The Para-Historical Research Group

Appomattox Manor: The ancestral home of the Eppes family, occupied during the Civil War by Dr. Richard Eppes.  According to the story, during renovations in 1953, the skeleton of a Union Soldier was found within the walls.

Click to see National Park Service page on the house (notice it says not a word about the body of Union soldier found).

Grant's cabin on the grounds of Appomattox Manor

Grant at the cabin 1864              Interior of the cabin

Nice view of rear of the house and outlying structures, the kitchen is the building at right with chimney. Below are photos of the interior of the kitchen.

        2nd Floor over kitchen             Note orb visible on door frame 

                                  (thanks to Kinion for these pics)

Initial investigation:

There are many haunting stories surrounding this area, first known as Bermuda City, then City Point.  First settled in 1613, most of the acreage eventualy fell under the ownership of Francis Eppes in 1635 [Eppes was a cousin of Thomas Jefferson's wife, Martha.  Jeffersons young daughter Lucy is buried under an elm on another Francis Eppes property known as  "Eppington," in Chesterfield, VA). The Appomattox Manor property has seen two wars and lived to tell the tale.  The house and  gardens were set ablaze by Benedict Arnold's men during the Revolution (slaves put out the fires and saved the house, replanted the gardens). Then, on May 19th, 1862, the house and gardens were shelled by Union gunboats on the James River after Georgia infantry fired on Federal Naval Officers sent ashore to aid local citizens (click here for the story of the incident, scroll down page to civil war paragraph).  I cannot find much more on this incident, the article I have provided above gives best account so far.  It is unknown if the locals lured the Federal sailors into a trap by asking for medical care and supplies. As the naval personnel came ashore, several houses had white flags flying over them.  Its unclear if Appomattox Manor was one of them.  In any event, Confderate Infantry stationed nearby openned up on the sailors almost as soon as they came ashore and three of them were killed.  Heres where it gets interesting concerning the haunting.  First, Read the following:

(click here to see blueridgegazette.blogspot.com, the source)

 Hopewell - Appomattox Manor - This old house on the river front in Hopewell is known to have been a hold out for Confederate and sometimes Union soldiers during the Civil War, especially the assault on Petersburg nearby. One legend surrounding the house is where a nurse hid a Union soldier in the wall of the basement when the Confederates came to inspect the house. When they found Union paraphernalia in the storage room they arrested the woman and took her away. The Union soldier, unable to help himself escape, died and today can be heard scratching at the walls for someone to be let out. This is a story told by the caretakers of the house. In 1953, when they were rebuilding the basement of the house they found a body of a Union solder behind the walls.

Now, I so far have found NO official records of this find at the house. Until I do, I will of course remain skeptical. But I have a gut feeling that the Naval skirmish has something to do with whatever is there.  I beleive that during the skirmish its possible that one of the Naval officers was wounded and taken to a nearby house to recover.  Of course this would have been an arrestable offense to take care of any wounded US soldier so whoever rendered care would have had to hide the patient.  In this scenario, it makes the nurse hiding the soldier story more plausible.  Authenticating this theory will take hours and weeks of researching official Naval War records to verify that any soldier came up missing. As a veteran, I can assure you that accountability for all men in a unit is the first thing that takes place after combat action, then and now.  So I find it hard to beleive that any soldier would have been left there without it being recorded.  I will continue to look into this theory but confirmation will probably be a long time coming, if ever. Also realize that any Union soldiers treated there would have been BEFORE 1864, as after this point the area was totally controlled by Federals and became Grant's headquarters including a huge Union hospital built nearby.

Elizabeth Van Lew, noted federal spy, probably after the war.

Theory number two:  City point was a known hot spot for Federal espionage agents.  Lizzie Van Lew, the noted Federal spy in Richmond, is known to have had contacts here who helped escaped Union prisoners from Richmond  reach Union lines near City Point.  Part of the success of Van Lew's operations rests on the fact that she used slaves, well placed on the plantations of influential citizens, and a sure bet for working against the Confederacy  (CLICK FOR BRIEF BACKGROUND ON LIZZIE VAN LEW).  The full extent of Van Lews exploits may never be  known, the identities of many Union soldiers she helped have been lost in time or taken with her to the grave.  Her famous diary, about half way through, becomes scribble...literally.  I've seen the original pages in the New York Public Library, you cannot make out much after a certain point. What is written there is written in cryptic prose, as if shes protecting the identities of various persons who were part of her intelligence circle (not a surprise: Lizzie and all her circle assigned eachother nicknames, real names were never used).  The true success of Lizzies operations can be gauged by the fact that Richmond Authorities razed her mansion in 1911, shortly after her death.  Why would Richmond, enamored with all things antebellum and historic, tear down a classic Georgian Mansion?

Enough of my theories. Regarding the house, we toured the property for about an hour.  We were not able to gain access to the main house but the adjoining kitchen was open. We went in and took photos. There is an apparently unused upstairs area which is off limits (see the photos below).  Its as if these rooms have been just set aside by the National Park Service and left to the elements.  I am sure there is a reason and the Park Service will eventually do something with the rooms but for now, they are full of old bee hives, old wood on the floor, and downright creepy. By far, this was the most intense area where I personally experienced any kind of vibes.  The vibe was not particularly pleasant.  Of course, the rooms are very, very old  (see the furnishings and door handles) and i think almost anyone would feel some apprehension there. Since they are over the kitchen, my feeling is that these rooms were slave quarters.

Room at top of stairs to right. (Below) Room at top of stairs, left.
 

A cool site and a must-see for those interested in battlefield hauntings

  


  Stairs descending to main kitchen.

The kitchen and pantry. Mmmm, old virginny smoked ham (this one is made of wax...sorry).  Below I just had to get a shot of that old coffee grinder...

City Point: Here was the Union supply and logistical headquarters during the siege of  Petersburg, 1864.

 Grants Headsquarters: On the grounds of Appomattox Manor is the cabin used by Grant for his headquarters during the seige of Petersburg.

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Elizabeth Van Lew, Federal spy. She proved so valuable to the Union that after the war, President Grant gave her a job in Richmond as Postmaster, hitherto unprecendented for a female to hold this post.