Appomattox Courthouse, VA

APPOMATTOX COURT HOUSE, Virginia

Appomattox Courthouse is located on SH 24, three miles northeast of the town of Appomattox in Appomattox County, Virginia.

In 1819, the Clover Hill Tavern opened on the Richmond-Lynchburg Road. It became a popular stopping point and as the inn grew, farmhouses grew up around it, and in 1845 when Appomattox County was established the small but growing village obtained county seat honors.

Now that its future seemed secure, a post office was established, the courthouse was built along with law offices and other assorted government related businesses. Clover Hill changed its name to Appomattox Court House, and through the 1850s the village of 150 people prospered.

On Palm Sunday, 1865, fate and the rapidly approaching end of the Civil War intervened. Outside of town the armies of Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant faced off. The Generals arranged a meeting to be held in town so Lee could formally surrender his troops to Grant, ending the Civil War. At that time the prosperous little town consisted of the courthouse, two blacksmith shops, county jail, law offices, two stables, three stores, the tavern, and a number of homes.

Since the courthouse was closed on Sundays, Lee and Grant searched the town for a suitable site, settling on the parlor of the three-story brick home of Wilmer McLean.

The war ended, and prosperity disappeared. The nearby railroad station of Appomattox Station grew, pulling trade and population from the old town. In 1892 the courthouse burned, so the county seat was transferred to Appomattox Station, which dropped the "station" from its name.

As time went on, old Appomattox Court House village was abandoned and the buildings either burned, were razed or were moved. On June 18, 1930 the site was purchased by the federal government. Then on August 3, 1935, plans for restoration of Appomattox Court House village became a reality. The National Historic Park was born, and on April 6, 1954 the park opened with the two-dozen or so buildings restored to how they looked when the truce was signed.

This is a wonderful location to visit with your family to share where a major piece of American History happened to one member of Ghost Town USA!

This was our GHOST TOWN OF THE MONTH for March 2002.

This is one of the towns featured in my newest book, GHOST TOWNS: Yesterday & Today^TM^.

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FIRST POSTED: March 01, 2002

LAST UPDATED: March 20, 2005

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