Over a span of 3 days in 1861, a fierce civil war battle was fought here. There is a free visitor center where you can see some of the artifacts of the battle.
Cannonballs are pretty heavy.
Once we saw all the exhibits, we decided to watch the free documentary on the battle. It was very informative, but short enough that the kids stayed interested. Once the video ended, we took a tour of Anderson House. There is a charge for this, but it was worth every penny. We had a private guide that walked us through the house and gave some great commentary.
Anderson House, built in 1853.
Our guide. He was awesome, and he was also from California!
The detailing on the house was very impressive.
You could still see cannonball holes on the house.
We really picked the perfect day to go. Normally summers in the Midwest are hot and humid. This 4th of July weekend was in the mid 70's and low humidity. Good thing, because the house did not have air conditioning and our guide said it got very hot in there.
Furniture was authentic from that time period.
The piano still worked!
This was a wreath made of human hair, meant to honor the dead.
Original door, with cracks and damage from the battle.
The guide made a point to let the kids see the items from the table. They got to see through the viewfinder. And the guide pointed out that playing cards did not have numbers or letters because many people couldn't read back then.
The dining room.
Next to the fireplace was a discoloring on the floor. The guide told us that he would explain what that was from later.
More battle damage on the staircase.
All original woodwork. This house was amazing to see, but really challenging to photograph without flash.
Cannonball damage up on the ceiling to the left.
One of the bedrooms.
The guide explained to the kids that those bowls on the floor were chamber pots used to go to the restroom. The kids looked horrified.
Check out the tiny closet in one of the bedrooms.
The guide told Nik that the oldest son would have been responsible for emptying the chamber pots.
The battle was fought right outside the house.
The guide explained that the house has ghost stories tied to it. Some of the guides have heard crying come from this room when no one else was in the house at the time.
Noah totally loved this bed.
The guide explained that there was a significance to a painting of a child with a missing sock or shoe. This was meant to inform visitors that a child had died in the family.
This was their operating table! They drilled holes in to the floor so the blood could drip down to buckets on the first floor.
The discoloring near the fireplace was where the buckets of blood were.
The slaves room. Our guide was very frank and honest about slavery.
Moor cannonball damage on the bricks.
We got to go out on the balcony and inspect the damage up close.
The battlefield as seen from the balcony.
The kitchen.
More damage to the exterior of the home.
The tour was about an hour long. As I said earlier, it was worth the time and extra cost. I'm so glad we did the tour of Anderson House.
After the tour, we were free to explore the battlefield. There is no charge to go on the battlefield.
The guide made sure to point out some things for us to watch for as we toured the battlefield.
The guide explained that the trenches were still visible. That little slope with dried grass was what remained of the trenches that soldiers had dug.
Honoring an unknown soldier from the civil war.
As we were walking through the battlefield, we could hear 4th of July fireworks going off at a nearby home. It was eerie, as if we were hearing memories from so many years ago.
Soldiers used bales of hay and rolled them up that slope for protection.
More remains of trenches from the civil war.
Walking back toward Anderson House. It was surrounded by the battle and soldiers took over the house.
Such a beautiful home, rich in history.
It's hard to explain the civil war to kids. But walking through this house and seeing the damage, really showed the kids how devastating the civil war was. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend Lexington Battlefield and Anderson House.
