Vandals damage historic Civil War home in Appomattox

By: Dave Thompson | Lynchburg News and Advance
Published: March 13, 2009

Vandals trashed a piece of Civil War history at Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park last month, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage to the Peers House, said park superintendent Reed Johnson.

Johnson said a park employee discovered damage to the Isbell House, the park’s headquarters, the morning of Feb. 28.

Later that day, Johnson discovered more extensive damage to the Peers House, an 1850’s structure mainly used for park employee housing.

“They went underneath the sink and they severed the water lines under the sink so the house would flood, which it did,” Johnson said. “No theft involved, just malicious destruction of property.”

State Police and the Appomattox County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident.

Johnson said there’s been a rash of vandalism in the county lately.

Johnson said the vandal or vandals probably didn’t know the structure was historic, but he plans to pursue more severe prosecution because of the house’s history.

“Because it’s an original structure, and there’s very likely structural damage, it falls under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act,” he said, “which we intend to prosecute under if we get somebody.”

“I don’t think they had a clue where they were,” he said.

The Peers House is included in the park’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the application, George Peers, who served as the county clerk for 40 years, lived at the house at the time of Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Union forces.

Johnson said cabinetry, flooring, subflooring and carpeting had to be torn up and will need to be replaced.

“It’s saturated,” he said, estimating the damage at several thousand dollars. Depending on structural damage, the amount could be much higher, he said.

Johnson said in his 12 years at the park, this incident was the first of its kind he had seen.

Sheriff Wilson Staples said the investigation is continuing, and no one has been arrested in connection with the event.

Anyone with information related to the incident should contact the Appomattox County Sheriff’s Office at (434) 352-2666.