You are standing near the center of what once was the thriving village of Bentonville. The village in 1865 included several shops including a carriage shop as well as a turpentine distillery that distilled resin from longleaf pine trees into turpentine for sale across eastern NC. Turpentine had many uses in the 19th century especially in paints and medicines.
Much of the village was used as a Confederate field hospital during the battle and the village struggled to recover from the damage incurred by the battle.
This sketch shows what the village looked like in the direct aftermath of the battle of Bentonville.