Graffiti Heritage: Civil War Memory in Virginia

Abstract

This chapter is the result of a random occurrence. While researching elite control over public space and the depiction of graffiti inscriptions as ‘bad’ or deviant social practices (moreau and Alderman, 2011), we came across a site that views graffiti as a culturally significant form of heritage. The Graffiti House, located in Brandy Station, Virginia, USA, is devoted to preserving the historic graffiti of American Civil War soldiers (both Confederate and Union) who once occupied the house, while also encouraging new graffiti by heritage tourists who may connect with these soldiers. Seeking to advance an understanding of the relationship between place and memory, we reflect on how these Graffiti House inscriptions are catalysts for reinforcing a (pseudo)national memory and contemporary belonging through individual connections to place. Places of memorialization often undergo critical reading, with scholars treating them as cultural texts. Yet, the process of literally writing memory and identity through graffiti has received limited attention. By focusing on inscriptions at Brandy Station, we point to the role of tourists in authoring heritage sites and how this authoring is characterized by a fluid layering of meanings that speaks to the idea that place, memory and identity are in a process of ‘becoming’. Approaching the chapter from this perspective fits in with broader discussions on geography and memory in this book.