Petersburg

Petersburg has one of the longest histories of occupation of any city in Virginia. It beginnings precede the arrival of the English in the colony, when the Indian village Appamattuck stood on the site. Fort Henry, a fur trading post, was built there in 1645. Named for Peter Jones, a friend of William Byrd II of Westover, Petersburg was established in 1748 and incorporated as a town in 1784 and as a city in 1850. For many years it was one of the busiest ports in the United States. During the antebellum period, it had a large free black population located on Pocahontas Island in the Appomattox River; many descendants still live there today. By the time of the Civil War, Petersburg had become a major rail center, which made it an important Union objective in 1864-1865. From here, in April 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia began the historic retreat west that ended at Appomattox Court House. The city has several residential historic districts, including Folly Castle (late 18th and early 19th centuries), Old Town (18th-20th centuries), South Market Street (19th century), and Centre Hill (ca. 1914-1923). For more information about the city and area, call 800-368-3595 or see www.petersburg-va.com

Petersburg National Battlefield

Main visitor center on Route 36, east of the city
804-732-3531

This 1,500-acre park encompasses significant sites relating to the 9.5-month siege of the city during 1864-1865. A visitor center offers an electronic map, exhibits and ranger guidance for visiting the battlefield. A new taped tour of the park is available as is material for the Lee's Retreat tour segment of Virginia Civil War Trails. Sites in the main part of the park include the famous Crater and Fort Stedman. Outside the main park are the Siege Line Tour and Poplar Grove National Cemetery. The park also maintains units at City Point, U.S. Grant's headquarters and supply base, now in Hopewell, and at Five Forks, the site of an April 1, 1865, battle that led to the collapse of the Confederate line. Open daily 9 am-5 pm. Admission: $3 adults (during summer $5).

City-Operated Museums

Visitor center in Old Towne
800-368-3595
www.petersburg-va.org/tourism/museums.htm

Start at the visitor center for up-to-date information and discounted block tickets. All city-operated museums except Blandford Church are located within easy walking distance. All are open year-round 10 am-5 pm except the Farmers Bank, which is open April-October. Adult admission is $3 to each site.

Blandford Church, Crater Road south of Wythe Street. This is Petersburg's oldest building, constructed 1734-1737 as the principal church of Bristol Parish. The Battle of Petersburg was fought nearby during the Revolutionary War, and British Maj. Gen. William Phillips was buried in the churchyard -- the highest ranking British officer buried in North America. The church became a Confederate shrine with the early-20th-century addition of 15 Tiffany stained-glass windows, each memorializing a different state of the Confederacy. Its cemetery holds the remains of 30,000 Southern soldiers. Begin your visit at the nearby orientation center.

Centre Hill Mansion. A Federal-style building completed in 1823 for Robert Bolling, a Petersburg real estate and industrial mogul, this house museum features high-style wood and plaster work, period furnishings and a brick tunnel. After the occupation of Petersburg by Union forces, the house was used for a military headquarters; President Abraham Lincoln visited the house on April 7, 1865. Rotating exhibitions featuring different aspects of Petersburg history are offered throughout the year.

Farmers Bank. Owned by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities and operated by Petersburg, this is one of the oldest bank buildings in America (1817). An early safe and a currency printing press are exhibited.

Siege Museum. An excellent Civil War museum is located in the antebellum Exchange Building, a National Historic Landmark. Exhibits and film explain the siege and how the citizens coped with it.

Petersburg Area

Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier

Entrance on U.S. Route 1, south of Petersburg off I-85 Exit 61
877-PAMPLIN

A $10 million museum highlights this privately operated site. The 25,000-square-foot facility features seven galleries exploring the life of the common soldier in camp, on the march and in battle. Regularly scheduled living history programs are offered. Besides the museum, the park includes a restored 1812 plantation house and an interpreted walking tour following the course of a Federal attack on the site that overwhelmed the Confederate defenders and ended the siege of Petersburg. A new area of the park interprets plantation slave life. Restaurant and Civil War shop. Open daily 9 am-5 pm (expanded hours during summer). Admission: $12 adults.

Historic Fork Inn

Sutherland, west of Petersburg on U.S. Route 460
804-265-8591

Circa 1803 building contains Civil War exhibits and 19th century furnishings. First stop on the Lee's Retreat tour segment of Virginia Civil War Trails. Open April-October, Monday-Saturday 10 am-4:30 pm, Sunday 1-4 pm. Admission: $2.

Fort Lee Museums

On the Fort Lee Army post, Route 36
804-734-4203 and 804-734-4327

Quartermaster Museum. Uniforms worn by Dwight D. Eisenhower and a jeep used by Gen. George Patton are featured at the Quartermaster, adjacent to the Petersburg National Battlefield. Open Tuesday-Friday 10 am-5 pm, weekends 11 am-5 pm.

The Army Women's Museum features 40 exhibits that illustrate the history of women in the U.S. Army from the Revolutionary War through World War II to the present. Open Tuesday-Friday 10 am-4:30 pm, weekends 11 am-4:30 pm. Free, donations accepted.

Violet Bank Museum

In Colonial Heights, across the river and south of Petersburg
804-520-9395

Early 19th-century Federal-style building served as Robert E. Lee's headquarters June-September 1864. Tours of building Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Sunday 1-6 pm. $1 donation suggested.