The Kelley House at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park was built around 1855 by Lorenzo Kelley. His mother, grandmother, and four brothers also lived with him (his father died in 1855). Lorenzo, as well as his brothers, enlisted in the Confederate army. He ended up dying in December 1862 from disease. One other brother died in the war, also from disease.
John Robinson, a former slave and now shoemaker, purchased the house in 1871. According to one of his daughters, 18 children were living in the house at one time, though that is hard to believe given its size. Robinson lived in the house until he died in 1933. He is now buried in a cemetery behind the house. There are no tombstones; only a few field stones remain.
The well just outside the house was dug in 1855. The wooden structure around it is a reconstruction done in 1963, and it has probably been renovated many times since.
The Kelley House was first restored in 1963 by the National Park Service. It is now open to the public and furnished as it might have been during the mid-1800s. Shoes on display acknowledge Robinson’s profession as a shoemaker.
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Last updated on June 23, 2023