Spotsylvania Civil War Blog: The Minor House

Thursday, September 15, 2016

The Minor House - Coming Down! History Lost

Our friend Stephen Masters brings us very sad news today. The Minor House is coming down. When an asking price of two million, and a 24 hour deadline produced no results, the bulldozers began to remove the early twentieth century expansion of the house. As seen in the following photos, the door and window openings of the original section are quite apparent, despite the overlay of brick on the log structure, and the addition of a second floor.
See our prior posts in July and August regarding the history and location of the structure.

The first image is the most telling, and brings us to the only "then and now" that we will ever see, as the entire structure will soon be leveled.

September 15, 2016.

Photo by Stephen Masters

The tower stood among the debris pile.

January 1862

September 15, 2016

Photo by Stephen Masters

September 15, 2016

Photo by Stephen Masters

General McClellan stood in front of this doorway, as seen in the

January 1862 photograph below. The original camera position would

have been located in the area behind the red truck, seen at right.

As close as we will ever see.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Wow.... Sad and infuriating all the same time. Especially for a structure that looked very structurally sound.; September 16, 2016 at 9:08 PM

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Why I am here:

I am the owner of Spotsylvania Commemorative. For over 20 years I provided battlefield guide services, but as of January 1, 2022, I have retired from that aspect of my work. I continue to conduct historical research and assist and advise fellow historians. Living on the Spotsylvania battlefield has its advantages. The most important to me is that I am right on the ground that played an important but usually disregarded role in the campaign. The actions of May 14, 1864 resulted in the near capture of General George Gordon Meade while it also helped to anchor a new Federal left wing. Known as the battle of Myer's Hill, it focused on what was until recently a wooded summit, one half mile southeast from my driveway. There remains close to 75 acres of land which includes the Myer house site. In 1864 it was a 400 acre farm. I advocated for 20 years to influence the preservation of this property. During this time I sadly witnessed the destruction of some of the cultural resources on the site by deforesting, including what was a beautifully preserved trenchline built by the Federal 6th Corps. Seeing an imminent threat to the house site, I personally negotiated with the logging company and minimized the damage, while the surrounding acres were clear cut.
I have come to know the story of John Henry Myer and his family and the struggle for the farm site they called home. Myer, conscripted into the 40th VA Infantry, watched helpless from the Confederate trenches on May 15, 1864 as his home was destroyed by the Union occupants. It had been intended as a sanctuary from the ravages of war.
Their story, and those of countless others, is my inspiration. Thankfully, in 2018, the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust did purchase, and now aims to interpret, the Myer's Hill battlefield. I shall continue to advocate and assist where I can.

Battlefield Guide Services

Thursday, September 15, 2016

The Minor House - Coming Down! History Lost

1 comment: