The Wilson–Finlay House also known as the Joshua Wilson House and the Finlay House, is a historic plantation house in Gainestown, Alabama. It was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on September 17, 1976.[2] It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 12, 1978, due to its architectural significance.[1]
Wilson–Finlay House | |
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   | |
| Nearest city | Gainestown, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°27′13″N 87°41′28″W / 31.45361°N 87.69111°W |
| Area | 2.7 acres (1.1 ha) |
| Built | 1846 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000484 [1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 12, 1978 |
| Designated ARLH | September 17, 1976 |
History edit
The house was built circa 1846 for Dr. Joshua Sanford Wilson by Isaac Fuller from Maine.[3] Wilson, born in 1792 in Halifax County, North Carolina, was a physician, planter, and politician. His father, the Reverend Joshua Wilson, settled in Gainestown around 1817. He was a Revolutionary War veteran and Methodist minister.[4]
As of 2011, the house is owned by the Louis M. Finlay Jr. family. They also maintain the Gainestown Schoolhouse, another National Register-listed property, on the grounds for use as a guest cottage.[5]
Architecture edit
The two-story Greek Revival-style house is wood-frame with limestone ashlar foundations and front columns, an unusual feature in Alabama. The limestone, with visible marine fossils present, was quarried locally, at the Gainestown Quarry on the Alabama River.[3] The house is rectangular in form and utilizes a central hall-type plan. A central two-tiered Doric portico fronts the structure. A louvered fanlight is centered in the pediment above the portico.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "The Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage". preserveala.org. Alabama Historical Commission. April 1, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 28, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "Historical Markers & Sites in Clarke County". Clarke County Historical Society. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ "Clarke County MPS". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ Burrage, Joyce White (1998). Clarke County. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing. p. 93 =. ISBN 978-0-7524-0400-4.