Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

This quaint little village will take you back in time and you can just imagine what it was like on that historical Spring day.

There are several original buildings still standing from 1865. These include the Clover Hill Tavern, Plunkett-Meeks Store, Woodson Law Office, Peer's House, Mariah Wright House, and the Jones Law Office. Other buildings have been reconstructed including: the Court House (now used as the Visitor Center) and the McClean House.

The main attraction is the McLean House. Several rooms there are open for viewing, including the room where the official surrender documents were signed. These rooms are furnished with period furniture and are very interesting to see and get a feel for how life was in 1865. You can also peek into the McClean House Kitchen, Slave Quarters, and Ice House.

Other buildings that are open to view are: The Clover Hill Tavern, Woodson Law Office, Plunkett-Meeks Store, Meeks Stable, Woodson Law Office, The Jail, and Jones Law Office.

Buildings on the grounds that are closed to the public include: The Peers House, Tavern Guesthouse, and Bocock-Isbell House.

The park grounds are kept beautifully and there is a nice gravel lane throughout the village.

On April 9, 1865 after four years of Civil War, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate Army to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. They met in the parlor of the McLean home in Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

Lee's surrender began the ending of a war and a new beginning for our nation. This first surrender became the model for the other surrenders that followed.

On April 10th Lee and Grant met a second time. This photo shows the site where they met. General Lee requested that his men be given evidence that they were paroled prisoners - to protect them from being arrested or harrassed as they traveled to their homes. Paroles were printed at the Clover Hill Tavern and issued to the Confederate soldiers on April 11.

On April 12, 1865, the Federal troops lined the Richmond - Lynchburg Stage Road to receive the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Flags and weapons of General Lee's men were stacked in a formal surrender ceremony.

On the day I visited, we were actually allowed to go into this one room. It is where they were demonstrating the printing press (shown above). We were told that the art on these walls was actually painted on, it is not wallpaper. You can see here some of the original wall art shown beside the reproduced art that the rest of the room has. (All of the walls in this room has this same design.) Can you imagine actually drawing this art on the walls? I can tell you, I looked closely, and it is actually drawn on!

During the summer months there are daily living history interpretors including both a Confederate soldier and a Union soldier on most days. Everyone gathers on the porch of the Clover Hill Tavern and the soldier chats about the war and surrender. You can ask questions and talk with him as if you are back in 1865. I've attended these "talks" and the soldiers are very much into their part. Very interesting and fun. The kids particularly enjoy this!

The Peers House was the home of George Peers, clerk of Appomattox County for 40 years. This house is an original structure, but is not open to the public. In front you can see a plaque which states that this is the site where the last shots were fired before the surrender.

The Bocock-Isbell House is an original structure built by two brothers in 1850. One brother was the US Sen.Thomas Bocock, who later served as the speaker of the Confederate Congress. This house is not open to the public.

On my visit to the Surrender Grounds, I was lucky enough to go on a day that they were having a Book Signing at their Book Store by Jeff Toalson. He was promoting his newly released book, "Send Me a Pair of Old Boots & Kiss My Little Girls", Volume 2 of the Butternut Series. This book is about the Letters of Richard and Mary Watkins, sent to each other during the Civil War. I was so excited to meet him and get a book signed! You can see this book below and also Volume 1, "No Soap, No Pay, Diarrhea, Dysentery, & Desertion". I haven't read the book yet (just got it today), but will include a review when I do. It sounds like a great book and I can't wait to read it!

Note: I've now read the book and really enjoyed it! It gives you an insight as to what it was like for the soldiers (and what they were thinking) as well as the wife left at home (and what trials she was going through). It's just awesome to read the actual letters that were written back and forth between this husband and wife during the war. You feel as if you are right there with them. Kudos to Jeff Toalson for putting it all together...it had to be a time consuming job! I was very impressed with this book and highly recommend that you purchase it! You'll be glad you did.

I hope you've enjoyed the little I've shared with you here about the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park! There's so much more to see, but hopefully this will give you a little glimpse. One building, the Plunkett-Meeks Store, was closed for renovations, so you missed that. I love the store, as it's stocked with merchandise from that time! Really cool! Try to visit soon...you'll love it!