We shopped downtown at Green Front Furniture, which is a high-end store with 16 buildings in Farmville. Green Front is a destination by itself. They deliver everywhere!
We drove around town to my old hangouts. Three of the four places I lived in no longer exist- they have been torn down. A lot of changes happen in 38 years!
Farmville was a sleepy little town when I lived there. Now, it is quite a busy place, with Longwood being a university and all that brings. Longwood was hosting both a baseball and a softball tournament.
This site is where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses Grant, ending the American Civil War and bringing an end to a very dark period of American history.
After fierce fighting at Petersburg that saw a decisive Union victory, Lee’s forces of 30,000 moved westward toward Appomattox Courthouse, a very small village with a railroad depot. The Union forces of 65,000 raced the Confederates westward.
As Lee arrived near Appomattox, the Confederates rushed to get to the railroad depot to get desperately needed supplies. The Union forces got there first and both sides engaged in fierce fighting. Once Lee realized he was badly outnumbered and the effort to get to the depot was hopeless, he sent a messenger carrying a white flag to Grant to set up a meeting to establish terms of surrender.
Lee and Grant met at the McLean family’s house, and the surrender was made here.
Grant greatly respected Lee, so Grant strictly demanded that the Union soldiers not celebrate in front of the Confederates. He handled the surrender with class, allowing the rebels to return to their homes, and to take their horses home with him. Confederate officers were allowed to keep their swords.
It’s amazing to think about, but the first air flight took place on December 17, 1903! And it happened here at Manteo/Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Before 1903, human flight was only a dream. Wilbur and Orville Wright worked at a bicycle shop in Akron, Ohio, when after many hours of thought and experimenting, they went to North Carolina because of the guaranteed windy conditions. And they taught us to fly! This was an incredible national monument and memorial.
So we were able to score a tour of the White House for Christmas this year, from our Congressman. It was incredible! I have over 70 pictures to share, so it will take some time to see them all – enjoy!