Bennett Place

Bennett Place State Historic Site in Durham, North Carolina, is the historic spot where the largest surrender of Confederate forces during the American Civil War was signed on April 26, 1865. The 4-acre (1.6-hectare) site, which has state park status, contains a small farm with three clapboard buildings typical of the region in the mid-19th century. In the farmhouse, you can see furniture modeled on the original 1865 furnishings, while the adjacent kitchen building displays cookware from the early 19th century. The negotiations between Generals William T. Sherman and Joseph E. Johnston took place in the farmhouse after Johnston proposed the location as a private meeting place. The original farmhouse burned down in 1921 and was later reconstructed. The Unity Monument was erected in 1923 to commemorate the end of the war. Although its historical significance is comparable to that of Appomattox Court House, Bennett Place remains an important but lesser-known site of American history, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970.