I had a really productive day in the archives today — so productive that I was able to get out a little early. On the way home I passed a sign for a place that had been on my agenda for many years, so I thought I'd make a quick detour. This place — a more or less ghost town now — has a few buildings still standing, including the house in this photograph. I was, to be honest, completely astonished by who lived here. And so this is my question: who lived in this house and where is it? Don't be fooled — as I sort of was — by the columns and front porch. They're post-Civil War additions. But even if you strip those off, it's still a grand house and — again I say — I was really astonished to learn who lived here. I've never seen anything like this before. Here's a close-up of the home. Good luck.
Alabama Home Trivia Question
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It is the "Barker Slave Quarters," the slave housing for the former Kirkpatrick mansion in Old Cahawba.
Remarkable!
You are, as always, correct, Jason. Its a remarkable building. I've seen a fair number of slave quarters, but never one that looks this's guess I'd say impressive. I have no idea how many people lived there, which will tell a lot about and I suppose the size has something to do, too,with the owner making a statement about his wealth. I've seen very few slave quarters that are made of brick and a few that are two stories high, but none this large. As I say, the porch and columns were added after the war (I think in the early twentieth century), but the building is still large.
The trip to Cawhaba was well worth it. I wish I'd gone years ago. There're three cemeteries and a couple of buildings. It was quite a large town (and for a while the capital of Alabama, and the county seat of Dallas County). I wish more of the building survived and I guess it surprises and saddens me that more did not survive. But walking around gives a really good sense of the size of the town.