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Langley Ordinary
Built in 1842 as a 'drover's rest,' and also served as a home and a public meetinghouse. During the Civil War, served as headquarters of Gen. McCall and as an infirmary. Signatures found in upstairs walls of spaces used as hospital rooms
Drawing of Jefferson Davis
Drawing of a figure in a cap labelled Jefferson Davis (to right and at bottom)
Braehead
A Greek Revival mansion built in 1859. Union soldiers left graffiti in 1864. One signature remains, carved in a door frame. An additional signature found on the basement wall was photographed, but is no longer visible.
Signatures dated 1864
Two signatures on the left of the image:
"E. L Hopewell April 1864"
"Lt. Tidden Hopewell 1864"
"E. L Hopewell April 1864"
"Lt. Tidden Hopewell 1864"
Belle Grove Plantation
A mansion built in 1797 in the Classical Revival style, with graffiti signatures in the attic, added to after the Civil War
Arlington House
"At Arlington House, for example, a soldier named John Chapman of Company K, 28th Pennsylvania, carved his name and regiment high on a wooden beam in the mansion’s attic, along with the date 1862."
Signature of Robert I Hogue and apology for writing on church wall
"Corporal R I Hogue, Company [?] 8th O.V.C. Who ever shall read this wall, please remember me in prayers and excuse me for writing this in the house of God, for I should not of written on these walls had it not of been all marked up. June the 27th…
Curse on Jeff Davis
A curse on Jeff Davis written on the wall of the Frederick County Courthouse:
"To Jeff Davis
may he be set afloat on a
boat without compass or rudder
then that any concerns be swallowed
by a shark the shark by a whale
whale in the devils belly…
"To Jeff Davis
may he be set afloat on a
boat without compass or rudder
then that any concerns be swallowed
by a shark the shark by a whale
whale in the devils belly…
Signature of Amos Phillips
Signature of Amos Phillips, 44th New York Regiment, on a wall in Blenheim House
Signature of Numa Barned
Signature of Numa Barned, 73rd Pennsylvania Infantry, on a wall in Blenheim House
Signature of Seymour Hollingsworth
Signature of Seymour Hollingsworth, 11th Pennsylvania Regiment, Company K, on a wall in Blenheim House
Drawing of a man
Drawing of a man in profile, with a hat and boots, on a wall in Graffiti House at Brandy Station
Writing on a wall: "Army of the United States of America"
"Army of the United States of America" written on a wall in Graffiti House at Brandy Station
Signature of Michael Bowman
Signature of Michael Bowman on a wall in Graffiti House at Brandy Station
Drawing of a woman
Drawing of a woman, in profile, with skirts and a hat, on a wall in Graffiti House at Brandy Station
Drawing of a horse and a man
Drawing of a horse; and behind the horse a male figure wearing a hat. Above the figure is written "He Smells a Rebel."
Drawing of a man's head
A drawing of a bearded man wearing a hat on a wall in Graffiti House at Brandy Station
Drawing of a woman
Drawing of a woman wearing a bonnet and cloak on a wall in the Graffiti House at Brandy Station
Drawing of a man's head
Drawing of the head of a man with a moustache and hat on a wall at the Graffiti House at Brandy Station
Signatures, including William Wallace Cranston
Signatures on the wall at Ben Lomond, including William Wallace Cranston, 66th Ohio Infantry
Signature of Alwyn Grant
Signature of Alwyn Grant, Confederate Signal Corps, dated July 10, 1863, with extended details of unit, on the walls of Linden Hall
Linden Hall
A house built around 1803. "The attic walls are covered with many signatures—three of them Confederate soldiers’ names with the date July 10, 1863, mute testimony to the stop General Robert E. Lee’s army made on the banks of the Potomac at…
Roeder's Store
The store was built in 1858 for Roeder, a confectioner who also owned the adjacent Whitehall Tavern. In 1862, Union soldiers left graffiti on the second floor and attic.
Pohick Church
An Episcopal Church associated with George Washington and George Mason, in some decay at the time of the Civil War. "Union forces stripped the building’s interior for souvenirs of "Washington's Church" and used its worship space as a stable. Soldiers…
Under the Maltese cross, Antietam to Appomattox : the loyal uprising in western Pennsylvania, 1861-1865; campaigns 155th Pennsylvania regiment
"The Confederates of Longstreet's Corps had occupied this building a few nights previous. They had written their autographs, and many unpatriotic inscriptions, with burnt sticks, on the beautifully, white-plastered walls. They had registered their…
Featured Item
Muster Roll that documents Horace's enlistment
Horace enlisted into the 44th New York Infantry in Albany, New York at age 20