Clover Hill Village Enterance
Clover Hill Village is a six acre living history village that was created by the Appomattox County Historical Society over a period of years beginning in 1991.
Some of the buildings are local historic buildings that were moved from their original locations and reconstructed on the site. Other buildings are reproductions of actual buildings or
representations of buildings for the period.
Clover Hill Village is located at 5747 River Ridge Road, Appomattox, VA 24522, a mile off of Highway 24, approximately three miles east of U.S.
460 and the town of Appomattox.
Clover Hill Village is number 3 on the Appomattox Attractions map which can be downloaded as a .pdf file (click here).
Vermillion General Store
The General Store and Post Office are typical of many small village stores that provided essential services to the community during the period.
Some of these stores also provided a local Post Office, usually run by the shopkeeper. A typical general store would receive its merchandise in bulk.
A great many articles were sold by the quart, peck or bushel.
Soda crackers came in large wooden boxes with hinged tops and had to be handled by hand and weighed. Bacon came in 300 pound boxes buried in salt and had to be cut up in pieces and sold by
weight. In many villages, a peddler wagon would be sent around once a week selling meat, vegetables and other items to surrounding homes. Stores such as these often became the social center
of the village. Our store building is a reproduction built from a picture of the Vermillion store in Appomattox that no longer exists.
Poor House Farm Cabin
Dating back to the 1800's, this poor house cabin typifies housing available on the county farm for the homeless or needy of the era.
Often farm work could be traded for housing in the poor house cabin.
Martin/Grady Family Log Cabin
This cabin dates back to around 1830 and was reconstructed at Clover Hill Village in 1994. The cabin contains a wealth of period furniture (much of it original to the cabin), memorabilia
and furnishings for an authentic feel of life as it was then. This well worn cabin bespeaks the lives of those who called it home. Twelve children were born here. The large downstairs room
is dominated by the stone fireplace. The upstairs loft is a fully furnished bedroom.
Civil War Winter Quarters
This building is a typical example of the Confederate enlisted winter quarters. Many soldiers were grateful to have such buildings to shelter them from the brutal winters.
Wesley Chapel
One of the oldest churches in the county, Wesley Chapel was built in 1828 and remained in use until 1939. It was moved to Clover Hill Village in April 1991. The chapel has original pews,
podium, communion rail and oil burning chandeliers. It also has a working pump organ. The chapel can be rented by the public for weddings or other special functions.
The Chapel Privy
An original, functional outhouse that came with the Wesley Chapel when it was moved to its current location at Clover Hill Village.
The Hardy School
This school house dates back to the early 1900's and is believed to be the first school built in Appomattox County with government funding.
Prior schools were usually privately built or located in privately owned buildings. Nearly 300 hours were spent by volunteer members of the Appomattox Historical Society in
dismantling the school at its original site near Hixburg. Bricks, stone, siding, framing and interior wainscoting were carefully saved and moved to Clover Hill Village in the fall of 1998.
Now restored to its original condition, this turn-of-the-century one room school exemplifies the simplicity of early education.
The Dixon Memorial Farm Equipment Display
This collection of antique farm equipment is on loan from the estate of the late Harry Dixon of Cullen, Virginia. The collection includes a rear steam tractor as well as horse drawn baling
and mowing machines. There is also a nice collection of various hand tools and numerous other items of interest. The Society wishes to acknowledge the loan with sincere thankfulness to the
Dixon family.
Hamilton's Blacksmith Shop
This shop was used from the early 1900's to the mid 1920's at its original location behind Hamilton's store in Evergreen. It was relocated to Clover Hill Village in 1994. The shop is well
equipped and is used to demonstrate metalworking by Historical Society members and visiting blacksmiths.
The Pole Barn
This is an example of typical farm shed construction of the period. Built in 1995, the barn is currently being used to house a variety of wagons, farm machinery and hand tools.