Near Chancellorsville in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Maury Birthplace

By Craig Swain, November 10, 2007

1. Maury Birthplace Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

These scattered bricks and this shallow depression are all that remain of Matthew Fontaine Maury's birthplace. Maury's parents purchased this house and 103 acres of land from "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, Robert E. Lee's father, in 1797. The future oceanographer was born here on January 14, 1806, the seventh of nine Maury children. In 1810, the Maurys sold the property and moved to Tennessee where they hoped to find better fortune than this tobacco farm in the Wilderness had provided them. During the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate cavalry chief J.E.B. Stuart made his headquarters at the Maury birthplace, which appears as the "Brick House" on Civil War maps. The house fell into disrepair after the war and pillagers salvaged the bricks for use elsewhere.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Science & Medicine • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. 38° 17.381′ N, 77° 38.297′ W. Marker is near Chancellorsville, Virginia, in Spotsylvania

Maury Birthplace Ruins image. Click for full size.

By Craig Swain, November 10, 2007

2. Maury Birthplace Ruins

County. Marker can be reached from McLaws Drive, on the right when traveling south. Located several yards to the west of the road on a walking trail to the Maury birthplace ruins. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fredericksburg VA 22407, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Birthplace of Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) (here, next to this marker); Maury House Trail (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Matthew Fontaine Maury (about 500 feet away); Jackson on the Move (about 500 feet away); About a mile in the distance... (about 600 feet away); Chancellorsville Campaign (approx. 0.4 miles away); A Region of Gloom (approx. half a mile away); Catharine Furnace (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chancellorsville.

More about this marker. The top portion of the marker displays a portrait of Matthew Fontaine Maury taken in 1853.

Regarding Maury Birthplace. This is one of several markers for the Battle of Chancellorsville along McLaws Drive, Furnace Road, Sickles Drive, and East Jackson Trail, on the east side of the battlefield. See the McLaws's Line to Catharine Furnace Virtual Tour by Markers in the links section for a listing of related markers on the tour.

Also see . . .
1. Maury Birthplace. National Parks Service site. (Submitted on November 17, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

2. McLaws's Line to Catharine Furnace Virtual Tour by Markers. Spread across a two

Another View of the Shallow Depression at the Ruins image. Click for full size.

By Craig Swain, November 10, 2007

3. Another View of the Shallow Depression at the Ruins

mile segment on the east side of the battlefield, this virtual tour by markers covers action from May 1-3, 1863. (Submitted on November 17, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 30, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 862 times since then and 3 times this year. Last updated on October 28, 2020, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 17, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.