Welcome to The Exchange Hotel and Civil War Medical Museum
Once a thriving Tavern during the 1840's and then a Railroad Grand Hotel during the 1860's, this building was later transformed to become the Gordonsville Receiving Hospital during the Civil War. 70,000 Confederate and Union soldiers were treated in this building and on these grounds.
By the end of the Civil War, Virginia had 53 Receiving Hospitals and all were burned to the ground by the Union except for this building you see still standing today. It became Union occupied and operated as a Freedmen's Bureau where newly freed slaves were given justice, education and health care.
At the turn of the century the building was returned back to a gracious Grand Hotel and operated as such until the Great Depression. In 1972, it was saved from destruction and lovingly restored by local volunteers and Historic Gordonsville Inc., was formed. It was opened to the public as a Museum in 1989.
Today, we carry on the tradition of providing visitors with a glimpse of our Historic Hotel's rich history as a thriving tavern, a Grand Hotel, a Civil War General Receiving Hospital and a Freedmen's Bureau.
Historic Gordonsville Inc is a non-profit organization. All tour fees and donations go towards maintaining ad operating the building and grounds of the Exchange Hotel Museum.
Erected by
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1972.
Location. 38° 7.958′ N, 78° 11.134′ W. Marker is in Gordonsville, Virginia, in Orange County. It is on Cobb Street just east of South Main Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 S Main St, Gordonsville VA 22942, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Virginia and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: In Memory of the Soldiers, Both Confederate and Union (within shouting distance of this marker); Gordonsville's Legendary Chicken Vendors (within shouting distance of this marker); Orange County / Louisa County (approx. 0.4 miles away); Gordon Inn (approx. 0.7 miles away); Church of the Blind Preacher (approx. 1.1 miles away); a different marker also named Orange County / Louisa County (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Maplewood Memorial Association (approx. 1.2 miles away); General Thomas Sumter (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gordonsville.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 11, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 11, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,024 times since then and 93 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 11, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
