Appomattox is the seat of the county of the same name. The local Chamber of Commerce highlights many employers. National Auto Parts is the largest wholesaler in terms of employment. Students attend Appomattox County Public Schools. The city is famous for Appomattox Court House National Park, where on Palm Sunday in 1865 General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, ending the American Civil War. The park offers many interpretive programs, including a summer day camp that teaches children important Civil War history. There are not just historical opportunities but also cultural ones in the town. At a nearby lake, the annual Bluegrass Music Festival is held. A famous past resident, Joel Sweeney, helped develop and popularize the banjo, originally an African string instrument made out of a gourd.