Appomattox 1865 Foundation

02/08/2026

12/02/2025

Today, December 2nd, 2025, marks Giving Tuesday—a day when people across the nation pause to give back, support their communities, and lift up the nonprofits working quietly but tirelessly to make a difference.

At APPS, our work is shaped by the belief that history lives not only in great events, but in the people who walked the ground before us. Our mission is to preserve and protect the places and battlefields of the Appomattox Campaign, but just as importantly, to share the stories that unfolded there—stories of fear, hope, sacrifice, and humanity.

Every now and then, we uncover a line in a letter or a fading name in a roster that stops us in our tracks. Within APPS, their words matter. The voices of privates, laborers, musicians, and forgotten soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder with those of generals. Their stories deserve to be told—fully, honestly, and with dignity.

“When the secret history of the war is known — then we will get justice, I hope,” wrote Captain Council Allen Bryan of the 5th Florida Infantry. His words echo the mission we carry forward: ensuring that these stories—especially those long overlooked—are finally given the space, context, and justice they deserve.

This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to help us continue that work. By becoming a member, volunteering your time, or making a donation, you ensure that these stories—big and small—are not lost to history. You help us preserve the landscapes where they lived and died. And you allow us to keep sharing the lessons that still echo across these fields.

Thank you for supporting APPS and for allowing us to continue uncovering the rich history that lies within reach of our fingertips.

Learn more at: www.appomattoxpetersburg.org
Donate directly: PayPal.me/apps1865
Or mail a check to:
PO Box 874
Appomattox, VA 24522

09/07/2025

Stillness At Appomattox: An evening sunset after a recent September shower.




Image: The Mclean house - a large 2 story brick home and outbuildings, the yard and the tan gravel road in front are lit up by the varying pink and blue and other colors of the sunset.

09/03/2025

08/31/2025

: A view of the McLean House (surrender site) from the grave of local resident and Confederate soldier Lafayette Meeks.


Image: The brick McLean house is seen in the distance, while in the foreground a wooden fence encloses a grave, also visible are several trees, additional fences, and a grassy field (National Park Service).

08/29/2025

PLAY MUSIC ON THE PORCH DAY!

Come to the Clover Hill Tavern porch this SATURDAY August 30th from 1-4PM & join us in celebrating peace through music and music through peace!

ALL unamplified instruments welcome!
ALL skill levels and kinds of music welcome at this FREE community event!

IMAGE: A uniformed female ranger on the left plays the fiddle while a male ranger plays an early banjo while seated on a porch of red brick and green shutters!

08/25/2025

Please be patient with us, we’re from the 1900s.

That old? The National Park Service was created on August 25, 1916 to "preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations." Over 109 years, we've grown into more than 433 national parks and many programs that reach communities around the country.

Today, using , share your favorite park stories, trip photos, and best memories from visiting a national park!

08/24/2025

: The vibrant colors of a blooming Crepe Myrtle in the yard of the Kelley-Robinson House in the village of Appomattox Court House on a recent day.


Image: A wooden fence encloses the yard of a small, two story, unpainted frame structure, also visible are several trees including a blooming Crepe Myrtle with purple flowers (NPS)

08/22/2025

🚨 Upcoming Program in the Appomattox area! Mark your calendars!🚨

How does an army hold together for four years with almost nothing?

Join us as Zachary Pittard leads the discussion/lecture on “Considering what has been said of their condition”— a deep dive into the reality (and myth) of the so-called Ragged Rebel of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

📖 Using soldiers’ own words, letters, and images, we’ll explore what Confederate soldiers actually looked like, lived through, and endured—from the early campaigns to the final days at Petersburg.

📅 Tuesday, September 16, 2025
🕡 6:30 PM
📍 American Civil War Museum – Appomattox, VA

The event is free, no registration is needed! Hope to see you all there!

👉 Come see history through the eyes of those who wore the gray.

08/20/2025

Appomattox Court House National Historic Park is participating in Play Music on the Porch Day! Come join us on Saturday, August 30, from 1:00 - 4:00 P.M. to listen to and/or play music on the Clover Hill Tavern porch. Bring your own instrument if you’d like to join in!

Play Music on the Porch Day is an international celebration of music as a universal way to connect people and create peace. Appomattox Court House NHP is both a site of peace - with the meeting between General Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee that marked the beginning of the end of the American Civil War- AND a place of music, where for over 300 years the music has rung out from all over the local countryside.

To learn more about Play Music on the Porch check out or visit www.playmusicontheporchday.com.


Image: Musicians in 19th Century clothing sit or stand on the brick Clover Hill Tavern porch in the village of Appomattox Court House, they hold period banjos and other instruments (National Park Service).

08/17/2025

Stillness At Appomattox
An August sunset after a wet & humid day at Appomattox Court House.


Image: A dirt road curves off into a field covered in mist as clouds frame the setting sun. Also visible are several brick buildings in the village of Appomattox Court House (National Park Service).