My name is Nick Love, and I am a fourth-year student pursuing a degree in history and a minor in political science. I had the honor and the privilege of spending my summer interning at Appomattox Court House National Historic Park in their Cultural Resources department. I will treasure the experiences I had, the knowledge I gained, and the people that I had the opportunity to meet. My time at the park just fueled my love of history, which I did not think was possible, and it provided me with a passion for protecting and preserving historical objects.
Appomattox is best known for being the site where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War. However, as I learned over the past summer, it is much more than that. The stories of the people who lived there are deeply woven into the fabric of this nation’s history. This community was home to Wilmer McLean, the man whose parlor was used for the surrender; Joel Sweeney, who was the popularizer of the banjo in America; Charles Diuguid, a freedman who was the blacksmith in the village; and Hannah Reynolds, an enslaved woman who was the only civilian casualty in the battle of Appomattox Court House. To quote the park film, Malice Toward None, “it was with Appomattox, that emancipation became more than an idea.”
I spent my time with park curator/museum technician David Wooldridge and historian Patrick Schroeder. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I was in the curatorial office and out in the park with David. As his intern, he taught me the importance of preserving and protecting the items in the collection. I assisted in the daily upkeep of the historical items and the structures within the park, and I worked behind the scenes to monitor all of the agents of deterioration that plague museums and libraries. We conducted environmental monitoring to ensure that the temperature and humidity were in safe ranges for the objects; took light readings; carried out integrated pest management to see what animals and bugs were present; and employed proper housekeeping to protect the delicate and important artifacts.
I also took part in some curatorial projects. One of the most fascinating projects was helping to repair the 1850s Adams Cottage printing press that the park uses to reproduce the parole passes given to Lee’s men after the surrender. This involved disassembling part of the printer, gluing on muslin fabric to the frame, reassembling it once the glue was dry, and recalibrating the rollers. I also assisted with the installation of a new light fixture for an exhibit, and I helped replace the old environmental monitors with ones that had wireless capabilities. This was helpful because it meant that park employees could obtain readings without opening the display cases and exposing the artifacts to the elements. Some other projects included finding a period guitar for the living history program, cleaning the wayside markers and helping create new ones, and conducting the all-important annual collection inventory to ensure that the items in the collection were present and accounted for.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I spent time with park historian Patrick Schroeder. I had the opportunity to work on transcriptions of primary source documents such as newspaper articles, diary entries, and letters from soldiers present at Appomattox. It was through this work that I learned great details about firsthand accounts of the grueling march from Five Forks, the battle of Sailor’s Creek, the battle and surrender at Appomattox, and soldiers who were heading home after the fighting. My most notable transcription was a love letter from Wilmer McLean, the owner of the house where the surrender was signed, to a love interest before he met his wife Virginia. I also transcribed a news article about a Union colonel named Augustus Root. Colonel Root was killed during the battle of Appomattox Court House, but the article described his survival story during the battle of Second Manassas. I was also given the task of researching the lives of two Union soldiers who were provost guards stationed at Appomattox and writing up summaries for the living history program.
One thing that I am perhaps the proudest of was being trusted to compile a list of United States Colored Troops from the 7th and 109th regiments who were present during the battle and surrender at Appomattox. This required me to search through thousands of muster rolls online to find the soldiers who were present and record things like their names, ranks, companies, birthplaces, ages, when and how they joined the army, whether they were enslaved, and notes on what happened to them after Appomattox. Once the lists were completed, I analyzed them and provided a summary of my findings. This was very important, as it was something that had never been undertaken prior to this year. The information compiled will now be available to the public with a few simple clicks and will also be used for future wayside markers inside the park.
This summer was the experience of a lifetime, and I am very appreciative to UVA and the folks at Appomattox for giving me the opportunity. I really felt as though I was a part of something much bigger than myself. Before this experience, I was unclear of my path after UVA, but now I feel like I know that I want to continue to do something in the field of museum studies and collections. I feel as though it is important for those things to be taken care of and protected so that future generations can enjoy and learn from them. I am truly blessed to have been afforded this opportunity not only for the experience, but also because it felt like I was a part of a family. Everyone at Appomattox was unbelievably helpful, knowledgeable, and welcoming. I have made friends and connections that will last for a lifetime, and I owe it all to the Nau Center and UVA for the chance.