Appomattox Court House National Historical Park ruins
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Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
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Site of "old" county jail, now ruins
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| Nearest city | Appomattox, Virginia |
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| Area | 1,325.1 acres (536.2 ha) |
| Built | 1865 |
| NRHP reference # | 66000827 |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
Coordinates: 37°22′43″N 78°47′47″W / 37.37861°N 78.79639°W
The Appomattox Court House National Historical Park ruins are part of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
The first municipal structure the county officials wanted soon after the newly formed Appomattox County was official was a new county jail, not a new courthouse. The original wooden jail built in 1845 was placed behind the courthouse on the north side of the Richmond-Lynchburg stage road. The "old" jail burned down around 1866 to 1867. It was replaced by the New County Jail, a brick jail, that was already in construction from 1860. The "new" jail was finished in 1867, but not used until 1870. The size of the "old" jail was about 40 feet (12 m) wide by 18 1⁄2 feet (5.6 m) deep. The only parts left to the ruin are four corner brick foundation remains. A marker at the site reads:
COUNTY JAIL - The county jail in 1865 stood just beyond this marker. Shortly after the war it burned. The jail across the road replaced it in 1870.
The R.J. N. Williams Cabin ruin is identified as structure number 20. The National Park Service has identified this as a ruin of a former log structure. The remains of a stone chimney is what remains in the ruin rubble. The original structure was about 16 feet (4.9 m) wide by 18 feet (5.5 m) deep. It was built with 6-by-8-inch (150 by 200 mm) log planks of full dovetail notching. The loft area in the cabin was evidenced by mortising of the second-story joists. The once tin roof was covered with wood shingles. The cabin was constructed in 1850 to 1899 by James N. Williams. A Civil War Map identified this cabin as being 1⁄2-mile (0.80 km) north of the courthouse and as the residence of one "James N. Williams", a carpenter and mechanic.
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