Saving Old Drish - The Demo

Sunset shining on Old Drish - In December, the Southside Baptist Church addition was torn down and hauled away. This is the first step in restoring the Drish House.

Here's my original post showing the home with the additions still intact.

In January, a TIME CAPSULE, originally buried by the church members in the 1950s was excavated and opened.

Shirley Place

Shirley Place in downtown Northport is on the National Historic Register.
Mr. Marvin Harper, the home's last owner and caretaker, passed away in April. Mr. Harper sold the home to the City of Northport in 1997 with the agreement that he be allowed to live in it until his death. He was the great nephew of James Shirley and was a noted historian and preservationist. His dream was to have the home become a heritage and learning center. The home is open for tours by appointment.

The Cunningham House

The Cunningham House on Queen City Avenue is a private residence and also houses a graphic arts studio. According to the sign out front and their website, the home is also available to rent for weddings and other events. Maybe they'll update the website with the history of the home soon.

Windows at Fellowes Home

These are the front windows in the library/bedroom of the Fellowes Home, circa 1834. There were four bedrooms, two on each end of the house. Each bedroom had its own fireplace. At the estate sale I attended, there were over 2000 books of every age and genre imaginable in both hard and paperback. I could've looked for days. I ended up buying several old books including two elementary readers, a first grade and a third grade that belonged to Alice Fellowes. Her name, address, and three digit phone number are written in the front cover in the sweet cursive handwriting of a child. She also included her school, Stafford School - the first public school in Tuscaloosa, and the name of her third grade teacher, Mrs. Yerby.

Fellowes Home

This is the same home from yesterday's post. Here's a closer shot of the left gabled end and front porch. The house was built in 1834. There's an old family story that claims that when General Croxton came through and burned the University of Alabama in the spring of 1865, he actually stayed in this house. Tomorrow, I'll show you a pic from inside. Here are some other front views. Notice the Confederate roses.

Historic Home

We attended an estate sale at this wonderful historic home on Queen City Ave. in Tuscaloosa this weekend. I picked up several prizes but mostly I was thrilled to get inside to see this beauty. It was home to Dr. and Mrs. Ed McNamee. He has passed away and she is 91 and just moved from the home about a month ago. It was the home of her family, the Fellowes. I'll share dates and a family story when I can verify them.

Tuscaloosa CVB

This is the side view of the Jemison-Van De Graaff Mansion, featured here before. The Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau is downstairs under that awning.

Christmas at the Jemison Mansion

Christmas tree in one of the front parlors. Look at the size of the molding/framing around the window!

Click to enlarge to see the details around the fireplace, the mantle decorations, the mirror and the reflected original gas lamp chandelier. (oh, and the food looks nice too!)

Jemison Mansion 2

This is a closer shot of the Jemison Van De Graff Mansion in Tuscaloosa. Here's the view from across the street. Last Sunday was Christmas Open House. Notice the grates under the porch. The family moved their bedrooms to the basement during the summer. These grates were part of the "air conditioning." They also had a "refrigerator" - a deep dry well in the basement to keep food cool.

The Battle Bedroom

This is the Battle bedroom in the Battle Friedman home in Tuscaloosa. The Battles were the original owners. The furniture in this room is theirs. The bed is hinged so that it in the summer, it could be pulled to the middle of the room and the headboard and footboard removed. They did that so that the breeze could blow through the room from the windows. If you've ever been in Alabama in the summer, you know why. It's miserably hot, even at night.

Christmas Performance

At the historic Battle Friedman Home Christmas Open House, this Tuscaloosa Belle was playing Christmas carols on her violin. There were also Belles dressed in period clothes to greet guests at the door. Look at the size of the square column behind her. There were four in all flanking each side of two parlors. The house was originally built in 1835 and was only four rooms, these two parlors and two bedrooms above each. It was the townhome for the Battle family whose plantation covered parts of three counties. The family stayed there during the social season.

The Jemison Van De Graff Mansion

Please click to enlarge so you can really see this beautiful old home. It's the Jemison-Van de Graff Mansion and it's a Tuscaloosa landmark. When I was little, it was the public library. Now, the Tuscaloosa Visitors Bureau houses the basement, the main floor is rented out for functions, and the top floor is rented by a couple of businesses.

Across the River, Northport

This lovely old home is in historic downtown Northport, the city across the Black Warrior River from Tuscaloosa. Northport has done an outstanding job of restoring their old downtown buildings. Click to enlarge so you can see the brick sidewalk and details on the house. As you can see, this home is now being occupied by Main Avenue Antiques.

The Old Tavern

This building is the Old Tavern and was originally about three blocks up Broad Street (now University Blvd). It was an inn and tavern on the stagecoach road through Tuscaloosa. It was built in 1827. Now it is a museum at Capitol Park and houses the Preservation Society.

Saving Old Drish

This is the Drish Mansion, built in 1837 by slave labor and the plantation home of Dr. John H. Drish. In the early 1900s the county school board bought it and used it as the "Jemison School."
I have an old postcard from one of its students to his uncle, dated 1909. In the 1920s it was a salvage auto parts yard. How the mighty had fallen. Then from the 1940s till recently, it was owned by a church. Of course, you know it's haunted! Here's a link with more of the cool history, including the acquisition & planned restoration of 'Old Drish' by the preservation society.