Inside the Courageous True Story Behind “The Gray House”: All About the Real-Life Spies

Caroline BlairSat, February 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

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Daisy Head as Elizabeth Van Lew in 'The Gray House' ; Elizabeth Van Lew.Credit: Prime Video ; Culture Club/Bridgeman via Getty -

The Gray House is based on the historic events of three women coming together to form an underground spy network during the Civil War

Elizabeth Van Lew, Eliza Van Lew and Mary Bowser helped operate the Underground Spy Network on behalf of the Union

The Prime Video series hit the streamer on Feb. 26

The Gray House tells the true, inspiring story of a group of women secretly working together to rally against the Confederate army during the Civil War.

The limited series, which was executive produced by Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman, stars Daisy Head, Mary-Louise Parker and Amethyst Davis as three real-life historical women — a socialite, her mom and their former enslaved maid — who create and run a spy ring within the Underground Railroad during the Civil War.

In the trailer, the women are seen living in the Confederacy during the period of conflict and questioning how they're playing a role in the war. At one point, one of the women looks at the other two and candidly asks, “If we leave evil alone, are we responsible for it growing?”

From there, they decide to form the Underground Spy Network in the South to help the Union win the war. The Prime Video series is named after the real Elizabeth Van Lew's home that was given the nickname the Gray House for both its color and its secretive status. Although the series includes some fictional characters, the show is based on historical events and real people.

Here's everything to know about the true story behind The Gray House.

What is The Gray House about?

'The Gray House'.Credit: Prime Video

The Gray House is a historical drama series that follows three women who formed an Underground Spy Network during the Civil War.

"The series focuses on the true story of unsung women who turned the tide of the American Civil War in favor of the North," the Prime Video series description reads. "A Virginia socialite, her mother, a formerly enslaved sister-in-arms, and a notorious courtesan operate deep inside the corridors of Confederate power."

In addition to Parker, Head and Davis, the series also stars Ben Vereen, Paul Anderson, Robert Knepper, Keith David, Marc Jenner, Colin Morgan, Hannah James, Ben Cura, Ella Schrey-Yeats, Elizabeth J. Cron, Colin O'Donoghue, Charles Craddock, Darrell Fetty and Cosmin Dominte.

"I've always wanted to tell stories where people know about something, but they don't know anything about it," executive producer and writer Leslie Greif told ScreenRant in February 2026. "So everyone knows about the Civil War and they know about both sides, but they didn't really know the story that these four unsung women helped turn the tide and bring down the South. And that's what got me excited."

Is The Gray House based on a true story?

Illustration of Elizabeth Van Lew.Credit: Culture Club/Bridgeman via Getty

The Prime Video limited series is based on the true story of the women who created an extensive Union Army spy ring in Richmond, Va., — the Confederate capital — during the Civil War. Virginia socialite Elizabeth Van Lew, her aging mother Eliza Van Lew and their former enslaved maid, Mary Bowser, took it upon themselves to help the Union while living in the Confederacy.

In the midst of the Civil War, the women connected with hundreds of other women across the country to become undercover agents and form a spy network on behalf of the Union. Elizabeth began the ring by quietly passing along intelligence via notes, aiding soldiers with food and medicine and helping prisoners of war escape.

“She is considered the most successful Federal spy of the war,” lead curator at the Virginia Historical Society, William Rasmussen, told Smithsonian Magazine in 2011.

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Although Elizabeth was deemed a spy, she later wrote that she thought the term was unfair, because she was still serving her country.

"I do not know how they can call me a spy serving my own country within its recognized borders ... [for] my loyalty am I now to be branded as a spy — by my own country, for which I was willing to lay down my life? Is that honorable or honest? God knows," she wrote, per Smithsonian Magazine. "[I am] held in contempt & scorn by the narrow minded men and women of my city for my loyalty."

While Elizabeth helped recruit other women and pass along intelligence, she utilized Mary's help to gather "reliable news" from other freed enslaved people who "certainly show wisdom, discretion and prudence, which is wonderful," Elizabeth wrote, per American Battlefield Trust.

From 1861 to 1865, the three women helped send coded messages — occasionally in invisible link — to the North to warn them of intelligence they learned within the Confederacy. General Ulysses S. Grant reportedly found the women and the underground network to be one of the most valuable sources of information, according to War History.

After the Union won the Civil War in April 1865, Elizabeth was reportedly the first person to raise the American Flag in Richmond. Grant went on to appoint Elizabeth as the post office head, and she helped modernize the postal system with the help of several freed enslaved people. She died on Sept. 25, 1900.

Mary pursued a career in education after the war and became a teacher for the Freedman’s Bureau, per Battlefield.org. She taught across the country and her last known correspondence took place in a letter to Elizabeth in 1870.

Elizabeth's mom, Eliza, helped her daughter throughout the journey and died in 1875, per FindAGrave.

Is the Gray House still there?

The home of Elizabeth Van Lew in Richmond, Virginia.Credit: Corbis via Getty

The Van Lews' home, which was given the nickname the "Gray House," served as the center for their Underground Spy Network. It was called the "Gray House," because it was a massive home with a gray color that contrasted with the adjacent White House of the Confederacy, according to the White House Historical Association.

The home was built by former Richmond mayor Dr. John Adams in 1802 and was bought by Elizabeth's father, John Van Lew, in 1836, per Battlefields.org.

The property was destroyed in 1911 and was replaced by the Bellevue School in 1912. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources erected several markers to declare its significance in 2005.

How can I watch The Gray House?

'The Gray House'.Credit: Prime Video

The Gray House is available to stream on Prime Video. All eight episodes of the limited series hit the streamer on Feb. 26.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”