The Visit
During the normal hours of operation, Ellwood Manor is staffed by volunteers serving as docents for Friends of Wilderness Battlefield and the National Park Service.
These thoroughly prepared Interpreters stand ready to share information about
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the history and architecture of the house
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the families
- plantation life and farming
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the Civil War significance
Arriving on the Ellwood Manor grounds, the visitor will see the house as it appeared in May of 1864, including the dove-colored exterior paint, cedar-shake- shingled roof, original windows and a replica Fifth Corp headquarters flag posted at the front door.
Click Here to view/print the NPS Ellwood Brochure
The Exhibits
The entire first floor has been restored to its 1864 appearance. The Entry Hall and the Parlor immediately to the left have been restored to depict Union Gen. Gouveneur K. Warren’s occupation of the house as his headquarters May 5 and 6, 1864.
Entry Hall
Gen. G.K. Warren’s headquarters in the parlor
In May of 2010, FoWB and the National Park Service unveiled professionally designed and fabricated exhibits located in the The Ellwood Room and The Wilderness Room.
T
he Ellwood Room presents an enlightening array of graphic panels conveying history of the Wilderness, the plantation, the house, the families, and domestic life.
The Wilderness Room display panels provide an in-depth description of the Battle of the Wilderness. Featured are a state-of-the-art map showing the progression of the two-day battle and an interactive station that invites visitors to try their hand at determining the outcome of various battle scenarios.
A new exhibit added in 2020 provides a glimpse into the use of Ellwood as a Confederate Convalescence hospital after the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. FoWB volunteers performed extensive research on how patients would have been cared for and worked in partnership with the NPS to procure and stage the exhibit. More Info
A visit to Ellwood would not be complete without a walk to the family cemetery where the arm of General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson was buried by his chaplain immediately after its amputation.
The Jr. Ranger Program
Initiated in 2012, the program brings a new level of education and entertainment in a very hands-on style to children and their families. For more about the program Click here.
