Cedar Grove Plantation
History
The house had its beginnings in 1830 with the construction of a two-story log house by Dougal and Malcolm McAlpin, two brothers from Scotland. In 1848, Charles and Margaret Walker purchased the property and hired a builder from Virginia, Theophilus Fowler, to begin construction of the main house. The house served as the center of the large plantation, Charles Walker owned 154 slaves in 1860. The former log house is believed to have been incorporated into the main house to become the dining room and a bedroom. The house remained under construction until 1858.
Nicola Marschall was a friend of the Walker family and lived with them briefly at their home. The two-story schoolhouse behind the main house is believed to have been used by him as a studio during his time there. This schoolhouse served as a school for children in the area until 1925. The house remained in the Walker family until 1982.
Description
The house is a two-story frame structure with a gabled roof and double veranda. It is built in a vernacular Greek Revival style. The original porch was altered in 1915 from a one-story design with simple turned wooden columns, spanned by arched latticework, to the multi-level configuration with paneled box columns seen today.
Gallery
-
Front and side elevation in 1936
-
South elevation, side view of house in 1936
-
Living room mantel in 1936
-
First floor parlor in 1936
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Alabama: Marengo County". Nationalhistoricalregister.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
- ^ Marengo County Heritage Book Committee: The heritage of Marengo County, Alabama, page 16. Clanton, Alabama: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2000. ISBN 1-891647-58-X
- ^ "Marengo County". "Alabama's Front Porches". Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ^ Plantation Houses of the Alabama Canebrake and Their Associated Outbuildings MPS NRIS Database, National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
- ^ "Cedar Grove Plantation". "Sankofa's Slavery Data Collection". Retrieved January 19, 2008.