Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

How to Get There

From Richmond (95 mi): Take US‑360 W to US‑460 W toward Lynchburg, then exit onto VA‑24 E and follow signs to the visitor center parking area.

Overview

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park preserves the 19th-century village in central Virginia where General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, in the parlor of Wilmer McLean's house, effectively ending the Civil War. About 3 miles east of the town of Appomattox and 25 miles east of Lynchburg, the 1,700-acre park has a couple of dozen restored buildings, ruins, and cemeteries.

The village began as Clover Hill, a stagecoach stop around the 1819 Clover Hill Tavern, and became the county seat in 1845. When the railroad bypassed it in 1854, it declined, and the Civil War finished it. The park was authorized in 1935 and restores the village to its April 1865 look.

Things to Do

Tour the McLean House
See the furnished rooms where Lee and Grant met to discuss terms.

Walk the Historic Village
Restored buildings include Clover Hill Tavern, the Old Appomattox Court House, law offices, the Plunkett-Meeks Store, and the New County Jail. Markers show Lee's and Grant's headquarters and the apple tree where Lee waited for Grant's reply.

Stop at the Visitor Center
Exhibits, artifacts, and films cover the Appomattox Campaign and Lee's surrender.

Drive the Tour Route
An 8-mile driving tour visits key points of the campaign and surrender.

Top Trails

This article uses material from official tourism pages for Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.