McLean House (Appomattox, Virginia): Difference between revisions

The renter Nathaniel H. Ragland then purchased the property for $1,250 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]]. 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|accessdate= 2009-01-21|publisher=National Park Service}}</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"/>

 

{{main|Appomattox Court House National Historical Park}}

 

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/>