14”X 11” unframed, matted display with inset for relic item. Includes a pair of reproduction photos at left; one photo shows Libby as a Confederate prison - the Confederate commandant stands in a rare 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. Overall very good condition; there is scattered minor wear to the edges of the display, which would not show if framed.

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 Street 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 were being returned to Virginia where they were to be re-constructed at a famous Civil War museum. This small section of tidewater cypress, measuring approx. 3 ¾” x 3” x ¼”, originated from a beam from the Libby Prison materials.

Accompanied on the reverse by a copy of an engraving of the prison done from an original 1865 photograph, as well as a Certificate of Authenticity from the source from whom we acquired this item.  [ld]

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