Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

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Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Appomattox Court House Historical Park.jpg
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. The Old Appomattox Court House is at left; the reconstructed McLean House, the site of the formal surrender, is at right.
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Location Appomattox County, Virginia
Nearest city Appomattox, Virginia
Coordinates 37°22′39″N78°47′45.6″W / 37.37750°N 78.796000°W / 37.37750; -78.796000
Area1,774.6 acres (718.2 ha) [1]
Visitation92,650 (2021) [2]
Website Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
NRHP reference No. 66000827 [3]
VLR No.006-0033 [4]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated VLRJuly 6, 1971 [4]

The Appomattox Court House National Historical Park is the preserved 19th-century village named Appomattox Court House in Appomattox County, Virginia. The village was named for the presence nearby of what is now preserved as the Old Appomattox Court House. The village is the site of the Battle of Appomattox Court House, and contains the McLean House, where the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee to Union commander Ulysses S. Grant took place on April 9, 1865, an event widely symbolic of the end of the American Civil War. The village itself began as the community of Clover Hill, which was made the county seat of Appomattox County in the 1840s. The village of Appomattox Court House entered a stage of decline after it was bypassed by a railroad in 1854. In 1930, the United States War Department was authorized to erect a monument at the site, and in 1933 the War Department's holdings there was transferred to the National Park Service. The site was greatly enlarged in 1935, and a restoration of the McLean House was planned but was delayed by World War II. In 1949, the restored McLean House was reopened to the public. Several restored buildings (including the McLean House and the courthouse), as well as a number of original 19th-century structures are situated at the site.

Contents

Antebellum history

The antebellum village started out as "Clover Hill". The village was a stop along the Richmond–Lynchburg stagecoach road. [5] It was also the site of organizational meetings, so when Appomattox County was established by an Act on February 8, 1845, Clover Hill village became the county seat. Appomattox County was formed from parts of Buckingham, Prince Edward, Charlotte, and Campbell counties. The jurisdiction took its name from the headwaters that emanate there, the Appomattox River; the name Appomattox was believed to originate with the Apumetec tribe of Native Americans. [6]

From about 1842, Hugh Raine owned most of the Clover Hill area. He obtained it from his brother John Raine who defaulted on his loans. Following the establishment of Appomattox County, it became the county seat and 30 acres (12 ha) of the hamlet were divided into town lots. The state designated 2 acres (0.81 ha) to be taken as a location for county government buildings. The courthouse was to be built across the Stage Road from the Clover Hill Tavern's stable, with the jail behind the courthouse. In late 1845, Hugh Raine and another of his brothers sold the Clover Hill area to Samuel D. McDearmon. [6] McDearmon attempted to sell the lots in Clover Hill, but with little success. [7] While the village did grow, in 1854, the decision to route a railroad through nearby Appomattox Depot led to many business leaving Appomattox Court House for the Appomattox Depot area. Around the same time, the stage route into Appomattox Court House was discontinued, and the village entered a decline. [8]

Civil War and further decline

In early April 1865, during the end of the American Civil War, Confederate States Army forces commanded by General Robert E. Lee were being pursued by Union Army troops commanded by Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. Trapped at Appomattox Court House, Lee's troops attacked on April 9 in the Battle of Appomattox Court House, but were unsuccessful. That day, Lee met with Grant to discuss terms of surrender at the McLean House. After discussion, Lee signed surrender terms that day, and on April 12, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia laid down its arms and marched away. While the war continued after the surrender of Lee's army, the surrender at Appomattox Court House has become widely symbolic of the defeat of the Confederacy. [9] The war's end did not stop the decline of the village, and when the county's records were destroyed in an 1892 courthouse fire, it was decided to move the county seat to the railroad community at Appomattox Depot, which became the town of Appomattox. [8]

McLean House Parlor.jpg
Panoramic image of reconstructed parlor of the McLean House, site of surrender of General Robert E. Lee at the end of the American Civil War

Park development history

In 1892, after the courthouse had burned and the McLean House had been dismantled, George B. Davis learned of the deteriorating state of the village and received permission to have metal tablets placed at the locations of important historic sites at the village. [10] In 1930, the United States Congress passed legislation to have the United States War Department acquire a site at the village for a monument relating to the 1865 surrender, and three years later, the War Department's holdings at Appomattox Court House were transferred to the National Park Service. The site's name was changed from the "Appomattox Battlefield Site" to "Appomattox Court House National Historical Monument" in 1935 as part of legislation that authorized the park to be increased in size and for the McLean House to be reconstructed; the name change to "Appomattox Court House National Historical Park" occurred in 1954. In 1940, the park was increased to 970 acres (390 ha), and a plan to rebuild both the courthouse and the McLean House was formalized. World War II delayed reconstruction at the site, [11] but in 1949, the restored McLean House was opened to the public. [12] On October 15, 1966, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [13] The village itself has since been restored by the National Park Service, [14] with a number of original 19th-century structures remaining, including the Clover Hill Tavern. [15]

Besides the surviving original structures, the roughly 1,700-acre (690 ha) park contains reconstructed historic buildings as well, including the McLean House. Both a driving tour path and hiking trails are present in the park. [16] Points of interest along the trails include interpretive signage, the location of Lee's headquarters, and an artillery park including cannons. [17] The park's visitor center is located in the rebuilt courthouse. [18]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2022" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved January 26, 2023. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. ↑ "Appomattox Court House NHP". irma.nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ National Register of Historic Places 66000827 National Park Service. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "006-0033 Appomattox Court House". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Clover Hill village". Appomattox Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Marvel, pp 1-6
  7. ↑ Marvel, pp 10-11
  8. 1 2 "Growth and Decline of Appomattox Court House". National Park Service. June 15, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  9. ↑ Davis, pp. 429-432
  10. ↑ Montgomery, p. 47
  11. ↑ Montgomery, pp. 49-51
  12. ↑ "The McLean House". National Park Service. April 12, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  13. ↑ "National Register Database and Research". National Park Service. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Appomattox Court House National Historic Park". Virginia Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Original Structures at Appomattox Court House N.H.P." National Park Service. March 31, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Visit Appomattox Court House Battlefield". American Battlefield Trust . Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Hiking Trails". National Park Service. July 13, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Plan Your Visit". National Park Service. October 3, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2023.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appomattox, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia

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The Appomattox Courthouse is the current courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia built in 1892. It is located in the middle of the state about three miles (5 km) southwest of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, once known as Clover Hill—home of the original Old Appomattox Court House. The "new" Appomattox Courthouse is near the Appomattox Station and where the regional county government is located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilmer McLean</span> American businessman, involved in the American Civil War

Wilmer McLean was an American wholesale grocer from Virginia. His house, near Manassas, Virginia, was involved in the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. After the battle, he moved to Appomattox, Virginia, to escape the war, thinking that it would be safe. Instead, in 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in McLean's house in Appomattox. His houses were, therefore, involved in one of the first and one of the last encounters of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Appomattox Court House</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last, and ultimately one of the most consequential battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia before they surrendered to the Union Army of the Potomac under the Commanding General of the United States Army, Ulysses S. Grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennett Place</span> Historic house in North Carolina, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLean House (Appomattox, Virginia)</span> United States historic place

The McLean House near Appomattox, Virginia is within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. The house was owned by Wilmer McLean and his wife Virginia near the end of the American Civil War. Hosted by Union General Ulysses S. Grant, the house served as the location of the surrender conference for the Confederate army of General Robert E. Lee on April 9, 1865, after a nearby battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clover Hill Tavern</span> Historic commercial building in Virginia, United States

The Clover Hill Tavern with its guest house and slave quarters are structures within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park in Appomattox County, Virginia. They were registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on October 15, 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Appomattox Court House</span> United States historic place

The Old Appomattox Court House is a former county courthouse within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. In the 1800s this structure gave the surrounding village its name, Appomattox Court House. Built in 1846, the structure served as the courthouse for Appomattox County, Virginia. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army nearby in 1865, during the closing stages of the American Civil War, but the courthouse was closed that day and was not used in the proceedings. The village where the old courthouse was located had entered a state of decline in the 1850s after being bypassed by a railroad, and when the courthouse burned down in 1892, the county government was moved to Appomattox, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Sweeney Cabin</span> United States historic place

The Charles Sweeney Cabin is a structure within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It was registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on June 26, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jones Law Office</span> United States historic place

The Jones Law Office, also known as the Lorenzo D. Kelly House, is a structure within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. In the nineteenth century the structure was owned by Kelly and used as a single-family house. The original law office was also used as a dwelling by John Robinson for his large family in the nineteenth century after Kelly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New County Jail</span> United States historic place

The New County Jail is a structure within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It was registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on June 26, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodson Law Office</span> United States historic place

The Woodson Law Office is a structure within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It was originally built by Samuel McDearmon in 1854 and rented by Woodson for his law office until he purchased it a couple of years later. It is a small structure and was built next to the main general store of Appomattox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peers House</span> United States historic place

The Peers House is a structure within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It was registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on June 26, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bocock–Isbell House</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

The Bocock–Isbell House is a structure within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It was registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on June 26, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariah Wright House</span> United States historic place

The Mariah Wright house is a structure within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It was registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on June 26, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appomattox Court House National Historical Park ruins</span> United States historic place

The Appomattox Court House National Historical Park ruins are part of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Virginia which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

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