Near Bolivar in Jefferson County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Home Becomes Battlefield
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
March 1, 2008
1. Home Becomes Battlefield Marker
The Civil War affected not only the soldiers who fought but the families whose homes and towns became battlefields. Edmund H. Chambers bought this farm in 1848 and lived here with his family until the Civil War. Although Chambers was a loyal Unionist, the Union confiscated his farm in 1862, forcing the family from their home. The U.S. Army arranged for an appraisal of the farm in the event of damage. At the war’s end Chambers found the property destroyed and filed a claim demanding restitution. In 1888, 23 years after the end of the war, he was still trying to settle his claim. There is no evidence that he was ever paid. He died in 1890.
I am now very poor and am eighty years old.
I am the son of a Revolutionary soldier…
and I think I have a very good record.
Excerpt from Edmund H. Chamber’s letter to the Secretary of War, 1888
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1848.
Location. 39° 18.74′ N, 77° 45.63′ W. Marker is near Bolivar, West Virginia, in Jefferson County. Marker can be reached from Shoreline Drive. Located on the Murphy Farm
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. From Civil War to Civil Rights / Battle of Harpers Ferry (within shouting distance of this marker); Struggle to the Heights (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Fate of Harpers Ferry was sealed. (about 600 feet away); First Major Action (approx. ¼ mile away); Gun Position #6 (approx. ¼ mile away); Infantry Positions (approx. ¼ mile away); The Abatis (approx. ¼ mile away); Area History (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bolivar.
More about this marker. The marker features a painting captioned, "Harpers Ferry painting attributed to Edmund Chambers's daughter Jenny, 1891."
March 1, 2008
2. Home Becomes Battlefield Marker
March 1, 2008
3. Murphy Farm Trailhead
March 1, 2008
4. Vista from Murphy Farm Trail
Photographed By Bradley Owen, October 22, 2020
5. Murphy Farm House
Credits. This page was last revised on May 21, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 2, 2008. This page has been viewed 1,413 times since then and 30 times this year. Last updated on March 22, 2018, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 2, 2008. 5. submitted on April 22, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. 6. submitted on May 21, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
