Antebellum architecture
Encyclopedia
Antebellum architecture (sometimes spelled ante-bellum, meaning "pre-war", from the Latin ante, "before", and bellum, "war") is a term used to describe the characteristic neoclassical
architectural style
of the Southern United States
, especially the Old South
, from after the birth of the United States in the American Revolution
, to the start of the American Civil War
. Antebellum architecture is especially characterized by neoclassical
and Greek revival
style plantation
houses and mansion
s.
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
of the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, especially the Old South
Old South
Geographically, Old South is a subregion of the American South, differentiated from the "Deep South" as being the Southern States represented in the original thirteen American colonies, as well as a way of describing the former lifestyle in the Southern United States. Culturally, the term can be...
, from after the birth of the United States in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, to the start of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Antebellum architecture is especially characterized by neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
and Greek revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
style plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
houses and mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
s.
Examples
Many plantation houses still standing are of this style, including:- Barrington HallBarrington Hall (Roswell, Georgia)Barrington Hall, built in 1842, was the home of Barrington King, who along with his father, Roswell King, was the co-founder of the town of Roswell, Georgia. The King family, along with the other "founding families" of Roswell, moved from the coast of Georgia after Roswell came across this area in...
in Roswell, GeorgiaRoswell, GeorgiaRoswell is a city located in northern Fulton County; it is a suburb of northern Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The 2010 Census population was 88,346. It is the eighth largest city in Georgia... - Bulloch HallBulloch HallBulloch Hall is a Greek Revival mansion in Roswell, Georgia built in 1839. It is one of several historically significant buildings in the city and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is where Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, mother of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President, lived as...
in Roswell, GeorgiaRoswell, GeorgiaRoswell is a city located in northern Fulton County; it is a suburb of northern Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The 2010 Census population was 88,346. It is the eighth largest city in Georgia... - Monmouth Plantation, in Natchez, MississippiNatchez, MississippiNatchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
- Boone HallBoone HallThe Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens is an antebellum plantation located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
, near Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
; built in 1936, but in the antebellum style. - The Hermitage (Tennessee)
- Longwood (Natchez, Mississippi)Longwood (Natchez, Mississippi)Longwood, also known as Nutt's Folly, is an historic antebellum octagonal mansion located at 140 Lower Woodville Road in Natchez, Mississippi, USA. The mansion is on the U.S...
- Millford PlantationMillford PlantationMillford Plantation is an historic place located on SC 261 west of Pinewood, South Carolina. Its monumental two-story Greek Revival mansion built in 1839 for John L...
- Nottoway PlantationNottoway PlantationNottoway Plantation, also known as Nottoway Plantation House is located in White Castle, Louisiana. This home was completed in 1859 for the John Hampton Randolph family. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.-Early history:...
- Belle Grove Plantation (Iberville Parish, Louisiana), the largest plantation house ever built in the South.
- Orton PlantationOrton PlantationThe Orton Plantation is a historic Southern plantation in the Smithville Township of Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. Located beside the Cape Fear River between Wilmington and Southport, Orton Plantation is considered to be a near-perfect example of Southern antebellum architecture...
- Rosedown PlantationRosedown PlantationRosedown Plantation is located in the West Feliciana community of St. Francisville along one of the most historic corridors in South Louisiana.Society in and around St. Francisville, at the time that Rosedown was constructed, was dominated by European, primarily British, settlers who became cotton...
in St. Francisville, LouisianaSt. Francisville, LouisianaSt. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:St... - Oak Alley PlantationOak Alley PlantationOak Alley Plantation is a historic plantation located on the Mississippi River in the community of Vacherie, Louisiana. It is protected as a National Historic Landmark...
- Belle Meade PlantationBelle Meade PlantationBelle Meade Plantation, located in Belle Meade, Tennessee, is an historic plantation mansion whose grounds now function as a museum.-History:...
- Waverley (West Point, Mississippi)Waverley (West Point, Mississippi)Waverley is a mansion in Clay County, Mississippi, 10 miles east of West Point.It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973. A statement at that time by the National Park Service read:...
- Carnton Plantation in Franklin, TennesseeFranklin, TennesseeFranklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...
- Rippavilla PlantationRippavilla PlantationRippavilla Plantation is an historical site and museum located in Spring Hill, Tennessee. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-External links:* - official site* http://rippavilla.org/...
- Glen Mary Plantation in Sparta, GeorgiaSparta, GeorgiaSparta is a country town in Hancock County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,265 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Hancock County...
- Ward Hall (Georgetown, Kentucky)
- Evergreen Plantation (Wallace, Louisiana)