed by fire.
Source: Goolrick's official history timeline
The present building's first documented iteration is constructed as a domestic residence at 901 Caroline Street.
Source: Goolrick's official history timeline; Northern Virginia Magazine reopening report
The official property timeline records the first business use at 901 Caroline Street, then a tailor shop.
Source: Goolrick's official history timeline
C. A. Jones and W. B. Goolrick purchase the pharmacy associated with the site.
Source: Goolrick's official history timeline
The venue's historical timeline dates the opening of the Goolrick's soda fountain.
Source: Goolrick's official history timeline
The official history dates the first business filing under the name Goolrick's Modern Pharmacy.
Source: Goolrick's official history timeline
The building is extensively remodeled after earlier fires and changes to the commercial property.
Source: Goolrick's official history timeline
The venue's official timeline records a sale from Smokey Run LLC to JPI during the restoration period.
Source: Goolrick's official history timeline
Goolrick's reopens to the public after a four-year restoration of the 1808 building and its soda-fountain business.
Source: Northern Virginia Magazine, "America's Longest-Running Soda Fountain Reopens in Fredericksburg This Week"; Fredericksburg Free Press, "Biz Beat Roundup: Downtown icon to re-open Friday"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Goolrick's publicly promotes itself as the nation's longest-running soda fountain, but the historical basis requires an independent nationwide comparison. More importantly, the business closed for roughly four years before reopening in August 2026, so a claim of uninterrupted operation is not supported.
The venue's current historical timeline identifies 1903 as the first opening of the soda fountain. This review found no source supporting the candidate's 1912 installation date.
Goolrick's own detailed historical timeline dates the soda fountain's first opening to 1903. Independent newspaper or preservation documentation should still be located before treating that date as fully documented.
Current reporting says Goolrick's reopened in August 2026 after a four-year restoration. The multi-year closure breaks any claim of uninterrupted business or soda-fountain operation.
Peter Goolrick founded the pharmacy in 1867 and installed the soda fountain in 1912.
Goolrick's current historical timeline dates C. A. Jones and W. B. Goolrick's purchase of the pharmacy to 1869 and the fountain's first opening to 1903. It dates the first business filing as Goolrick's Modern Pharmacy to 1910.
Source: Goolrick's official history timeline
Goolrick's has operated continuously as a soda fountain since its opening.
Goolrick's reopened in August 2026 after a four-year closure and restoration, so uninterrupted operation is not established.
Source: Northern Virginia Magazine reopening report; Fredericksburg Free Press reopening report
Goolrick's survived because a long-running downtown pharmacy and soda fountain was treated as a restoration project rather than a disposable retail space. The preservation effort brought the historic Caroline Street property back into public use, but it did not preserve uninterrupted operation: the business closed for roughly four years before reopening in 2026.
Goolrick's became associated with Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1869, when C. A. Jones and W. B. Goolrick purchased the pharmacy at 901 Caroline Street. The current venue history dates its soda fountain to 1903, and its first Goolrick's Modern Pharmacy filing to 1910. After a four-year closure and restoration, Goolrick's reopened in August 2026.
Goolrick's has a long soda-fountain history and publicly claims a national superlative, but this review cannot verify it as Virginia's oldest continuously operating soda fountain. The business was closed for roughly four years before reopening in 2026, which breaks continuous operation, and a statewide comparison of earlier Virginia soda fountains has not been completed.
Goolrick's reopened on August 7, 2026, after a four-year restoration project at 901 Caroline Street. Contemporary reopening reports said it would serve guests from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, but visitors should verify current hours before traveling.
901 Caroline St, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
(540) 373-3411
Goolrick's reopened in August 2026; check the official site for current counter service, hours, and special-event information.