Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens facts for kids

Arlington
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Arlington in 1993
Location in Birmingham, Alabama Show map of Birmingham, Alabama Location in Alabama Show map of Alabama Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	331 Cotton Ave., SW, Birmingham, Alabama
Built	1845–50
Architect	Stephen Hall; William Mudd
Architectural style	Greek Revival, Federal
NRHP reference No.	70000103
Added to NRHP	December 2, 1970

Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens, also called Arlington Historic House, is a beautiful old house with gardens near downtown Birmingham, Alabama. It used to be part of a large farm called a plantation. The house was built a long time ago, between 1845 and 1850. It was built by enslaved people. The house looks like a classic Greek temple, which is a style called Greek Revival architecture. Today, Arlington is a museum. You can see furniture, fabrics, silver, and paintings from the 1800s inside. The gardens are also lovely and have a special room for events. Arlington is an important historical site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1970.

History of Arlington

The story of Arlington begins with Stephen Hall. He was a settler from Georgia. In 1822, Hall came to Birmingham to help build a new courthouse and jail. He bought about 17 acres of land. He then started building a house there.

In 1840, Hall's son, Samuel, inherited the land. But Samuel died just two years later. His family had a lot of debt. Because of this, they had to sell the land. They sold it for $600 to a man named William S. Mudd. Mudd was a judge for over 20 years in a nearby town called Elyton. He bought more land, adding 80 acres. He named the whole property "The Grove."

In 1846, William S. Mudd married Florence Earle. He decided to build a much bigger house. This new house was also called The Grove. It was named after the many old trees around it. Between 1845 and 1850, enslaved workers and skilled builders constructed a grand mansion. It had eight rooms and was built in the Greek Revival style.

Arlington was built in Elyton. This town was the second county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. Later, the city of Birmingham grew and surrounded Elyton. Arlington is one of the few buildings left from the time of Elyton. It is Birmingham's only large house from before the American Civil War.

During the Civil War, Union troops used Arlington in 1865. This was during an event called Wilson's Raid. From Arlington, the troops began to burn the University of Alabama. The university had trained soldiers for the Confederacy. It also had a hospital for soldiers.

Over the years, the property had several different owners. In 1902, Robert S. Munger bought Arlington. For the next 20 years, he made many changes. He added modern plumbing and electric lights. He also moved another building behind the main house. This building became a kitchen, dining room, sunroom, and sleeping area. Mr. Munger also owned one of the first "motor cars" in Birmingham!

In 1953, a group of citizens worked with the City of Birmingham. They raised money to buy Arlington. This helped to save the historic house for everyone to enjoy.

See also

• Arlington Park, an adjacent historic district on former area of Arlington