In keeping with the historical theme of the upcoming Gettysburg trip, I decided to go back to my father's homeplace and to the place where I lived for a while when I was in my early teens. These are some photos from the little Village of Appomattox and the Surrender Grounds, featuring the original old McLean House where General Robert E. Lee surrended to Ulysses S. Grant:

Had to stop by this cute little gift shop just because it was so cute

You see a lot of this kind of thing in Appomattox


This is looking down Main Street. Bear in mind I took this on one end of the street and you can see all the way down to the end:


Next stop: the old Appomattox Railroad Station (now a visitor's center)



This is where I attended my freshman year of High School. It is now the Appomattox County Middle School and a new high school was built several years ago:


I next stopped by a confederate cemetery near the surrender grounds





This marker notes the spot where Grant's headquarters were

This is the field where Grant's troops camped in the final days of the war


The pathway up to the little recreated Village of Appomattox as it was back in 1865:



A minstrel plays period music on the steps of the recreated Appomattox Courthouse


Across the street from the Courthouse is Abbot's Tavern. I knew the descendants of the Abbots and went to school with one of them:



LB, you'll love this one. It is a copy of the old James Woodson Law office from the day:



Photos from the old country store:




The McLean House


The desk where General Lee sat to sign the surrender agreement


The desk where Grant sat to sign the agreement:


A photo of the now-famous depiction of the signing:



The rear of the McLean House:



Standing in front of the McLean house and looking to that grove of trees in the rear is the area where my dad's family farm was. My dad played as a child all over these grounds and loved Appomattox with all his heart:


Following are interior shots of every room in the house which I feel will be self-explanatory. Despite its appearance, the house is not very large as a great deal of space was used for hallways with opposing windows and doors to provide ventilation:



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The kitchen is outside in a separate building which was the practice in those days to prevent a fire from destroying the main quarters and also to prevent a heat buildup in the summer:



The intererior of the kitchen:


Servant's quarters:


The interior of the servant's quarters:




My car parked behind the McLean House:
(You didn't think I'd leave this one out did you?)



A view toward the Village from the McLean House:



I stopped on my way home to take this photo. It is the church where Robert E. Lee, IV is the pastor:

 

Nice pics, Val.

Is this located near the destination for SF07?

Down the line, we hope to be planning our VA trip which will be the week before SF, so some destination ideas in the vicinity would be appreciated.

Of course, we could just move in with you for the week, and sleep on the ironed sheets, and use your nice clean shower. You could then tell us "where to go" each day.

 

Great pics, Val...I used to see many historical markers on my backroads travels to NC. I always said I was going to stop and take a pic of every one, but I haven't so far. Maybe I'll do it one day.

 

^^ Appomattox is east of SF07 and probably is no more than 50-60 miles. It is a very, very small little town and is just beginning to grow a bit, but when you're here, it would be nice to pay a visit. The guest room is always clean

MsP: During the Civil War a Union Officer (Hunter) mounted a campaign here in Lynchburg (called the Lynchburg Campaign). He seized and made his headquarters in a house called Sandusky which is only a few blocks from where I lived for 20+ years. The house has recently become a museum:

Sandusky

We have many battle sites in/around here, but most of them are fairly obscure. Jubal Early fought off Hunter's attack and saved Lynchburg.

 

When i was a junior in high school my parents took a trip up the east coast, we stopped at Appomattox. Thanks for the pics, i remember some of that.

 

Great pics Val....you should do a Gettysburg series as part of your visit. I'm posting a few on my Preview Pic thread, but it's not complete in any sense of the word

 

Great pics Val. We may have to make a run by there on the way back from SF07.

 

If you do, I'll join along. On Main Street there's a quaint little book shop that has a real coffee shop where they serve a delightful espresso, cappucino or latte or any other fru fru coffee you may like. They also have scones that are unbelieveably delicious. Oh, and they have a lot of neat old books as well.

 

Can you get just a coffee black and a scone? Espresso is tasty but a bit too buzzy to start a drive home.