Just in time for Women’s History Month, a new Amazon Prime Video series arrives to tell the harrowing true story of a female-led spy network that helped the Union army win the Civil War.
All eight episodes of The Gray House began streaming Thursday, February 26. The historical drama is a collaboration between Hollywood heavyweights Morgan Freeman and Kevin Costner, who serve as executive producers through their respective companies. The series follows the efforts of four women—socialite Eliza Van Lew and her daughter Elizabeth Van Lew, emancipated slave Mary Jane Richards, and a courtesan named Clara Parish—to intercept Confederate secrets and relay them to Union leadership.
Here’s everything we know about the real-life figures and true events behind The Gray House, as well as other elements that embellish historical accuracy to add intrigue and romance to the series.
What Was the Real Gray House, and Where Was It Located?
The title of the series refers to the White House of the Confederacy, or the opulent residence of Confederate President Jefferson Davis during the Civil War. Located at the corner of 12th and Clay streets in Richmond, Virginia, the mansion took its name—a slight but meaningful deviation from the actual White House in Washington, D.C.—from the gray exterior.
Davis moved into the house in 1861 with his family, including wife Varina and their children, according to The American Civil War Museum. Although Davis had an office on nearby Bank Street, the Gray House served as the unofficial social and command center for the Confederacy. Heads of state frequently visited, and David sometimes held meetings with his cabinet and generals while the rest of his family slept upstairs.
The house was the site of a personal tragedy for the Davis family. On April 30, 1864, Jefferson and Varina were both away from the home when their 5-year-old son fell off the porch and later died from his injuries. A passerby remarked the child’s “head was contused, and I think his chest much injured internally,” according to Rice University. While there was no evidence of foul play, rumors have persisted that Joseph’s older brother, Jeff. Jr., pushed him to his death.
Following the Union’s victory in the war, the federal government occupied the house and maintained it as a military district headquarters. The building was later turned into a public school and now serves as a museum.
How Was the Spy Network Targeting the Gray House Formed?
While Davis and his allies believed their communication was confidential, the Gray House was actually the target of an espionage network created by Elizabeth Van Lew (played by Daisy Head).
Born in Richmond in 1818, Elizabeth was the daughter of John Van Lew, a wealthy hardware salesman, and Eliza Van Lew (Mary-Louise Parker). Elizabeth attended a Quaker school in Philadelphia and developed strong antislavery beliefs, according to the National Park Service. While Van Lews were slave owners, the people they enslaved were allowed to live and work elsewhere for their own income.
But by the outbreak of the Civil War in the early 1860s, Elizabeth and her mother turned to much more discreet methods in support of abolition. The pair convinced Confederate General John H. Winder to allow them to bring food and provisions to incarcerated Union soldiers at Libby Prison under the pretense of motherly benevolence, according to the American Battlefield Trust. In reality, Elizabeth received crucial messages from the captured men regarding Confederate troop strength and positions and relayed them via couriers to Union General Ulysses S. Grant and his intelligence officer, Col. George H. Sharpe.
The effort wasn’t without backlash from their neighbors. “I have had brave men shake their fingers in my face and say terrible things. We had threats of being driven away, threats of fire, and threats of death,” Elizabeth wrote, according to Smithsonian magazine.
Elizabeth not only offered aid to prisoners, but helped some escape. Stories of her assistance convinced Union Gen. Benjamin Butler to recruit her as a spy. Van Lew wrote her dispatches to Butler in a colorless liquid that turned black when combined with milk, per Smithsonian.
However, Elizabeth wasn’t alone in her endeavor.
Who Was Mary Jane Richards?
Elizabeth’s underground spy network grew to at least a dozen white and Black men and women. One of her most reliable confidantes was Mary Jane Richards (Amethyst Davis), who was formerly enslaved by the Van Lews.
No official record of her birth exists, but Richards was likely born in Virginia sometime around 1840. Richards attended school in Princeton, New Jersey, and temporarily relocated to Liberia before the Van Lew family covered her return passage to the United States in 1860, according to the National Park Service. Despite her freedom, Richards violated Virginia law by simply crossing the state line upon her return and was arrested. Eliza claimed Richards was already enslaved to fool the court and secure her release.
After the war began and the Davis family moved into the Gray House, Elizabeth offered one of her slaves—named Ellen Bond—as a house servant to Varina Davis. Bond was actually an alias for Richards, who used her near-photographic memory to learn Confederate secrets and relay them to Elizabeth’s network. Richards is believed to have shared information through Varina’s clothing using covert signals including hanging red laundry items next to white ones and sewing in coded messages, according to Military.com.
Richards fled Richmond in 1864, but returned after the war’s conclusion and worked at schools established to teach formerly enslaved people.
Is Clara Parish Based on a Real Person?
While there is significant documentation about the Van Lews and Richards, little to none exists for the fourth protagonist of the series, Clara Parish (Hannah James).
In The Gray House, Parish is a sex worker recruited by Elizabeth Van Lew to steal Confederate secrets from her clients. However, little is confirmed about the basis for the character.
One possible source comes from the testimony of Thomas McNiven (Christopher McDonald), a baker who was part of the Van Lew network. According to Civil War Richmond, a non-profit dedicated to collecting and preserving historical sources about the city’s role in the war, McNiven relayed information about a prostitute named Clara to his daughter, Jeannete McNiven. No last name is attributed to Clara.
“Clara, in particular, served the high and mighty of the rebel officers and officials. She should have a monument,” Thomas McNiven said, according to a transcribed account written by his grandson Robert W. Waitt. “Caused quite a commotion between the city government and the rebel government, when the city found out the big man was stealing their [the city’s] blankets to pay her fees.”
According to Waitt’s writings, Clara had the code name “Belle” and discovered important military information resulting in the ambush and death of Confederate Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill.
However, Civil War Richmond cautions “this recollection and its source are HIGHLY suspect and should be used with extreme caution.” So, much of Parish’s character is likely fictionalized compared to the others in the series.
She isn’t the only main character in The Gray House to benefit from creative liberties. The series adds a love interest for Elizabeth in William Lounsbury, a fictional soldier captured during the Battle of Bull Run whom she helps escape prison. However, there is no documentation she had a romantic connection with any of the Union army members she assisted.
Watch The Gray House on Prime Video Starting February 26
Costner and Freeman previously spoke about the importance of bringing the largely unknown stories of Richards and the Van Lews to the small screen. Freeman shared an extended trailer for the series on his official Facebook page.
“Having a passion for history, it’s always personally fulfilling to share richly layered stories about America’s unsung heroes,” Costner told Deadline in 2022. “I’m delighted to join forces with my friends [writer and producer] Leslie Greif and Morgan Freeman with whom I’ve had great success to produce this important, epic saga.”
All eight episodes of The Gray House begin streaming Thursday, February 26, on Prime Video. The series stars Mary-Louise Parker, Daisy Head, Amethyst Davis, and Hannah James.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
