Existing comment:
A Third Century:
From Home to Historic Site:
In 1907, the children of Horace and Betty Lacy sold Ellwood to lawyer Huge Evander Willis for $5,000. Intended to be a retirement home, the Willises never occupied Ellwood, and in 1930s conveyed it to Huge Willis's sister, Blanche Jones. Blanche and her husband Leo renovated the house. Their son would be the last private owner of Ellwood. The Jones family sold Ellwood to the National Park Service in 1971. The NPS and the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield completed renovation work in 2008.
Ellwood continued to attract attention for its connection to the Battle of the Wilderness. In 1921, the United States Marines held maneuvers on the grounds of Ellwood, attracting a large local audience as well as the President of the United States, Warren G. Harding. In subsequent decades, visitors found their way to Ellwood mostly in search of Stonewall Jackson's arm, buried in the family cemetery. Ellwood opened to the public in 1998. |