Old Appomattox Court House | |
Location | Appomattox County, Virginia |
---|---|
Nearest city | Appomattox, Virginia |
Coordinates | 37°22′39″N78°47′46″W / 37.3775°N 78.7960°W |
Built | 1846, rebuilt in 1963-1964 |
Visitation | 186,526 [1] (average 2013-2022) |
Part of | Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (ID66000827) |
Added to NRHP | June 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.
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.
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]
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 primary ones, 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]
The Appomattox Court House National Historical Park is a preserved 19th-century village in Appomattox County, Virginia. 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.
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.
West Virginia Independence Hall is a historic government building at 1528 Market Street in downtown Wheeling, West Virginia, United States. It was built in 1860 under the supervision of architect Ammi B. Young for the federal government as a custom house, post office and courthouse. It is architecturally significant for its innovative uses of wrought iron as a framing material, and is historically significant for its role in the American Civil War. It housed the Wheeling Convention (1861), as well as the West Virginia Constitutional Convention (1863), which resulted in the separation of Unionist West Virginia from Confederate Virginia. This made it the only state to secede from a Confederate state during the war. The building was originally built as the custom house for the Western District of Virginia, and later became the center of government for the Restored Government of Virginia from 1861 to 1863, with Francis H. Pierpont serving as its governor. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1988. The building is now a state-run museum, housing exhibits on West Virginia history.
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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.
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.
The Clover Hill Tavern with its guest house and slave quarters are structures within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. They were registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on October 15, 1966.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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