Waldwic
Encyclopedia
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 Outbuildings Multiple Property Submission. The main house and plantation outbuildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places
on July 22, 1994.
style in 1852. His widow, M. S. Gracey, remarried after Robert's death to Willis Bocock in 1856. The 1860 United States Census of Marengo County
indicates that Bocock owned 127 slaves in that year. The Waldwic property was originally within Marengo County
, but this portion of Marengo was added to Hale County
upon its creation in 1867. Robert Gracey's granddaughter, Bertha Gracey Steele, married at Waldwic in 1889 to William Micajah Spencer. He was a lawyer and was elected to the Alabama Senate
in 1901. The house is one of only about twenty Gothic Revival
residential structures remaining in Alabama. Other historic Gothic Revival
residences in the area include Ashe Cottage
in Demopolis
and Fairhope Plantation
in Uniontown
.
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 on the west side of Alabama Highway 69, south of 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...
, 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...
. Waldwic is included in the Plantation Houses of the Alabama Canebrake and Their Associated Outbuildings Multiple Property Submission. The main house and plantation outbuildings were 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 July 22, 1994.
History
The main house was built in 1840 for Robert Gracey and then was expanded and renovated in the Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style in 1852. His widow, M. S. Gracey, remarried after Robert's death to Willis Bocock in 1856. The 1860 United States Census of Marengo County
Marengo County, Alabama
Marengo County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of a battlefield near Turin, Italy, where the French defeated the Austrians on June 14, 1800. As of 2010 the population was 21,027...
indicates that Bocock owned 127 slaves in that year. The Waldwic property was originally within Marengo County
Marengo County, Alabama
Marengo County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of a battlefield near Turin, Italy, where the French defeated the Austrians on June 14, 1800. As of 2010 the population was 21,027...
, but this portion of Marengo was added to 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....
upon its creation in 1867. Robert Gracey's granddaughter, Bertha Gracey Steele, married at Waldwic in 1889 to William Micajah Spencer. He was a lawyer and was elected to the Alabama Senate
Alabama Senate
The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state, with each district containing at least 127,140 citizens...
in 1901. The house is one of only about twenty Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
residential structures remaining in Alabama. Other historic Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
residences in the area include 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....
and Fairhope Plantation
Fairhope Plantation
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...
in 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:...
.