Appomattox Manor
Also known as: Charles City
Why it's listed
Appomattox Manor is a frame house with a typical center-hall plan, set where the Appomattox River meets the James River in what is now Hopewell, Virginia. It replaced an earlier house on the same site. The date of construction is uncertain, either 1751 by William Eppes or 1768 by his nephew Richard Eppes, and Richard's grandson added to it several times in the later nineteenth century. Little eighteenth-century interior trim survives. Remains of seventeenth-century structures lie along the riverbank, and the kitchen in the yard probably served an earlier house. The Eppes family held the land until 1916, when most of it was sold and the city of Hopewell grew on the farm. The property is significant for its unbroken line of title from a 1635 patent to Captain Francis Eppes. During the Civil War, General Grant made his headquarters here from June 1864 to April 1865, and Abraham Lincoln used the north drawing room as an office on several visits.
Significance in brief: The site's title descends in an unbroken line from a 1635 patent to Captain Francis Eppes down to the present day. General Grant had his headquarters in the house from June 1864 to April 1865. Abraham Lincoln used the north drawing room as an office on several occasions between 1864 and 1865.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 69000015, listed October 1, 1969. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Cedar Lane, at confluence of James and Appomattox Rivers, Hopewell (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Hopewell |
| Listed | October 1, 1969 |
| Reference number | 69000015 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William Eppes (1751) or Richard Eppes (1768), as possible builders; later additions by Richard Eppes, grandson |
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good and altered; present use is a museum. A 1975 update says the property is not accessible to the public. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Within district | City Point Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.31690, -77.27699 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 69000015.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4781660
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.