On May 27th, following a 48-year hiatus, the park reopened its Log Cabin Visitor Center at the Fort Harrison battlefield, eight miles south of Richmond.
The historic cabin was the first building affiliated with the preserved Civil War battlefields around Richmond. The local Richmond Battlefield Parks Corporation, which included Douglas Southall Freeman, J. Ambler Johnston, and J. Tazewell Carrington, sponsored the construction of the cabin as their headquarters in about 1930, not long after purchasing the fort at a land auction. The National Park Service used the cabin as the park's primary visitor center in the 1940's and 1950's before moving to the larger Chimborazo Visitor Center on Church Hill in 1959. The cabin then remained closed, except for special park functions, for nearly half a century.
Refitting the log cabin for visitor use has allowed the park to take a significant step toward rehabilitating the Fort Harrison battlefield. The 1960's visitor center that stood near the log cabin and adjacent to the fort is being removed and the building elements recycled when possible. Site restoration on the battlefields is a key objective of the national park. Visitors now will have a more accurate view of the battlefield landscape where so much critical combat occurred on September 29 and 30, 1864.
The project makes sense for the park's operating budget, reducing the park's building inventory by one and eliminating its maintenance and utility expenses. Although renovated inside, the historic cabin looks much as it did 75 years ago. Modern restrooms now stand adjacent to the cabin, but their exterior appearance complements that of the original building. The new restrooms were designed to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. The cabin contains a bookstore and exhibits that describe the Union offensive against Richmond's defenses. A newly produced eight-minute video connects visitors to the landscape. Walking trails both inside and outside Fort Harrison allow further exploration of the story of the battle.
"American taxpayers can be proud of this beautifully designed project, which helps the Richmond National Battlefield Park meet its twin mission of preservation and education,” said superintendent Cynthia MacLeod.
The Log Cabin Visitor Center will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through August 5th.
