Aduston Hall
Encyclopedia
Aduston Hall is a historic antebellum
plantation
house in the riverside
town of Gainesville, Alabama
, United States
. Although the raised cottage displays the strict symmetry and precise detailing of the Greek Revival
style, it is very unusual in its massing. The house is low and spread out over one-story with a fluid floor-plan more reminiscent of a 20th century California ranch house
than the typically boxy neoclassical houses of its own era.
It is a contributing property
to the Gainesville Historic District
. The district was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
on March 25, 1976 and the National Register of Historic Places
on October 3, 1985. Now owned by the Sumter County Historical Society, the house is operated as a visitor welcome center for the historic district.
In addition to its use as a welcome center, the Sumter County Historical Society utilizes the house and grounds as the centerpiece of its Sumter Heritage Days, held each spring. In 1994 the Historical Society received $130,000 for the stabilization and restoration of the house from local, state, and federal funds.
, used the house as a refuge from the heat, humidity, and disease that plagued Mobile during the summer months. The property was a largely self-sufficient plantation complex
. Five 19th century outbuildings remain at the site.
portico projecting several feet out from the main Doric porch under the main roof. The central front entrance door is derived from designs published by Asher Benjamin
. The main block is abutted on both sides by front gabled side wings projecting past the central portion to the front and rear of the house. These are ornamented with Doric pilaster
s. With its H-shaped plan, the house provided excellent cross ventilation
for all of the major rooms.
Historically, there were two other very similar houses known in the vicinity of Aduston Hall. The Travis-Derryberry-Harwood House (also built by the Travis family as a summerhouse), which also survives in Gainesville, and the Norwood Plantation in Faunsdale, Alabama, destroyed in the 1930s.
Antebellum architecture
Antebellum architecture 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...
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 in the riverside
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...
town of Gainesville, Alabama
Gainesville, Alabama
Gainesville is a town in Sumter County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 220.-Geography:Gainesville is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Although the raised cottage displays the strict symmetry and precise detailing of the 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, it is very unusual in its massing. The house is low and spread out over one-story with a fluid floor-plan more reminiscent of a 20th century California ranch house
Ranch-style house
Ranch-style houses is a domestic architectural style originating in the United States. First built in the 1920s, the ranch style was extremely popular amongst the booming post-war middle class of the 1940s to 1970s...
than the typically boxy neoclassical houses of its own era.
It is a contributing property
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...
to the Gainesville Historic District
Gainesville Historic District
The Gainesville Historic District is a a historic district that encompasses the historic residential section of Gainesville, Alabama, United States. The district was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on March 25, 1976 and the National Register of Historic Places on October...
. The district was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
The Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, commonly referred to as the Alabama Register, is an official listing of buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts deemed worthy of preservation in the U.S. state of Alabama. These properties, which may be of national, state, and local...
on March 25, 1976 and 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 October 3, 1985. Now owned by the Sumter County Historical Society, the house is operated as a visitor welcome center for the historic district.
In addition to its use as a welcome center, the Sumter County Historical Society utilizes the house and grounds as the centerpiece of its Sumter Heritage Days, held each spring. In 1994 the Historical Society received $130,000 for the stabilization and restoration of the house from local, state, and federal funds.
History
Aduston Hall was built as a summer home for Amos Travis from 1844 to 1846. Travis, a resident of MobileMobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, used the house as a refuge from the heat, humidity, and disease that plagued Mobile during the summer months. The property was a largely self-sufficient plantation complex
Plantation complexes in the Southeastern United States
Plantation complexes in the Southeastern United States refers to the built environment that was common on agricultural plantations in the American South from the 17th into the 20th century. The complex included everything from the main residence down to the pens for livestock...
. Five 19th century outbuildings remain at the site.
Architecture
The one-story wood-frame house is composed of a rectangular central main block and H-shaped side wings. The roof of the central portion runs parallel to the front of the house. The center of this block is fronted by a temple-like pedimented DoricDoric 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:...
portico projecting several feet out from the main Doric porch under the main roof. The central front entrance door is derived from designs published by Asher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal style architecture and the later Greek Revival. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War...
. The main block is abutted on both sides by front gabled side wings projecting past the central portion to the front and rear of the house. These are ornamented with Doric pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s. With its H-shaped plan, the house provided excellent cross ventilation
Natural ventilation
Natural ventilation is the process of supplying and removing air through an indoor space without using mechanical systems. It refers to the flow of external air to an indoor space as a result of pressure or temperatures differences. There are two types of natural ventilation occurring in...
for all of the major rooms.
Historically, there were two other very similar houses known in the vicinity of Aduston Hall. The Travis-Derryberry-Harwood House (also built by the Travis family as a summerhouse), which also survives in Gainesville, and the Norwood Plantation in Faunsdale, Alabama, destroyed in the 1930s.