Though I was born in Washington D.C., I have always lived in Virginia. I like it! Virginia has a lot going for it and my wife and I will likely call the Commonwealth our home for the foreseeable future. As you may be able to tell from this website, I like a lot of places and try to find the good wherever I go, without ignoring the bad. I don’t like to dwell on the negative; consequently I tend to focus (especially my camera) on what makes me happy. In my last post (if you clicked on the link to the photos) you might have seen a couple of photos I took at Stone Mountain, which is just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I have a son who lives near there and his girlfriend recommended we visit the state park. The place is a good one to take hikes, to get out in nature, or if you are inclined; to learn a little about the history of the south. I am going to go out on a limb here and state that Georgia, like Virginia, was (in the opinion of most reasonable people of today) on the wrong side of history. Maybe you know where I am going here–I don’t like the fact that the largest bas-relief sculpture in the world pays homage to three Confederate leaders. I wish the powers that be hadn’t decided to carve anything on the side of that impressive geologic feature. I am not saying it should be removed. I would leave it as testimony to the fact that we are not all on the same page. I feel the same way when I see people hoist huge Confederate battle flags on their property in the county I live in today. I wish they had more sense and furthermore could understand the hurt it causes.
So, I take you now to the reason for the headline of today’s post. We were traveling a few weeks ago from our home to the wedding of a relative taking place near Richmond, Virginia. While driving I came upon a sign that let me know I was about to enter Appomattox County, which hosted a significant meeting in American history. It caused me to wonder as I read the bottom of the sign and that short phrase became the title of this post. I thought to myself, a marketing person must have tried to put the best spin they could on that historic event in order to have a good reason to visit Appomattox County. I guess it is better than, “Welcome to the middle of nowhere Virginia.”
So I don’t hurt any feelings, Appomattox County is beautiful and rural today and it hasn’t changed demographically all that much since the 1860’s. Geographically, it is about in the middle of Virginia and today not many would go there if not for its place in history. Prior to driving that stretch of State Route 24, I had never been in Appomattox County, but because it is the place where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant (For an interesting review of the conversation leading up to the surrender click here.) and therefore on the radar of a curious fellow like me. I made a mental note that if the weather was good (and my wife was willing) on the return trip, we would spend a little time there to check it out and see if there is any evidence that our nation has truly reunited.
The photo above shows the building that gives Appomattox Court House National Historical Park its name. It is not, however, the location of the historic meeting between Lee and Grant. That took place a short walk away in what is known as the McLean House, because it was owned in 1865 by Wilmer McLean. McLean’s story can be explored through the storytelling and research of Virginia Tech history professor Dr. James Robertson Jr. by clicking here.
I was able to have a long conversation with a fellow retired high school teacher who happened to be sitting on the porch of the restored mercantile building of the town of Appomattox Court House. He was a resident of the county and former volunteer tour guide for the park whose ancestors had lived in the county since before the Civil War. We discussed among other things, that I was going to poach the line from the county sign for the title of this post and asked him for his thoughts. He was an independent thinker and I wish I had the time to walk around the park with him and take the free tour he offered me, but I knew my wife had already headed back to the car and would already be wondering what was taking me so long.
For more photos of the short visit to the National Historical Park, click here, It is worth the visit! I wish I had planned more time and could have visited more of the surrounding county. As to whether the sign is accurate I will let you be the judge.