Long-unseen graffiti offers a rare and valuable insight into the lives of individual soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Historic Blenheim in Fairfax, Virginia, 17 miles west of Washington, D.C., is a treasure trove of soldiers’ names, regiments, hometowns, dates, personal messages, and pictographs.

Built around 1859, the Greek Revival-style brick farmhouse owned by Albert and Mary Willcoxon was so new when the Civil War began that the uncured lime plaster walls were unpainted. In 1862 and 1863 they were covered with extensive graffiti by Union soldiers, which became preserved as the walls dried. Now owned and operated by the City of Fairfax, the graffiti and the walls are being analyzed with advanced digital imaging technology, providing more details to guide the continued preservation of this rare hidden glimpse into the past.

Join members of a team from the City of Fairfax to hear the story of Historic Blenheim, its role in the Civil War, and the latest preliminary findings from a recent imaging campaign there. Historic resources specialist Andrea J. Loewenwarter offers a virtual tour of the house and presents examples that capture the graffiti and the condition of the walls. Michael B. Toth, president of R.B. Toth Associates demonstrates the multispectral imaging process and other technologies that are revealing new layers of the history of the Civil War and an ordinary Virginia house that played a part in it.

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OTHER CONNECTIONS

In videos, Michael B. Toth offers a close-up look at how technology enhances once-hidden graffiti on the walls of Blenheim and Andrea J. Loewenwarter traces how the discovery helped to identify a Civil War soldier behind it.