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Appomattox Court House Village- The McLean House

The McLean house was built in 1848 by Charles Raine. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant in the parlor of this house. Lee’s aide Lieutenant Colonel Charles Marshall chose this site. The Myron Dunlap firm bought the building in 1891. The Dunlap’s dismantled the house in order to move it to Washington, D.C. for display but a stock market downturn left the firm bankrupt. The dismantled materials lied on the ground rotting until in the 1940s, using the speculators’ plans and specifications, archeological evidence, and original materials from the old house, the National Park Service rebuilt it on its 1848 foundation.

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The well in the front yard
Lee’s table- the original is in Chicago owned by the Chicago Historical Society. The chair is owned by the Smithsonian Institute. After the surrender ceremony General Edward Ord bought the table from Mr. McLean for $40.00. Colonel Edward Whitaker bought Lee’s chair. The mantel vases are owned by the Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park.
The inkstand was purchased by Captain Michael Sheridan and the two candleholders by General George Sharpe. The candlesticks currently reside in the Senate House Museum in Kingston, New York
Grant’s table and chair. After the surrender ceremony Major General Phil Sheridan paid Mr. McLean $20.00 for the table. He then gave it to General George Custer as a gift for his wife Elizabeth “Libby” Custer. The chair was purchased by General Henry Capehart. Both are now at the Smithsonian.
The original secretary bookcase is owned by the Smithsonian Institute.
The parlor sofa and Lucretia “Lulu’ McLean’s ragdoll are owned by the Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park. Captain Thomas Moore purchased the ragdoll after the surrender.

The first floor bedroom

Second Floor

Basement

Next stop- The McLean House- Other Associated Buildings

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