Appomattox in Appomattox County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Shattered Home

— Appomattox Court House National Historical Park —

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 20, 2025

1. Shattered Home Marker

Inscription. "The burial having been done so hastily that the arms and legs were not entirely interred."
Mary Ann Coleman Irby

The home of Dr. Samuel and Amanda Abbitt Coleman stood here just west of Appomattox Court House between the contending armies. Federal cavalry positioned near here the night of April 8. While the family took refuge at the home of a relative, their slave Hannah Reynolds stayed behind.

The Coleman family returned to a ruined home. The house was shell damaged and ransacked; the backyard filled with freshly dug Federal graves. After Lee's surrender and the emancipation of Appomattox's enslaved people, the Colemans faced rebuilding both home and society.

(caption) The Coleman House photographed in 1940.

Erected 2025 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1865.

Location. 37° 22.472′ N, 78° 48.952′ W. Marker is in Appomattox, Virginia, in Appomattox County. It can be reached from Gordon Drive 0.1 miles west of Old Courthouse Road

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(Virginia Route 24), on the left when traveling north. Marker is within Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, on the Coleman House Trail - accessible only on foot from the trail head on Gordon Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Appomattox VA 24522, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in 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 walking distance of this marker: The 24th Corps "Flying Hospital" (within shouting distance of this marker); Fate of the 11th Maine (within shouting distance of this marker); Born enslaved, I died a free woman. (within shouting distance of this marker); Mackenzie's Fight (within shouting distance of this marker);

Shattered Home Marker & Coleman House Chimney Ruins image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 20, 2025

2. Shattered Home Marker & Coleman House Chimney Ruins

The stone rubble pile that once was the base of the Coleman House's chimney is visible in the brush directly beyond the marker.

"Their doom was sealed" (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); “Message of Peace” (about 600 feet away); Grant’s Pursuit (about 600 feet away); Battle of Appomattox Station (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Appomattox.

Also see . . . Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. National Park Service (Submitted on January 20, 2026.)

Coleman House Chimney Ruins image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 20, 2025

3. Coleman House Chimney Ruins

Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 20, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 47 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 20, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.