This January (a few days after a big snowstorm mind you) I had the pleasure of visiting Stonewall Jackson’s Shrine with a beautiful companion. Located a few miles off the Thornburg exit on Interstate 95 near Fredericksburg, Virginia, this spot was a small, but loveable treasure. I had to drive about five minutes off the exit before I laid eyes on the sign directing me to the sight; it was over a railroad track and the first time I saw it I drove right past (I happen to have a horrid sense of direction).
I finally made the correct turn and started on a driveway leading up to the small site. When I stepped out of the car, the air was frosty and the ground was covered in snow. The site consisted of a headstone marking the location as the place of Stonewall Jackson’s death and the small building that had housed him during his illness. The National Park service also included some interpretive signs describing the plantation once located there and a small map detailing the major battlefields around the area. I went to see the signs first, and I learned that this location was once a booming plantation that was converted into a hospital and a camp for Confederates during the war.
After exploring the signs and markers towards the front of the park, we crunched along in the snow over to the estimated location of the main plantation house. The house no longer exists, but they have wooden stakes marking where scholars believe it lay. Then, we marched inside the building and were happy to meet a nice park ranger named Randy. He was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. He gave us a tour of the rather small building. The house consisted of about five rooms. One on the upper floor housed Jackson’s servant during his stay, and the other housed the officers staying with him. The bottom floor was made up of two period rooms and then the room in which the park ranger could sit. One room was a sitting room and the other was converted into a bedroom for Jackson. Jackson’s room is where the three artifacts of the site lay: the bed frame, a blanket on the foot of Jackson’s bed, and a clock on the mantel above the fireplace. The significance of the clock really struck me as it was probably the last sound Jackson ever heard before he died from his wounds. The rest of the rooms were filled with antique furniture to try to give a realistic vision of the house.
The tour was brief but informative, and it was compelling to see the place where Jackson had passed. Stonewall Jackson’s Shrine is a treat for any history enthusiast out there!
