Existing comment:
After the Civil War, J. Horace Lacy -- drastically reduced in wealth and stripped of his slaves -- gave up his home at Chatham and settled year-round at Ellwood. The familiar rhythms returned, now sustained by paid labor. The earthworks that scarred the woods around the farm served as constant reminders of the war's fury (they still do). The Lacys remained at Ellwood until old age prompted them to move to a small house in Fredericksburg.
In 1907, Ellwood passed to new owners, and for the next 71 years it would be the property of the Willis-Jones family. In 1977, they conveyed Ellwood to the National Park Service. |