McLean House (Appomattox, Virginia): Difference between revisions

| name = McLean House

| partof = Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

| nrhp_type = cp | nocat = yescp

| image | caption = McLean house in1865 April 1865.jpg

| location | nearest_city = [[Appomattox County, Virginia]]

| coordinates = {{coord|37|22|37.6|N|78|47|50|W|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = Virginia#USA

| area = {{convert|1800|acre|sigfig=3}}

| built = 1848

| architect = Charles Raine

| architecture = =

| added | visitation_num = 102October 15,397 1966<ref name=Visitationdhr>{{cite web |url= https://irmawww.npsdhr.virginia.gov/STATS/SSRSReports/National%20Reportshistoric-registers/Visitation%20By%20State%20and%20By%20Park%20(2017%20006-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year 0033/ |title= Visitation By State and by Park for Year: 2019DHR |publisher=NationalVirginia ParkDepartment Serviceof Historic Resources |accessdateaccess-date= June 13, 2020|quote= }}</ref>

| visitation_year = 2019

| partof_refnum = 66000827<ref name=dhr/>

[[File:Mcleanhouse 2008 08 21 derivative.jpg|thumb|right|<{{center>| Reconstructed McLean house in 2008</center>}}]]

The '''McLean House''' innear [[Appomattox, Virginia|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]]. ItHosted by [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] General [[Ulysses S. Grant]], the house served as the location of the surrender ofconference for the [[Army of Northern Virginia|Confederate army]] of [[General_officers_in_the_Confederate_States_ArmyGeneral officers in the Confederate States Army#General_in_ChiefGeneral in Chief|General]] [[Robert E. Lee]] on April 9, 1865, after a [[Battle of Appomattox Court House|nearby battle]].<ref name=Marvel369>{{sfn|Marvel, |2000|p. =369</ref> }}

The farm housefarmhouse represents the historical style of construction in Piedmont Virginia of the mid-nineteenth century. The current building hasis a historyreconstructed form of attemptedthe preservationoriginal ofusing disassembledthe original partsmaterials. It ultimatelywas carefully deconstructed in the 1890s for shipment and display in Washington, D.C., but those plans fell through, and the materials remained on site. In the 1940s, it ended up in the hands of the [[National Park Service]] and was reconstructed. Theon houseits wasoriginal madefoundation, availableopening forto the public viewing in 1949. It was recorded in the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 and in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures in 1989.<ref name="npsMeleanhouse1A">{{cite web|url= http://www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=VA&PARK=APCO&STRUCTURE=&SORT=&RECORDNO=4|title= List of Classified Structures-McLean House|accessdateaccess-date= 2009-01-21|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120529025929/http://www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=VA&PARK=APCO&STRUCTURE=&SORT=&RECORDNO=4|archive-date= 2012-05-29|url-status= dead|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

The McLean House was originally constructed by Charles Raine in 1848.<ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite book|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Appomattox Court House / Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (version from Virginia Department of Historic Resources, including maps) |url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Appomattox/006-0033_Appomattox_Courthouse_National_Historical_Park_1966_Final_Nomination.pdf |format=pdf |date=May 8, 1989 |author1=Jon B. Montgomery |author2=Reed Engle |author3=Clifford Tobias |lastname-authorlist-ampstyle=yesamp |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115233534/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Appomattox/006-0033_Appomattox_Courthouse_National_Historical_Park_1966_Final_Nomination.pdf |archivedatearchive-date=January 15, 2009 }} and {{NRHP url|id=66000827|title=''Accompanying 12 photos, undated (version from Federal website)''|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(32&nbsp;KB)}} and [http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Appomattox/Court_House_photo.htm one photo, undated, at Virginia DHR]<!---Note Federal text version at {{NRHP url|id=66000827}} is incomplete: does not include Section 11 or maps---></ref> Eliza D. Raine's estate sold the house to [[Wilmer McLean]] in 1863. It had formerly been a tavern (not to be confused with the nearby [[Clover Hill Tavern]], which Raine had previously owned). One of the first battles of the [[American Civil War]] took place on the farm of Wilmer McLean at the [[Bull Run (Occoquan River)|Bull Run tributary]], the [[First Battle of Bull Run]] (First Battle of Manassas). Soon after that battle the McLeans, seeking to avoid the war, moved to the village of Clover Hill, Virginia (the name of which was changed to "Appomattox Court House," having just become the county seat). Because of the name of the village, many mistakenly think the surrender was signed in the courthouse building. (In years past, the county seats of many rural counties, especially in Virginia, had names that were simply the name of the county plus "Court House"; some of these remain today.)<ref name=Fisk45>{{sfn|Fiske, |1902|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=UiQSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA45 45</ref>]}} The courthouse is about {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} from the [[Appomattox Station]] where the trains came into [[Appomattox, Virginia|Appomattox]], Virginia.<ref name="npsMeleanhouse3">{{cite web|url= http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc9/appomattox_guide11.htm|title= 1961 Park tour guide brochure|accessdateaccess-date= 2009-01-21|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100306180829/http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc9/appomattox_guide11.htm|archive-date= 2010-03-06|url-status= dead|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

Because the First Battle of Bull Run, fought on July 21, 1861, took place on Wilmer McLean's farm about {{convert|120|mi|km}} to the north in Virginia, it can be said that the Civil War started in McLean's backyard in 1861 and ended in his parlor in 1865 (although neither event marked the true beginning or ending of hostilities). McLean was a retired [[Major (rank)|major]] in the Virginia [[militia]]. He was too old to enlist at the outbreak of the Civil War and decided to move to get away from the Civil War. After the war, he would say of himself that he moved because he loved peace, but he made a small fortune running sugar through the Union blockade. He was also a slave owner, and there are slave quarters next to McLean's house. Nonetheless, in the morning of [[Palm Sunday]] April 9, 1865, the war came back to McLean when General [[Robert E. Lee]] surrendered to [[Lieutenant General]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]] at his home.<ref name=Kantor77> {{sfn|Kantor, |2016|pp 75{{endash=75–88}}88</ref>

The terms of surrender were: "The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander to sign a like parole for the men of their commands,"... neither "side arms of the officers nor their private horses or baggage" to be surrendered; and, as many privates in the Confederate Army owned horses and mules, all horses and mules claimed by men in the Confederate Army to be left in their possession. The table and chairs used by Lee and Grant when negotiating the surrender are now part of the collections of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s [[National Museum of American History]], and the [[Chicago History Museum]].{{sfn|Kurin|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ac4nDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA234&pg=PA234 234]}} After the surrender, many Union soldiers purchased some of McLean's furniture; however, some was stolen.<ref name="npsMeleanhouse3"/> McLean sold pictures of his house after the Civil War; however, he failed financially.<ref name="npsMeleanhouse3"/>

Although he had made a considerable fortune smuggling sugar, McLean's money was in [[Confederate States dollar|Confederate currency]], which became worthless with the collapse of the Confederacy, and he was nearly ruined by the end of the war. In the fall of 1867 the McLeans left Appomattox Court House was returned tofor Mrs. McLean's estate in [[Prince William County, Virginia|Prince William County]], Virginia. The banking house of Harrison, Goddin, and Apperson of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], Virginia, obtained a judgment against Wilmer McLean when he defaulted on loans against the property. The house, by then known as the "Surrender House", was sold at [[public auction]] on November 29, 1869, and purchased by John L. Pascoe. Records show he then rented it to the Ragland family of Richmond, Virginia.<ref name="npsMeleanhouse1">{{cite web|url= http://www.nps.gov/apco/mclean-house.htm |title= The McLean House &ndash; The Post War Years|accessdateaccess-date= 2009-01-21|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

The renter Nathaniel H. Ragland then purchased the property for $1,250 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US|value=1250|start_year=1872}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) in 1872. After Nathaniel died in 1888, his widow Martha sold the property in 1891 for $10,000 to a Captain [[Myron Dunlap]] of [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]], New York. Dunlap and some other investors who participated devised a few plans intending to capitalize on the historical significance of the property. One scheme they came up with was to move the disassembled house to Washington, D.C., to become a permanent display as a Civil War museum.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.civilwar-books.com/McLeanHouseEnlarged-Writeup.htm|title= The McLean House write-up|accessdateaccess-date= 2009-01-21|publisher= National Park Service|archive-date= 2008-11-19|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081119234151/http://www.civilwar-books.com/McLeanHouseEnlarged-Writeup.htm|url-status= dead}}</ref> There they would charge entrance fees to view the "surrender house" that ended the Civil War. They hired architects to measure drawings including elevations. They also hired contractors for materials specifications lists. The house was disassembled piece by piece and packed for shipping. At this point the investors involved ran out of money and legal problems came about. This scheme was never brought to fruition. The house became just a heaping piles of boards and bricks and sat prey to vandals, collectors, and the environment for fifty years.<ref name="npsMeleanhouse1"/>

==Appomattox Court House National Historical MonumentPark==

Appomattox Court House National Historical MonumentPark was created by Congress on April 10, 1940. It included approximately {{convert|970|acre|ha}} at the [[village]] once known as Clover Hill. The meticulous reconstruction [[archeological]] work began at the site in 1941 amongst overgrown brushes and honeysuckle. One of the first steps was to collect historical data so architectural plans could be drawn up to work from.<ref name="npsMeleanhouse1"/> From the original materials salvable the project included some five thousand original bricks.<ref name="npsMeleanhouse3"/>

The project came to an abrupt stop on December 7, 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces. The United States entered into World War II. Bids for the reconstruction of the McLean House were reopened on November 25, 1947, and work continued. Eighty-four years after the historic surrender, reuniting the country, the McLean House was opened by the National Park Service for the first time to the public on April 9, 1949. In front of a crowd of approximately twenty thousand people a speech was given by [[Pulitzer Prize]] -winning historian [[Douglas Southall Freeman]].<ref name="npsMeleanhouse1"/> A ribbon was cut by the guests of honor at the dedication ceremony by [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Ulysses S. Grant III]] and Robert E. Lee IV on April 16, 1950.<ref name="nrhpinv2"/> The McLean House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.<ref name=dhr/>

[[File:McLean House marker.jpg|thumb|<{{center>|McLean House marker</center>}}]]

[[Elizabeth Bacon Custer]]'s will of November 18, 1926, presented to the Probate court of [[New York City]] on May 11, 1933, stated: "''...the two flags of truce, one made of a white towel and the other' of a white handkerchief, which were used on the occasion of the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox, and also a table on which the surrender of General Lee to General Grant was written.''"<ref name=CusterWill>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Custer Souvenirs left to Museum |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53351328/the-baltimore-sun/ |work= The Baltimore Sun|page= 7 |location= Baltimore, Maryland|date=May 12, 1933 |via =[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> The will further explained that these items were at the Memorial Hall of the War Department Building in Washington, D.C.<ref name=CusterWill/>

{{quoteblockquote|

:The home that hosted the surrender meeting was one of the best in Appomattox. Built in 1848, it had since 1862 been owned by businessman Wilmer McLean. The house became a sensation after the surrender. Union officers took some mementos; and in 1893 it was dismantled for display in Washington, D.C. But that display never happened, and the National Park Service reconstructed the building on its original site in the 1940s.<ref name=Marker>{{cite web |url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/travlinman43/43434120244/sizes/l/ |title= Mclean house sign |publisher=Flickr - Steve |accessdateaccess-date=June 14, 2020}}</ref><ref name=Marker2>{{cite web |quoteurl= https://stonesentinels.com/less-known/appomattox-court-house/village-of-appomattox-ch/mclean-house/ |title= Mclean House |publisher=Stone Sentinels |access-date=June 14, 2020}}</ref>}}

* {{cite book|last=Fiske, |first=John, ''|title=Old Virginia and Her Neighbours, Volume |volume=2'', |publisher=Houghton, Mifflin and Company, |year=1902, {{OCLC|1129764672oclc=03732525|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UiQSAAAAYAAJ}} ·

* Kantor,{{cite book|last=Kantor|first=MacKinlay, ''|title=Lee and Grant at Appomattox,'' |publisher=Voyageur Press, |year=2016, {{ISBN|9isbn=978-780760-03527603-265226-7}}

* Marvel,{{cite book|last=Marvel|first=William, ''|title=A Place Called Appomattox'', |publisher=UNC Press, |year=2000, {{ISBN|isbn=0-8078-2568-9}}

* Catton,{{cite book|author-link=Bruce, ''Catton|last=Catton|first=Bruce|title=[[A Stillness at Appomattox'', ]]|publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |year=1953, Library of Congress # |lccn=53-9982, {{ISBN|isbn=0-385-04451-8|ref=none}}

* {{cite book|last=Davis, |first=Burke, ''|title=To Appomattox - Nine April Days, 1865'', |publisher=Eastern Acorn Press, |year=1992, {{ISBN|isbn=0-915992-17-5|ref=none}}

* Kaiser,{{cite book|last=Kaiser|first=Harvey H., ''|title=The National Park Architecture Sourcebook'', |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press, |year=2008, {{ISBN|isbn=978-1-56898-742-02|ref=none}}

* {{cite book|author=National Park Service, ''|title=Appomattox Court House: Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Virginia'', |publisher=U.S. Dept. of the Interior, |year=2002, {{ISBN|isbn=0-912627-70-0|ref=none}}