The 1864 battle has been called "the bloodiest five hours of the Civil War". What took place in and near the Lotz family's front yard has been described as “some of the most severe hand to hand fighting during the four year long war”. Johann Lotz was an excellent carpenter and built the house as something of a showcase for his skills. Photos are not permitted inside the house beyond the gift shop but the fireplace there offers a tiny sample of Lotz' craftsmanship. The exterior pictures show how the portion of the house severely damaged during the battle was rebuilt without windows.

A gorgeous table is the only piece of Lotz made furniture currently in the house. It was saved when they moved to California to escape Klan threats and has been donated to the museum by descendents. The table isn't lonely, though. An impressive collection of period antiques fills every room and no doubt accounts for some of the attraction's popularity. One of the items I found particularly interesting was a set of about ten birds taxidermied by John James Audubon himself. Three of the species in the set are now extinct. I also liked seeing a set of dishes from the Bedford Springs Resort in Pennsylvania.