Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historic State Park is located in Rice, VA and showcases the historic events that took place in the park and surrounding lands.

Being in close proximity to Farmville, Amelia and Appomattox, this park has a rich history with many stories to tell. If you have ever visited this park, you know that many of the rangers are historians and are excellent at answering guest inquiries. They make history fun, and you will likely learn something new just by chatting with a ranger.

This park has adventures for everyone, whether you want to be social or prefer a solo adventure. Check out these 5 must-do activities that will enhance your experience when you visit Sailor’s Creek Battlefield State Park.

1. Tour the Overton-Hillsman House

This historic gem at the park overlooks the Little Sailor’s Creek valley and was built in the late 18th century by Moses Overton. This house has truly stood the test of time. Encompassed by the fighting on April 6, 1865, the home and outbuildings were hastily turned into a field hospital for troops from both North and South. Medical departments worked tirelessly inside the house to save lives as yards away, men were fighting each other in mortal combat.

On August 26, 1867, the Hillsman’s formerly enslaved cook, Emily Brown Moton, gave birth to a son. She named him Robert Russa Moton. Robert writes in his autobiography “Finding A Way Out” that one of his earliest memories is of his father coming to retrieve him and his mother and take them to live where he worked in Prince Edward County. Robert attended the Hampton Institute, was the second superintendent of the Tuskegee Institute, served on the staffs of five presidential administrations as an advisor for race relations, and was the keynote speaker for the Lincoln Memorial dedication in 1922. Truly an early civil rights pioneer and educator, research points out that Robert was born in the Hillsman House.

Today, the home is interpreted as an active recovery hospital scenario. Filled with 18th/19th century central Virginia farmhouse items intertwined with military and medical accouterments, visitors are encouraged to briefly step back in time with a park ranger guiding the experience.

The Overton-Hillsman House was used as a field hospital during and after the battle. It was also home to the Hillsman family, and tours are available. Stop by the Visitor Center between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to request a tour. Contact the park at 804-561-7510 or sailorscreek@dcr.virginia.gov, to arrange a tour for large groups.

This fall, you can attend an Open House event to gain more insight about what the locals heard and saw during the pivotal Sailor’s Creek battle.

2. Take a driving tour

Located halfway between Petersburg and Appomattox Court House, Sailor's Creek Battlefield State Park is a stop along the Lee's Retreat Driving Tour.

Gain a genuine appreciation for the rolling hills and topography of the Appomattox Campaign on the 10-mile driving tour loop. With five stops along the driving route (including signs to guide you), visitors can enjoy wayside exhibits and interpretive panels placed by the Civil War Trails organization. Stops include Marshall’s Crossroads, the Hillsman House, Holt’s Corner, the Lockett House and Double Bridges. Guests can then head back to the Visitor Center to complete the loop or drive out to Rt. 460 to head west to Farmville or east to Richmond.

3. Go for a leisurely hike

This park is more than just a historic stop. It offers trails with scenic overlooks that provide one-of-a-kind views of the wildlife. While exploring the park’s woods and fields, you can see squirrels, chipmunks, white-tailed deer, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, foxes, wild turkeys, turtles, snakes, frogs, salamanders and many species of birds.

A few types of birds that you may see inside the park are cardinals, bald eagles, hawks, owls, woodpeckers, wrens, sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, great blue herons and eastern bluebirds. The open fields are the perfect spot to watch butterflies and the park also has a pollinator garden where you can spot bees and butterflies enjoying the park.

In addition to taking in the scenery, you can learn more about the battles that took place on the property. There are seven hiking trails with interpretive signs.

Picturesque hiking trails throughout the park offer a wonderful addition to your visit. Whether you hike one or all of them, each trail is a mowed path with interpretive markers at various locations. You can hike between the battle lines of both Union and Confederate armies while gaining a real appreciation of the size and scope of the battles.

4. Attend a program or special event

While the programs are different than most other Virginia State Parks, there is still a wide variety of programs and events to choose from. If history is your thing, there is no shortage and this is the place for you. Whichever event you attend, you will be immersed in a plethora of quality researched, well-documented, and respectful interpretative programming.

If you enjoy exploring the park's natural aspects, such as the flora, fauna, and wildlife, be sure to check out the year-round programming and several annual events.  Programs such as the First Day Hike, Earth Day, Clean the Bay Day, spring and fall stargazing, and National Trails Day are staples throughout the year on the calendar.

The park takes pride in its living history programs and battle reenactments, which occur throughout the year. Be sure to check the park event page for the dates each year.

Here are some events that take place annually:

• Commemoration of the Battles – April
• Butterflies on the Battlefield – July/August
• Star Gazing – Spring and Summer
• Veteran’s Day Luminaria Commemoration
• Antebellum Saint Nicholas – December

The Butterflies on the Battlefield: 5th Annual Pollinator & Nature Festival is coming up on August 24 so be sure to add this event to your summer fun list . There will be experts onsite to talk to as the festival focuses on educating guests about the important role pollinators play in their ecosystem. You can learn about the community resources that are available and how to create pollinator habitats in your own backyard or community.

This year the park will also recognize Dr. Moton’s birthday with an honorary event at the Hillsman House.

5. Explore and shop at the Visitor Center

The visitor center, which includes a museum and gift shop, is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and

The museum is a self-guided experience and is free. Interpretive displays, panels, and original artifacts set the scene and tell the stories of the Battles of Sailor’s Creek. The panels and walls are covered with colorful maps that break down the chaos that was “Lee’s Retreat.”

The Visitor Center is a fantastic place to begin your park adventure. Staff are on site and ready to orient guests with brochures, guides, modern and historic maps, and provide interpretive programming when requested.

“Of note, the Visitor Center boasts of a newly re-organized research library with approximately 2,000 titles related to the American Civil War. Focused on the Appomattox-Campaign,” said Virginia State Park Natural Resources Specialist Joshua Lindamood. “The library is a great resource for students, interns, and historians alike.”

No trip to the Visitor Center is complete without a stop in the gift shop. Whether you are shopping for a gift, a sweet treat, or a souvenir for yourself, this is the perfect place to round out your experience. New titles in the book section are added frequently, so check back again each time you visit.

Plan your trip today

I can’t stress how dedicated the park staff are to helping preserve this historic land while connecting people to history and nature. Every time I visit the park, I enjoy learning something new and chatting with the rangers.

“You are the most important thing to Sailor’s Creek Battlefield Historical State Park,” said Lindamood. “It is imperative to the survival of the park and its mission to have people visit who are genuinely curious, care about history, and want to preserve these stories for many generations to come. It is no secret that many local and national historic sites, museums, and battlefields struggle to maintain their relevance in the current social and political climate. With your continued support by attending programs, hiking the trails, experiencing the driving tour loop, or visiting the museum, you are helping the park move forward. Thank you for helping keep history alive!”

Plan your trip to Sailor’s Creek Battlefield Historic State Park today. You can make it a one-day trip or plan to visit the five parks near Farmville. Be sure to check out my Itinerary Blog which highlights the Farmville 5 and the best way to plan a trip when visiting this area.