Waldwic facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Waldwic
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Front elevation in 2008
Location in Alabama Show map of Alabama Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Gallion, Alabama
Built	1840, renovated 1852.
MPS	Plantation Houses of the Alabama Canebrake and Their Associated Outbuildings Multiple Property Submission
NRHP reference No.	94000684
Added to NRHP	July 22, 1994

Waldwic, also known as the William M. Spencer, III, House, is a historic home and area in Gallion, Alabama. It is a type of house called a Carpenter Gothic plantation house. This means it was the main house on a large farm where people were forced to work without pay.

Waldwic is special because it's part of a group of important old homes in the Alabama Canebrake area. The main house and other buildings on the property were added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 22, 1994. This means they are recognized as important historical places in the United States.

History of Waldwic

The Waldwic house was first built in 1840 for Robert Gracey. Back then, it was a simpler farmhouse with a porch. In 1852, it was made much bigger and fancier. It was changed to look like a Gothic Revival style house. This style was popular at the time and often featured pointed arches and decorative details, like old castles or churches.

The design might have been inspired by a picture of a house called "Waldwic Cottage" from a book by William H. Ranlett. It's possible Ranlett even helped design the changes. The amazing carpentry work was done by two skilled craftsmen named Peter Lee and Joe Glasgow. They were enslaved by Captain H.A. Tayloe, who owned a nearby farm. These same craftsmen also built another beautiful church in the same style, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Prairieville, Alabama).

After Robert Gracey died, his wife remarried Willis Bocock in 1856. Records from 1860 show that Bocock forced 127 people to work on the farm. The Waldwic property was originally in Marengo County. But in 1867, that part of Marengo County became part of a new county called Hale County.

Later, in 1889, Robert Gracey's granddaughter, Bertha Gracey Steele, got married at Waldwic. She married William Micajah Spencer, who was a lawyer. He was even elected to the Alabama Senate in 1901, which means he became a politician in Alabama.

Today, Waldwic is one of only about 20 Gothic Revival style homes left in Alabama. Other similar historic homes in the area include Ashe Cottage and Fairhope Plantation.