Old Appomattox Court House

Last updated

Old Appomattox Court House
Appomattox courthouse.jpg
Federal soldiers at old "court house" in April 1865
USA Virginia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Virginia
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Old Appomattox Court House (the United States)
Location Appomattox County, Virginia
Nearest city Appomattox, Virginia
Coordinates 37°22′39″N78°47′46″W / 37.3775°N 78.7960°W / 37.3775; -78.7960
Built1846, rebuilt in 1963-1964
Visitation186,526 [1] (average 2013-2022)
Part of Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (ID66000827)
Added to NRHPJune 26, 1989

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.

Contents

Rebuilt in 1963 and 1964, the structure now serves as the visitor center for Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. As rebuilt, the courthouse is a two-story building with brick walls, a concrete foundation, and a tin roof.

History

In 1845, Appomattox County, Virginia was established. [2] The county seat was the village of Clover Hill, where the government buildings were to be constructed. The contract for the construction of the courthouse was given to the lowest bidder, whose name is lost to history. Built largely in the Georgian style with elements of Greek Revival design, the courthouse was two stories tall and made from brick. [3] When Confederate military officer Robert E. Lee surrendered to Federal forces at Appommattox in the final days of the American Civil War, the courthouse was closed and was not used in the proceedings. [2] For some time, the village had been in decline after it was bypassed by a railroad in the 1850s, and when the courthouse burned in 1892, the county government was moved to what is now known as Appomattox, Virginia. [4]

In 1963 and 1964, the courthouse was rebuilt, and it is now the visitor center for Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. [5] Additional work to the building occurred in 1986, 1995, and 2001. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1989. [6]

Description

As rebuilt, the courthouse is still two-stories tall. Its walls are made from brick, with a concrete foundation and a tin roof. Overall dimensions are 50 feet (15 m) by 40 feet (12 m). [6] On the second story are porches, which are reached from the ground by flights of stone stairs. The second story is the main floor, and doors lead from the porches to the inside of the building. The roof is a hip roof and is supported by a cornice. A chimney is located on either end of the building. The building's windows have wooden lintels and sills made from limestone. The shutters on the windows are non-operable. [7]

Footnotes

  1. Annual Visitation Report by Years: 2012 to 2022 National Park Service, Retrieved March 26, 2023
  2. 1 2 "1961 Nation Park Service brochure". National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  3. Marvel 2000, pp. 6, 15–16.
  4. "Growth and Decline of Appomattox Court House". National Park Service. June 15, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  5. "Historic Structures at Appomattox Court House". National Park Service. June 15, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Old Appomattox Court House". National Park Service. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  7. Montgomery 1989, pp. 23–24.

Sources

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Appomattox Court House</span>

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">Appomattox Court House National Historical Park</span> 1,700 acres in Virginia (US) managed by the National Park Service

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, as well as a number of original 19th-century structures are situated at the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varina Farms</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Varina Farms, also known as Varina Plantation or Varina Farms Plantation or Varina on the James, is a plantation established in the 17th century on the James River about 10 miles (16 km) south of Richmond, Virginia. An 820-acre (330 ha) property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as "Varina Plantation". At that time it included two contributing buildings and one other contributing site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherokee National Capitol</span> United States historic place

The Cherokee National Capitol, now the Cherokee National History Museum, is a historic tribal government building in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Completed in 1869, it served as the capitol building of the Cherokee Nation from 1869 to 1907, when Oklahoma became a state. It now serves as the site of the tribal supreme court and judicial branch. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961 for its role in the Nation's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fayette County Courthouse (Ohio)</span> Local government building in the United States

The Fayette County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at 110 East Court Street in Washington Court House, Ohio. On July 2, 1973, it was added to the National Register.

<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">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.

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

The Sweeney Prizery 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">Fremont County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Fremont County Courthouse, located in Sidney, Iowa, United States, was built in 1889. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the second structure to house court functions and county administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powhatan Historic State Park</span> State park in Arkansas, United States

Powhatan Historic State Park is a 9.1-acre (3.7 ha) Arkansas state park in Lawrence County, Arkansas in the United States. The park contains the 1888 Powhatan courthouse which served as the home of county government from 1869 to 1968. Today the structure displays items of cultural and historical significance and hosts the park's Visitor Center. The park includes four additional historical buildings and the Arkansas History Commission's Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives. A tour of the historic structures is available. Powhatan served as an important stop for traffic on the Black River until the installation of the Kansas City-Memphis Railwayline two miles north in 1883 significantly decreased the need for river transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brentsville Courthouse and Jail</span> United States historic place

Brentsville Courthouse and Jail is a historic courthouse and jail located at Brentsville, Prince William County, Virginia. The courthouse was built in 1822, and is a two-story, Federal style brick building. It features a fanlight over the main entrance, within a keyed, semicircular brick arch and an octagonal-roofed, frame-built cupola. The Brentsville Jail was built about 1820, and is located 30 yards from the courthouse. It is a well-constructed, two-story, gable roofed structure. The county seat was moved to Manassas in the 1890s to the Prince William County Courthouse and the courthouse and jail were abandoned.

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

Taliaferro County Courthouse is a historical government facility and clock tower located in downtown Crawfordville, Georgia, ninety miles (140 km) east of Atlanta and around fifty miles west of Augusta. The surrounding buildings are the Health Department, Senior Citizens building, Family Connection Center, and the Georgia Farm Bureau. It has been the official home of Taliaferro's Superior Court, and the base of the county's government, as well as other numerous administrative offices.