Matthews House at Manassas, Va.

[Robert Gray]

In 1860, Martin Matthew owned a modest frame house on 123 acres. He shared the home with his brothers Carson and Edgar. The brothers cultivated wheat, corn, oats, and hay and also raised tobacco - a rarity in the area at the time. Woodlots provided timber for construction, material for fences, wood for fuel, and forage for livestock.

The Matthew house stood behind the Federal lines and provided shelter to the wounded. Two notable officers of the 2nd Rhode Island, Colonel John Slocum and Major Sullivan Ballou, both mortally wounded, were initially brought to the home before being transferred to the hospital at Sudley Church. The house survived the war but burned around 1901.

Manassas National Battlefield Park
Photograph by George N. Barnard
MOLLUS Collection - Volume 1, Page 25

 

[lupaglupa]

That must have been a terrible time for them.

 

[gc45]

What a great photo. Thanks for sharing this. Have to love those fences!

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Curious to know- what is the gentleman on the left doing? Plucking a turkey?

 

[scooter748driver]

Curious to know- what is the gentleman on the left doing? Plucking a turkey?

It look like that to me. Some sort of large game bird

 

[on again]

why was raising tobacco - a rarity in the area ? was it only raised in the tidewater part of Virginia?

 

[H. J. Durgin]

Thanks for sharing this awesome photograph.

 

[gc45]

cold and wintery looks like; looks like a turkey to me as well. good catch!