Fairhope Plantation
Encyclopedia
Fairhope Plantation is a historic Carpenter Gothic
plantation
house and historic district
, located one mile east of Uniontown
, Alabama
, USA
. The -story wood-framed
main house was built in the Gothic Revival
style in the late 1850s. The plantation historic district includes six other contributing buildings
, in addition to the main house. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on May 29, 1992, due to its architectural and historical significance.
. He was born on June 4, 1831, and grew up at Westover Plantation
in Charles City County, Virginia
. Selden married Elizabeth Collier Minge, of Weynoke Plantation near Faunsdale
, in 1854. Elizabeth was born on May 30, 1833. Her family was also originally from Charles City County. Joseph and Elizabeth established Fairhope on property given to them by Elizabeth's family. The main house was built by Theophilus Gilliam Fowler, a local builder. Construction began in 1857 and was completed by 1861. The 1860 United States Census of Perry County
indicates that Joseph Selden owned 80 slaves in that year. Selden organized Selden's Battery, an artillery
unit, at his own expense during the American Civil War
. The unit saw action in several major engagements, including the battles of Kennesaw Mountain
, Franklin and Nashville
. Elizabeth Selden died following childbirth in 1868, Joseph died in a hotel fire in 1900. Fairhope continued to be owned by Selden descendants and operated as a farm for another century after their deaths.
's Cottage Residences in 1842. The house features numerous Gothic Revival details, including intricate bargeboard
s on the eaves and gable
s, hood moldings
over the doors and windows, octagonal brick chimneys, and central gable
s topped by finial
s on all four sides. Additionally, it has a one-story cast-iron
veranda around three sides of the ground floor. It is one of only about twenty Gothic Revival residential structures remaining in Alabama. Other historic Gothic Revival residences in the area include Waldwic
in Gallion
and Ashe Cottage
in Demopolis
.
Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters...
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...
house and historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
, located one mile east of Uniontown
Uniontown, Alabama
Uniontown is a city in Perry County, Alabama in the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 1,636. The current mayor is Jamaal O. Hunter.-History:...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The -story wood-framed
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
main house was built in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style in the late 1850s. The plantation historic district includes six other contributing buildings
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
, in addition to the main house. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 29, 1992, due to its architectural and historical significance.
History
Fairhope Plantation was built for Joseph Selden, a native of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He was born on June 4, 1831, and grew up at Westover Plantation
Westover Plantation
Westover Plantation is located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. It is located south of State Route 5, a scenic byway which runs between the independent cities of Richmond and Williamsburg...
in Charles City County, Virginia
Charles City County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,926 people, 2,670 households, and 1,975 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile . There were 2,895 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
. Selden married Elizabeth Collier Minge, of Weynoke Plantation near Faunsdale
Faunsdale, Alabama
Faunsdale is a town in Marengo County, Alabama, U.S. At the 2000 census the population was 87. The town was named for nearby Faunsdale Plantation. Faunsdale is home to a medium-sized community of Amish Mennonites and the only Amish Mennonite community in this area of Alabama outside of Greensboro,...
, in 1854. Elizabeth was born on May 30, 1833. Her family was also originally from Charles City County. Joseph and Elizabeth established Fairhope on property given to them by Elizabeth's family. The main house was built by Theophilus Gilliam Fowler, a local builder. Construction began in 1857 and was completed by 1861. The 1860 United States Census of Perry County
Perry County, Alabama
Perry County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was established in 1819, and is named in honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry of Rhode Island and the United States Navy. As of 2010 the population was 10,591...
indicates that Joseph Selden owned 80 slaves in that year. Selden organized Selden's Battery, an artillery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
unit, at his own expense during 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...
. The unit saw action in several major engagements, including the battles of Kennesaw Mountain
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E...
, Franklin and Nashville
Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under...
. Elizabeth Selden died following childbirth in 1868, Joseph died in a hotel fire in 1900. Fairhope continued to be owned by Selden descendants and operated as a farm for another century after their deaths.
Architecture
The inspiration for the main house at Fairhope Plantation is thought by architectural historians to be an enlarged adaptation of a design by Alexander Jackson Davis, published in Andrew Jackson DowningAndrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing was an American landscape designer, horticulturalist, and writer, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival style in the United States, and editor of The Horticulturist magazine...
's Cottage Residences in 1842. The house features numerous Gothic Revival details, including intricate bargeboard
Bargeboard
Bargeboard is a board fastened to the projecting gables of a roof to give them strength and to mask, hide and protect the otherwise exposed end of the horizontal timbers or purlins of the roof to which they were attached...
s on the eaves and gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s, hood moldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
over the doors and windows, octagonal brick chimneys, and central gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s topped by finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
s on all four sides. Additionally, it has a one-story cast-iron
Cast-iron architecture
Cast-iron architecture is a form of architecture where cast iron plays a central role. It was a prominent style in the Industrial Revolution era when cast iron was relatively cheap and modern steel had not yet been developed.-Structural use:...
veranda around three sides of the ground floor. It is one of only about twenty Gothic Revival residential structures remaining in Alabama. Other historic Gothic Revival residences in the area include Waldwic
Waldwic
Waldwic, also known as the William M. Spencer, III, House, is a historic Carpenter Gothic plantation house and historic district located on the west side of Alabama Highway 69, south of Gallion, Alabama. Waldwic is included in the Plantation Houses of the Alabama Canebrake and Their Associated...
in Gallion
Gallion, Alabama
Gallion is an unincorporated community in Hale County, Alabama. It was named in honor of Jo Gallion, a railroad official. Gallion has a post office with a ZIP code of 36742 . Gallion has one site on the National Register of Historic Places, a plantation house known as Waldwic.-Geography:Gallion...
and Ashe Cottage
Ashe Cottage
Ashe Cottage, also known as the Ely House, is a historic Carpenter Gothic house in Demopolis, Alabama. It was built in 1832 and expanded and remodeled in the Gothic Revival style in 1858 by William Cincinnatus Ashe, a physician from North Carolina...
in Demopolis
Demopolis, Alabama
Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. The population was 7,483 at the time of the 2010 United States Census....
.
