Collectible Cypress and Nail from Old Libby Prison

Libby Prison was built in 1845 by John Enders in Richmond, VA., and was used as a warehouse. It was located at Carey and 18th Streets and the James River. In March 1862 it was used as a military prison by the Confederate Government. In 1864 a group of over 100 Union Officers attempted an escape. Over half made their way to freedom. After the war the building was dismantled in 1889 and shipped to Chicago to be used for a Civil War Museum.

In 1898 it was again dismantled and a large portion sold to an Indiana farmer who built a stock barn with the timbers and brick. In 1963 the building was torn down and sold to Charles Mercer of Spencer, Indiana who intended to build a museum with the materials. In 1995 the materials were sold to Rod Wampler of Gosport, Indiana where they lay until sold at auction in October 2006. The majority of the materials are being returned to Virginia where they will be re-constructed at a famous Civil War museum.

This small section of tide water cypress and iron nail originated from a beam from the Libby Prison materials. One photo shows Libby as a Confederate prison. The Confederate commandant stands in a rare photo pose in front of the building. The other view is the reconstructed Libby Prison interior in Chicago when it was a museum showing the cypress beams.

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