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Makeover for a 'grande dame'
May 1, 2010 12:36 am
By CLINT SCHEMMER
If Ellwood Manor were a debutante, her coming-out party would be today.
But given that she's around 220 years old, "grande dame" may be a more apt phrase.
Regardless, this plantation home hasn't looked finer in a generation. It's ready to take a starring role as the primary place that welcomes visitors to the Wilderness battlefield--one of the Civil War's most pivotal spots.
The house opens to the public today for its summer season, unveiling brand-new National Park Service exhibits on the Battle of the Wilderness and everyday life at the circa-1790 plantation.
"We're bringing Ellwood out of the shadows to tell its own story and the story of the battles that it was so much a part of," said Russ Smith, superintendent of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
It's been a long road. The Park Service, which acquired the historic site decades ago, first envisioned in 1986 making Ellwood the contact point for visitors coming to learn about the Wilderness.
But first, the frame-and-clapboard house had to be shored up and stabilized, then restored. Bit by bit, over many years, the Park Service accomplished the first part of that effort.
More recently, the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield took up the job of restoring Ellwood--a mission that is two-thirds accomplished.
"This is a big deal," Smith said. "Because of the Wilderness battlefield's location some distance from Fredericksburg and Interstate 95, over the years it really hasn't gotten the attention or the resources that it deserves.
"This helps fulfill a long-held dream we've had to give visitors a more complete and in-depth introduction to this battlefield."
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and his Union counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, first met in battle at the Wilderness. Some 180,000 soldiers fought and 26,000 were killed or injured there.
The battle began Grant's relentless Overland Campaign, which ended with the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox 11 months later.
Now, visitors will see Ellwood much as it would have appeared in 1864, complete with period wallpaper and military furnishings in the very room from which Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren--one of the heroes of Gettysburg--operated.
More than $608,000 has been spent on the project, not counting the cost of stabilizing the building. The friends group, an all-volunteer, nonprofit outfit, has raised $360,483 to date for the restoration. The Park Service kicked in $248,000 for the just-finished exhibits, which occupy two rooms on the ground floor.
The exhibits--with historic artifacts, rich imagery, period accounts and high-tech touches--are probably the most elaborate ones to be installed at any of the national park's four battlefields in a half-century.
An electronic map orients visitors to the battlefield. People can test their decision-making skills with an interactive "you're in command" computer program that offers seven battlefield scenarios.
Four new paintings of the battlefield, by two artists, were specially commissioned. Visitors also get to see architectural details of how the home was built.
Artifacts include a "battle log," with two cannonballs embedded in it from artillery fire during the battle, and personal possessions of the families that lived in the vicinity. And enslaved African-Americans, who provided the labor that made the plantation a success, receive some attention.
"Visitors are just overwhelmed with how Ellwood looks now," said Carolyn Elstner, FoWB's vice president. "I confess I have enjoyed people's 'wows' at what they're seeing."
Clint Schemmer: 540/368-5029
Email: cschemmer@freelancestar.com
146th ANNIVERSARY
The friends group will host "Remember the Wilderness" programs throughout May, with special events on May 8-9, May 23 and May 29. Experts will describe the life of the common soldier, the hardships that befell civilians remaining at home, the system of hospitals employed by both armies at the Wilderness, and civilian and military life at Ellwood Manor. Free. 540/373-6122; fowb.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2010 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.
Online at: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2...5012010/545131
May 1, 2010 12:36 am
By CLINT SCHEMMER
If Ellwood Manor were a debutante, her coming-out party would be today.
But given that she's around 220 years old, "grande dame" may be a more apt phrase.
Regardless, this plantation home hasn't looked finer in a generation. It's ready to take a starring role as the primary place that welcomes visitors to the Wilderness battlefield--one of the Civil War's most pivotal spots.
The house opens to the public today for its summer season, unveiling brand-new National Park Service exhibits on the Battle of the Wilderness and everyday life at the circa-1790 plantation.
"We're bringing Ellwood out of the shadows to tell its own story and the story of the battles that it was so much a part of," said Russ Smith, superintendent of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
It's been a long road. The Park Service, which acquired the historic site decades ago, first envisioned in 1986 making Ellwood the contact point for visitors coming to learn about the Wilderness.
But first, the frame-and-clapboard house had to be shored up and stabilized, then restored. Bit by bit, over many years, the Park Service accomplished the first part of that effort.
More recently, the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield took up the job of restoring Ellwood--a mission that is two-thirds accomplished.
"This is a big deal," Smith said. "Because of the Wilderness battlefield's location some distance from Fredericksburg and Interstate 95, over the years it really hasn't gotten the attention or the resources that it deserves.
"This helps fulfill a long-held dream we've had to give visitors a more complete and in-depth introduction to this battlefield."
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and his Union counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, first met in battle at the Wilderness. Some 180,000 soldiers fought and 26,000 were killed or injured there.
The battle began Grant's relentless Overland Campaign, which ended with the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox 11 months later.
Now, visitors will see Ellwood much as it would have appeared in 1864, complete with period wallpaper and military furnishings in the very room from which Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren--one of the heroes of Gettysburg--operated.
More than $608,000 has been spent on the project, not counting the cost of stabilizing the building. The friends group, an all-volunteer, nonprofit outfit, has raised $360,483 to date for the restoration. The Park Service kicked in $248,000 for the just-finished exhibits, which occupy two rooms on the ground floor.
The exhibits--with historic artifacts, rich imagery, period accounts and high-tech touches--are probably the most elaborate ones to be installed at any of the national park's four battlefields in a half-century.
An electronic map orients visitors to the battlefield. People can test their decision-making skills with an interactive "you're in command" computer program that offers seven battlefield scenarios.
Four new paintings of the battlefield, by two artists, were specially commissioned. Visitors also get to see architectural details of how the home was built.
Artifacts include a "battle log," with two cannonballs embedded in it from artillery fire during the battle, and personal possessions of the families that lived in the vicinity. And enslaved African-Americans, who provided the labor that made the plantation a success, receive some attention.
"Visitors are just overwhelmed with how Ellwood looks now," said Carolyn Elstner, FoWB's vice president. "I confess I have enjoyed people's 'wows' at what they're seeing."
Clint Schemmer: 540/368-5029
Email: cschemmer@freelancestar.com
146th ANNIVERSARY
The friends group will host "Remember the Wilderness" programs throughout May, with special events on May 8-9, May 23 and May 29. Experts will describe the life of the common soldier, the hardships that befell civilians remaining at home, the system of hospitals employed by both armies at the Wilderness, and civilian and military life at Ellwood Manor. Free. 540/373-6122; fowb.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2010 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.
Online at: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2...5012010/545131