R.J. N. Williams Cabin Ruin
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.
Williams appeared in the United States Census of Appomattox in 1850, 1860 & 1870. In 1860 Williams shows as 39 years old and his wife Aramah is 32 years old. Their children are Richard D. (13), James E. (8), John C. (5), and Thomas G. (2). It shows his profession as a "mechanic."
The R.J. N. Williams Cabin ruin is significant by being likely to yield information important in history in Virginia before the American Civil War. It is also significant by virtue of its association with the site of General Robert E. Lee's surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant that took place on April 9, 1865. It is a part of the holistic landscape typical of both a seat of county government in Piedmont Virginia in the mid-nineteenth century and of a farming community in Virginia at the time of the American Civil War. The site was preserved in 1985.
Read more about this topic: Appomattox Court House National Historical Park Ruins
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