Reconciliation and Reunions
After the war this house became a symbol of reconciliation between North and South. Although Confederate veteran A.K. "Kell" Shaifer Jr. lost his wife and two sons during the war and had his home and farm ravaged, he later made friends with several Union soldiers who had fought in area.
A letter from an Indiana veteran sparked a correspondence between Kell Shaifer and former Union soldiers that lasted some fifty years. Shaffer, honored all who fought here and for some twenty-one years after the war sent magnolia blossoms to decorate the graves of the Union veterans from Mitchell, Indiana. He visited the north at least twice an host to numerous groups of Union veterans here at his home.
Photo Captions
This group of Union veterans from Mitchell, Indiana is among many who visited the Shaifer farm reviving their wartime memories. After the opening of the Vicksburg Military Park in 1899, Civil War tourism in the area increased.
William Duffner, a veteran of the 24th Indiana Infantry made this double-rocker chair painted with the battle campaign maps, and presented it to his southern friend Kell Shaifer.Upon his death, Duffner was memorialized by Shaifer in the newspaper (far left)
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Location. 31° 56.882′ N, 91° 2.159′ W. Marker is in Port Gibson, Mississippi, in Claiborne County. It can be reached from Shaifer Road 1½ miles west of Bessie Weathers Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Port Gibson MS 39150, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Mississippi, in Natchez Trace Corridor, and in Greater Jackson. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Field Surgery on the Porch (a few steps from this marker); At the Center of the Battle
More about this marker. Located on the grounds of the A.K. Shaifer House Mississippi historic site.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 29, 2019. It was originally submitted on December 29, 2019, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 452 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 29, 2019, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
