Oct.-Dec. 2009
Vol. 3, No. 3
Richmond, Ky.
‘Lula Doll’ lives on, thanks
to skill of Berea craftswoman

When crafts specialist Trish Ford read about the “Silent Witness” – the Civil War rag doll that’s the only surviving witness to the Surrender at Appomattox – she was determined to make a reproduction.

The Berea craftswoman developed a pattern, came up with a design for distinctive and colorful dress and began turning out 12-inch tall dolls that are now available to the public.

The original doll, now on permanent display at Appomattox Court House National Historial Park in Virginia, was the property of seven-year-old Lula McLean, whose family parlor was used for Robert E. Lee’s formal surrender to the Union Army of Gen. U.S. Grant.

That event of April 9, 1865 essentially signaled the end of the America’s Civil War. And, Lula’s doll, left on a parlor sofa, was the only non-military witness to the historical occasion.

The doll, made by her mother and one of Lula’s prized possessions, was whisked away as a souvenir by Union army officers and never made its way back home to its owner.

Trish, with a young daughter of her own, empathized with Lula’s loss, and devised a method of reproducing a doll that would forever remain a keepsake of young Civil War enthusiasts.

“One of my goals was to develop something that would be a fun way to remember one of America’s most historical eras,” Trish explained. “Each doll is a history lesson in itself. The size is always the same, but each doll is different in the way it’s dressed, is handmade and permits the owner to draw on a face it prefers. This is in keeping with how Virginia McLean would have made Lula’s doll, using materials and sewing skills typical of the 1860s.”

A hospital patient counselor, Trish and her daughter, Shelby, make the dolls in their spare time, turning out as many as six a month.

“We don’t want to follow a pattern of mass production, but strive to make the dolls as near as we can to the crafts skills and techniques of the period,” she added.

Trish made the original Lula Doll for a play about the surrender at Appomattox that was presented in August as part of the Battle of Richmond Re-enactment Weekend.

She was encouraged to make additional replicas – priced at $25 each, which are now available for sale at Richmond’s Battlefield Park gift shop. Christmas orders also can be placed by contacting Trish at 859-985-7319 or via e-mail at trishford777@gmail.com.
They’re ‘Lulas’
Trish Ford poses with her “Lula Dolls” that were
introduced recently at Battle of Richmond events.
The original Lula doll is on display at Appomattox
Court House National Historical Park in Virginia.
Articles and photos appearing on www.thekentuckycivilwarbugle.com may be used with permission. For permission, contact Bugle editor Ed Ford at fordpr@mis.net.

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