Bluff Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bluff Hall
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Bluff Hall in 2008
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| Location | 405 N. Commissioners Avenue Demopolis, Alabama |
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| Built | 1832 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000105 |
| Added to NRHP | July 28, 1970 |
Bluff Hall is a historic house in Demopolis, Alabama, United States. It is a special place that shows us what homes looked like a long time ago. The first part of the house was built in the Federal style. Later, new parts were added that changed it to the Greek Revival style.
Bluff Hall was studied by experts in 1936. It was then added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Today, it is a historic house museum. The inside of the house has been restored to look like it did in the 1850s.
Contents
History of Bluff Hall
Building a Home
Bluff Hall was built in 1832. A man named Allen Glover had it built for his daughter, Sarah Serena Glover. She and her husband, Francis Strother Lyon, lived there. The Lyons used Bluff Hall as their town home. They also owned several large farms outside of Demopolis.
Bluff Hall was one of many homes built on a high limestone cliff. This cliff overlooks the Tombigbee River. It is known as White Bluff. Francis Lyon bought the land for the house from the town of Demopolis a few years before it was built.
Changes Over Time
Around the 1840s, the house got some big updates. A two-story porch was added to the front. This porch is called a portico. A large new section was also added to the back of the house. This new part held the dining room and kitchen on the first floor. It also had two bedrooms on the second floor. These new additions gave the house its Greek Revival look.
From Home to Museum
The house stayed in the Lyon family until 1907. Then, it was sold to the Smith family. The Smith family lived there until the 1940s. During this time, the upper floors were changed into apartments.
In 1948, the house was sold again and continued to be used as apartments. The Marengo County Historical Society bought Bluff Hall in 1967. They wanted to fix it up and turn it into a historic house museum.
What Bluff Hall Looks Like
Bluff Hall is a two-story building made of brick. Some parts of the house are covered with smooth stucco. The front porch, or portico, has six tall, square columns. These columns are also made of brick and covered with stucco. They look very much like the columns at Lyon Hall nearby.
Under the front porch, there is a balcony. This balcony stretches across the front entrance doors. It is held up by decorative wrought iron supports. Inside the house, there is a large room called a double parlor. This room has two special columns. They were a gift to the Lyons from the Whitfield family. The Whitfields lived at a nearby home called Gaineswood.
Gallery
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The front of the house in 2008
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The entrance hall in 1935
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The parlor room in 1935
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The dining room in 1935
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The gate and side view in 1935
