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November 1864. "Church built by the 50th Engineers at Poplar Grove, near Petersburg, Virginia." Wet plate glass negative. View full size.
One of the real benefits of Shorpy's is the info provided by its readers.
After viewing this photo, and reading the comments, I discovered a database of Civil War Soldiers and Sailors (CWSS). Created and maintained by the National Park Service, it includes the burial records of the Poplar Grove Cemetery at the Petersburg National Battlefield.
See: http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-overview.htm
The construction technique reminds me very much of a popular early 20th century art called "tramp art". Highly collectable these days. Never saw it used in a building.
The Engineer castle insignia above the front door is a nice touch. Awesome photo.
That is what I said when I spotted this image. What a magnificent piece of workmanship. It even has the Corps of Engineers emblem above the doorway.
Is this structure still in existence? I doubt if it is, but it would be great if it is still there.
Are there any images showing the interior?
Poplar Grove National Cemetery
The church survived until April 1868, when, because of its deteriorated condition, the structure was torn down. The area where it stood was then used for burial purposes.
Granite? We don't need no stinking granite.
Right there in front, leaning up against the sidewalk, is a huge Petzval lens mounted on a camera lens board! These, in smaller sizes, are popular today with a segment of large format film photographers because the lenses are very sharp in the middle but the image "swirls" around the edges. Such a large, heavy lens could only go on a rather large camera. I assume the photographer of this image changed lenses and set that one next to the sidewalk for safekeeping.
For more info on the log chapel, see this document, starting at page 24.
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