A history of Appomattox,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Appomattox from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The town is named for the Appomattox River, which was named after the Appomattoc Native American tribe, one of the Algonquian-speaking Powhatan Confederacy, historically based in the coastal area and encountered by the English before the tribes of the Piedmont. The Appamatuck historically lived somewhat to the east of the present town, around the area of present-day Petersburg. At the time of European encounter, the area of Appomattox County above the Fall Line was part of the territory of the Manahoac tribe, who spoke a Siouan language.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Appomattox’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
3 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewFort Clifton within Appomattox--s…, 1860: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Appomattox
See all 5 →
Appomattox, decade by decade
CommonsEAST SIDE - McDearmon-Tibbs House, State Route 24 vicinity1933
CommonsPERSPECTIVE VIEW OF FRONT - Sweeney Farm, House1933
CommonsPERSPECTIVE VIEW OF SOUTH (FRONT) AND EAST SIDE - Bocock-Is…1933
CommonsPERSPECTIVE VIEW OF SOUTH (FRONT) AND EAST SIDE - Martin We…1933
CommonsPERSPECTIVE VIEW OF WEST (FRONT) AND NORTH SIDE - Luke Bagb…1933
CommonsSOUTH FRONT - McDearmon-Tibbs House, State Route 24 vicinity1933
CommonsVIEW FROM NORTH - LeGrand House, State Route 6311933
LOCSurrender ground in the village square. Appomattox, Virginia19361970s
1990s
2 historic places in Appomattox
Appomattox has 2 listings on the National Register, and they protect 300 historic buildings, because Appomattox Historic District alone counts 297.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Fort Clifton within Appomattox--sketched from the Signal Tower (1860) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (10) and the Library of Congress (8). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.