Glover Mausoleum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Glover Mausoleum
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The mausoleum and Tombigbee River in 2011
Location	Riverside Cemetery Demopolis, Alabama, U.S.A.
Area	less than one acre
Built	1845
Architectural style	Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.	74000424
Added to NRHP	January 21, 1974

The Glover Mausoleum is a special building, like a large, fancy tomb, located in Demopolis, Alabama. It is built in the Greek Revival style, which looks a lot like ancient Greek temples. This mausoleum holds the remains of Allen Glover, who owned a large farm, along with his two wives and many of their family members. It stands in Riverside Cemetery in Marengo County, Alabama.

The Story of the Mausoleum

Building a Family Tomb

This beautiful Greek Revival mausoleum was built between 1841 and 1845. It sits on a chalk cliff that looks out over the Tombigbee River, just southwest of Demopolis. Allen Glover's second wife, Mary Anne Glover, had it built. The land for the mausoleum was bought by Allen Glover in 1831. He left it to his young daughter, Ann Gaines Glover.

Allen Glover passed away in 1840 and was first buried somewhere else. Records from the local court show that money was spent on building the vault starting in January 1841. By the time it was finished, the people managing Allen Glover's property had spent over $2,100 on its construction. After the mausoleum was completed in 1845, Allen Glover, his first wife, and a daughter were moved to their final resting places inside.

Adding a Fence and Starting a Cemetery

Later, in 1858, a decorative Gothic Revival fence made of cast iron was added around the mausoleum. Ann Glover, Allen's daughter, allowed other family members to be buried near the mausoleum over the years. In 1882, she started selling burial plots to the public. This is how the area became Riverside Cemetery.

Unfortunately, parts of the fence have been damaged over time and much of it has been removed. The Glover Mausoleum was recognized as an important historical site in 1974. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

What the Mausoleum Looks Like

Design and Structure

The Glover Mausoleum is designed to hold the remains of thirty people. Inside, there are fifteen burial spaces on both the east and west sides. These spaces are stacked five across and three high.

The building itself is a square structure made of brick. It is covered with smooth stucco, which is a type of plaster. This stucco is marked to look like large, cut stone blocks. A porch goes all the way around the mausoleum on all four sides. The corners of the porch are solid walls. The open parts of the porch on each side are held up by three cast iron columns. The roof is low and flat, also made of masonry. On top of the roof, there is a granite orb with a cross, which is a symbol often used in Christian art.