Anthony Woodson Farm

Anthony Woodson Farm. Battle of Munfordville. , Thomas Woodson received this farm as a land grant from Thomas Jefferson for service in the Revolutionary War. His son Anthony made his home on this site and developed a prosperous farmstead, considered one of the finest in the county. From his front porch he and his family could see the magnificent L&N Railroad bridge across the river., That bridge would be Woodson's undoing. Drawn by the strategic importance of the bridge, military forces of both the Union and Confederate armies occupied Munfordville and Woodsonville continually throughout the war. During this military occupation, Anthony Woodson suffered great losses, as it was on his farm that the Battle of Rowlett's Station and the Battle of Munfordville were fought. His fertile earth was piled into fortifications, his barns and outbuildings were burned, his timber was leveled, and all his rail fences were taken for firewood. Unable to farm, Woodson had no means of income., In 1864, the family filed a claim for war reparations from the Federal Government. Congress had passed act to reimburse loyal civilians for losses caused by the armies in battle and through occupation. Woodson's claim for $12,126.00 was at first disallowed because a witness described him as "a Southern man." Years later the family finally accepted $4,594.00 in settlement, in time to rebuild their house, which had recently burned. They used the money to rebuild their home using the same foundation and much the same design as the first. The Summer Kitchen at the rear of the house is original., "Mr. Woodson's farm was a perfect wreck.", (captions) , This map is drawn after a map made by surveyor Cyrus Edwards, circa 1870, to support Woodson's claim for war reparations., Anthony Woodson's farm as it would have appeared in late 1861, just after the destruction of the railroad bridge. His fences have not yet been torn down.