This Plantation has been in the same family since 1844

Faunsdale Plantation, Faunsdale Alabama

Date added: May 08, 2024

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he Faunsdale Plantation has been remained in the hands of the same family since 1844 and is still operated as a working plantation. The Faunsdale Plantation is an excellent example of an antebellum plantation complex. Although originally formed as a major cotton-producing plantation, the Faunsdale Plantation today is the site of a catfish farming enterprise.

The main house of the Faunsdale Plantation was originally a two-room log cabin constructed in the late 1830s or early 1840s; this structure was later remodeled into a large, rambling Palladian-influenced dwelling reminiscent of buildings found in the Tidewater section along the eastern seaboard. The dwelling features a two-story central block and flanking one-story wings, a three-part plan building, a vernacular version of such Virginia structures as the Randolph-Semple house in Williamsburg and The Rowe in Charles City County, Virginia.

On May 24^th, 1843, Thomas Harrison of Charles City County, Virginia purchased for $17,000 from Henry A. Tayloe various parcels of land in Township 17 Range 5 East and 4 East totaling approximately 960 acres. Included in the land transaction was the mention of 20 acres in the northern end of the west half of the northeast quarter of section 20, containing the former residence of Bird Pearson. Harrison later acquired an additional tract of land of 340 acres; the entire Faunsdale plantation therefore, comprised 1200 acres. In 1844, Harrison moved to the area with a large labor force of slaves and settled the plantation, naming it the Faunsdale Plantation. His wife, the former Louisa Collins of Edenton, North Carolina soon joined her husband. Soon after their arrival, the Harrisons lived with the George Minge family until the construction of a larger residence could be completed. The Faunsdale Plantation complex was created during that time.

The main house of the Faunsdale Plantation is reminiscent of some three part Palladian inspired structures found in the Tidewater section of the eastern seaboard. The main house features a three part plan, a two story central block with flanking one story wings. It is not known whether or not the recreation of this particular plan was intentional on the part of the Harrisons or not. Regardless, the dwelling is a local interpretation of that particular form incorporating some Romantic detailing as the scalloped bargeboard and the lattice and arch work supports.

The main house became the center for the operation of a large and prosperous plantation complex and around the planter's main house, the Harrisons erected those buildings necessary for the operation and maintenance of a large labor force. In 1854, Dr. Thomas Harrison was killed in an accident and Louisa Harrison managed the plantation until her remarriage to the Rev. William Stickney, an Episcopal priest and educator. In the 1860 census, Louisa Harrison owned 125 slaves and held property and real estate valued at $332,162.00 placing her in the top ten percent of slaveowners in Alabama in regard to wealth. In 1862, upon completion of the Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Railroad, the railway flag station was named Faunsdale in honor of Mrs. Harrison. This flag station is the present-day crossroads community of Faunsdale.

The Harrisons were devout Episcopalians and donated substantial funds and a plot of land slightly northwest of their property for the erection of St. Michael's church. Mrs. Harrison was noted for her commitment to the religious instruction of her slaves and even constructed a chapel on the premises of the Faunsdale plantation for the exclusive use of her slaves. After her marriage in 1863 to Rev. William Stickney, Faunsdale plantation was the site of a major effort for the conversion of African-Americans to the Episcopal faith.

The Faunsdale Plantation has remained in the Harrison family since 1844 and is today owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Archie L. Sims. Mrs. Sims is a direct descendent of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Harrison. The entire Faunsdale plantation consists of 250 acres of the original tract.

Site Description

Faunsdale Plantation, a plantation complex consisting of a plantation main house and a collection of significant outbuildings is located near the crossroad community of Faunsdale in the northwest section of Marengo County, approximately eight miles west of Uniontown. The main house of the Faunsdale Plantation is an example of a modified Palladian dwelling, reminiscent of structures found in the Tidewater section of Virginia.

The approach to Faunsdale Plantation is from the north, the property lies along the southern boundary of Marengo County Road 54. The main house rests on a small rise in a grove of cedar and cottonwood trees while the historic outbuildings lie to the east. The main house originally rested on the southeastern edge of a vast plantation that stretched to the north and west. Originally, the main house on the Faunsdale Plantation was a two-room log cabin constructed by Mr. Bird Pearson. In 1843, Thomas and Louisa Harrison purchased the plantation and in 1844, extensively remodelled the main house. It is thought that the structure achieved much of its present appearance at that time.

The main house at the Faunsdale Plantation features a two-story central block with front-facing gable roof and flanking one-and-a-half-story wings. Except for the two-room log core, the dwelling is a platform frame structure, covered in clapboard. The pediment of the front-facing gable is clearly defined by a wide molding. The roof is covered in asphalt shingles. The central block features a single bay facade with a centrally placed, tripart upper story window with a 9/9 central double-hung sash and flanking, long and narrow five-pane windows. The first floor of the central block contains a bay window with three 9/9 pane, double-hung sash windows. The central block features a one-story demi-hexagonal porch with four delicate chamfered posts capped with small Doric capitals. The porch is decorated with a band of scalloped bargeboard falling below the cornice and a full balustrade atop the flat roofline, creating a balcony for the upper story. The central block features a large centrally placed chimney.

The flanking one-and-a-half-story wings are set back from the facade of the central block. Each wing has a half-spraddle roof, end chimneys with decorative dentil work, a three-bay facade, and a full porch with wooden arch and latticework supports. The left or east wing contains two 9/9 pane sash windows with jib panels beneath. The entrance bay, located immediately to the left of the central block, projects onto the porch and is only slightly recessed from the facade plane of the central block. However, an entrance porch with a hipped roof and latticework supports projects slightly past the front facade of the central block. The double-leaf entrance is enframed by a full transom and sidelights. The right or west wing is not as long as the corresponding wing on the east, but contains two 9/9 pane double-hung sash windows with jib panels beneath and a small single-leaf door.

On the eastern elevation, the chimney is flanked on the left by a later bathroom addition. On the western elevation, the rear spraddle roof falls over a modern carport addition. On the southern elevation, the two-story central block features an upper three-bay facade. Two gable roof dormers flank the central block. A sympathetic modern addition, following the lines of the original rear porch and dining room wing, has been attached to the rear of the main structure. In turn, a fully screened-in porch has been attached to the rear of the later addition.

The interior of the main house of the Faunsdale Plantation contains Federal and Greek Revival woodwork including tripart wooden mantles, two-panel doors, simple hardware, and delicate door and window surrounds with corner block moldings. The central block contains a large rectangular parlor with two smaller rooms located immediately behind it. These two smaller rooms are believed to be the early log core of the house. These three rooms are heated by a large single chimney, with triple hearths; the two smaller rooms contain corner fireplaces. In the central block, the scale of the first story is smaller, in keeping with the dimensions of the early core of the house. The later wings feature full-height windows and taller ceilings.

The main house at the Faunsdale Plantation features a side hall plan, that is a hallway runs the width of the house to the left (east) of the central block, separating the central two-story block from the side (east) wing. The stairway is a reversed stair and features delicate scrollwork along the risers and a slightly curving newel post. An enclosed secondary stair is located in the western wing and provides access to the upper, unfinished half-story in that wing. A modern bathroom separates the large room in the western wing from the central block. The large rooms in the flanking wings have always been used as bedrooms. Originally, a large dining room was located to the rear of the dwelling, directly behind the two-story central block. This room, having fallen into disrepair, was removed in the 1970s and a modern one-story wing, incorporating a living room, kitchen, and dining room, was constructed along the rear of the dwelling; the modern kitchen and dining rooms are in the exact location of the original dining room. A shed-roofed carport is attached to the rear of the west wing.

The upstairs features two bedrooms in the central block, separated by the large central chimney, and a bedroom in the upper half story of the eastern wing. The upper room of the western wing is unfinished and is reached by the small enclosed staircase.

Surrounding the main house are two slave cabins, a well, a kitchen/laundry building, a carriage house, a cook's house, and two modern agricultural buildings, (a shed and barn) and one modern agricultural structure (a granary). With the exception of the modern barn, all of the outbuildings lie to the east of the plantation's main house, this area has always been the domestic working area for the plantation. The two frame slave cabins, located on a rise a short distance from the house, are one-and-a-half-story structures with side gable roofs. The cabins contain fireplaces with dentilated brick moldings, scalloped bargeboard along the eaves of the roof, and rustic Greek Revival moldings around the rear windows and doors. Each features a later rear shed roof addition and both are square in form with small steep corner staircases. These slave cabins were used by house servants and were not part of the "slave quarters" for the field workers.

The kitchen/laundry building is a one-and-a-half-story, two-room structure with a front-facing gable roof and a centrally located interior chimney. According to records in the Faunsdale Collection in the Birmingham Public Library, the original kitchen and laundry building burned in 1870 and this structure was built to replace the original structure at this time. The original carriage house is a simple front gable roofed structure with a later side addition. The cook's house is a simple, frame, one-story cabin with a side chimney and single-leaf entrance. The well is surrounded by a low brick wall and is topped with a pyramidal roof supported by four corner posts. All of these buildings/structures with the exception of the kitchen are believed to date from the 1850s.

The outbuildings included a barn, machinery shed, and granary. The granary, a metal container on a raised structure, is located in front of the two slave cabins. The machinery shed is located behind the kitchen/laundry building while the barn is the only outbuilding located away from the cluster of plantation buildings, resting on the western end of the property.