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Magnolia Grove (Greensboro, Alabama)
Encyclopedia
Magnolia Grove is a historic Greek Revival
mansion in Greensboro
, Alabama
. The house was named for the 15 acres (6.1 ha) grove of Southern magnolias in which it stands. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on April 11, 1973, due to its architectural and historical significance. It now serves as a historic house museum and is operated by the Alabama Historical Commission
.
and one of the contributing founders of The University of the South at Sewanee. Sarah was the sister of Richmond Mumford Pearson
, a prominent pro-Union
politician and Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
.
Isaac Croom died in 1863, with Sarah following him in 1878. They left no living children, so the estate passed to Sarah C. Pearson, the daughter of Richmond Mumford Pearson. Sarah Pearson married to James M. Hobson, also of North Carolina. James Hobson would eventually serve as probate judge of Hale County
for over twenty years. The Hobson family moved to Greensboro and raised four sons and three daughters at Magnolia Grove.
The Hobson's most famous offspring was Richmond Pearson Hobson
, a naval
hero of the Spanish-American War
who would later serve as a U.S. Representative
from Alabama. He was awarded the Medal of Honor
in 1933 for his actions aboard the USS Merrimac
during the Spanish-American War and in 1934, by special act of the United States Congress
, he was advanced to Naval Constructor with a rank of Rear Admiral
.
Hobson resigned from active naval duty in 1903 to begin a career as a Democratic
U.S. Representative from Alabama. He served from March 4, 1907 until March 3, 1915, and during that time proposed more than 20 constitutional amendments to ban alcohol. He was denied the Democratic nomination in 1916 to the 65th Congress
. He then organized the American Alcohol Education Association in 1921, organized the International Narcotic Education Association in 1923, organized the World Conference on Narcotic Education in 1926, and founded the World Narcotic Defense Association in 1927. These activities have caused some to label him as the "Father of American Prohibition
."
On January 22, 1942, the Gleaves-class
destroyer
, USS Hobson
, was commissioned in his honor posthumously. Magnolia Grove was dedicated as a state shrine in his honor on May 1, 1947.
ed temple
-form house in the Greek Revival style. It is a two-story masonry structure, built in handmade brick. The front facade is stucco
ed, including the pediment. The sides and rear are left with the brick face exposed.
The front facade features a monumental hexastyle portico
with Doric
columns. These support a plain entablature
with a simple molding
dividing the architrave
and frieze
. Above a simple cornice
, the unadorned pediment
is framed by horizontal and raking geison
s. Behind the portico, the building is divided into a five bay
facade. The central bay is occupied by doorways on both floors, with simply molded windows occupying the remaining bays to either side. Both door surrounds are Greek Revival, these are inset with double doors, surrounded by sidelights and topped by a transom
. The upper doorway opens onto a cantilever
ed balcony. The lower windows are floor-to-ceiling and open onto the portico, while the upper windows are six-over-six. The rear of the building also has a two-story portico, but here it is supported by six slender cast-iron columns.
The interior features plaster cornice moldings and Greek Revival door and window surrounds. Both floors are evenly divided by a central hall running from front to back. The first floor contains a parlor, living room, dining room, and study. A separate two-story brick building to the rear of the main house contained the original kitchen and servant's quarters. A cantilevered staircase with mahogany
treads and railing climbs from the rear of the hall to the second floor. This level contains a central hall and four bedrooms.
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...
mansion in Greensboro
Greensboro, Alabama
Greensboro is a city in Hale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 2,731. The city is the county seat of Hale County. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.-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...
. The house was named for the 15 acres (6.1 ha) grove of Southern magnolias in which it stands. 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 April 11, 1973, due to its architectural and historical significance. It now serves as a historic house museum and is operated by the Alabama Historical Commission
Alabama Historical Commission
The Alabama Historical Commission is the historic preservation agency for the U. S. state of Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission of safeguarding Alabama’s historic buildings and sites. It consists of twenty members appointed by the state...
.
History
Magnolia Grove was built in 1840 for Isaac Croom and his wife, Sarah Pearson Croom. Croom was a lawyer and planter from Lenoir County, North CarolinaLenoir County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of 2005, there were 57,961 people, 23,862 households, and 16,178 families residing in the county. The population density was 149.2 people per square mile . There were 27,940 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...
and one of the contributing founders of The University of the South at Sewanee. Sarah was the sister of Richmond Mumford Pearson
Richmond Mumford Pearson
Richmond Mumford Pearson was an American jurist who served as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1858 to 1878. He was the father of Congressman Richmond Pearson and the father-in-law of North Carolina Governor Daniel Gould Fowle.Pearson lived much of his life in what is now...
, a prominent pro-Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
politician and Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
.
Isaac Croom died in 1863, with Sarah following him in 1878. They left no living children, so the estate passed to Sarah C. Pearson, the daughter of Richmond Mumford Pearson. Sarah Pearson married to James M. Hobson, also of North Carolina. James Hobson would eventually serve as probate judge of Hale County
Hale County, Alabama
Hale County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Confederate officer Stephen Fowler Hale. As of 2010 the population was 15,760. Its county seat is Greensboro and it is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area....
for over twenty years. The Hobson family moved to Greensboro and raised four sons and three daughters at Magnolia Grove.
The Hobson's most famous offspring was Richmond Pearson Hobson
Richmond Pearson Hobson
Richmond Pearson Hobson was a United States Navy Rear Admiral who served from 1907-1915 as a U.S. Representative from Alabama...
, a naval
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
hero of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
who would later serve as a U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Alabama. He was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
in 1933 for his actions aboard the USS Merrimac
USS Merrimac (1898)
USS Merrimac was a steamship in the United States Navy during the Spanish-American War.Merrimac was built by Swan & Hunter shipyard as SS Solveig in Wallsend, England, in November 1894. She was purchased by the US Navy in April 1898. Rear Admiral William T...
during the Spanish-American War and in 1934, by special act of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, he was advanced to Naval Constructor with a rank of Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
.
Hobson resigned from active naval duty in 1903 to begin a career as a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. Representative from Alabama. He served from March 4, 1907 until March 3, 1915, and during that time proposed more than 20 constitutional amendments to ban alcohol. He was denied the Democratic nomination in 1916 to the 65th Congress
65th United States Congress
The Sixty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917 to March 4, 1919, during the fourth and fifth...
. He then organized the American Alcohol Education Association in 1921, organized the International Narcotic Education Association in 1923, organized the World Conference on Narcotic Education in 1926, and founded the World Narcotic Defense Association in 1927. These activities have caused some to label him as the "Father of American Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
."
On January 22, 1942, the Gleaves-class
Gleaves class destroyer
The Gleaves-class destroyers were a class of 66 destroyers of the United States Navy built 1938–1942, and designed by Gibbs & Cox. The first ship of the class was the USS Gleaves . The U.S. Navy customarily names a class of ships after the first ship of the class; hence the Gleaves class...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, USS Hobson
USS Hobson (DD-464)
USS Hobson , a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Richmond Pearson Hobson, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Spanish-American War...
, was commissioned in his honor posthumously. Magnolia Grove was dedicated as a state shrine in his honor on May 1, 1947.
Architecture
Magnolia Grove is a relatively rare Alabama example of a full-scale pedimentPediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
ed temple
Greek temple
Greek temples were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in Greek paganism. The temples themselves did usually not directly serve a cult purpose, since the sacrifices and rituals dedicated to the respective deity took place outside them...
-form house in the Greek Revival style. It is a two-story masonry structure, built in handmade brick. The front facade is stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed, including the pediment. The sides and rear are left with the brick face exposed.
The front facade features a monumental hexastyle portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
columns. These support a plain entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
with a simple molding
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...
dividing the architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
and frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. Above a simple cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
, the unadorned pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
is framed by horizontal and raking geison
Geison
Geison is an architectural term of relevance particularly to ancient Greek and Roman buildings, as well as archaeological publications of the same...
s. Behind the portico, the building is divided into a five bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
facade. The central bay is occupied by doorways on both floors, with simply molded windows occupying the remaining bays to either side. Both door surrounds are Greek Revival, these are inset with double doors, surrounded by sidelights and topped by a transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
. The upper doorway opens onto a cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
ed balcony. The lower windows are floor-to-ceiling and open onto the portico, while the upper windows are six-over-six. The rear of the building also has a two-story portico, but here it is supported by six slender cast-iron columns.
The interior features plaster cornice moldings and Greek Revival door and window surrounds. Both floors are evenly divided by a central hall running from front to back. The first floor contains a parlor, living room, dining room, and study. A separate two-story brick building to the rear of the main house contained the original kitchen and servant's quarters. A cantilevered staircase with mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
treads and railing climbs from the rear of the hall to the second floor. This level contains a central hall and four bedrooms.
External links
- website Magnolia Grove - official site