Title
President's Mansion Driveway, circa 1890
Subject
University of Alabama
Description
A view of the President's Mansion looking across what is now the University of Alabama quad.
When Reverend Basil Manly accepted the post as president in 1838, the Board of Trustees appointed a committee to gather the required funds for a presidential home. As the original design plans for the campus had been taken by the architect when he left the state, the committee members had to look at the already constructed buildings and form a design plan from them. In the end, the mansion was built in the area which had been designated as the future medical school grounds.
The President’s Mansion is one of the few buildings that survived the burning of the campus in 1865 because of Mrs. Louisa Frances Garland, wife of the 3rd University president Landon C. Garland. Upon learning that the campus was burning, she left Bryce Hospital where everyone had taken shelter and raced back to the mansion to defend her property. Her strength of will and presence of mind stopped the Federal Army from destroying the mansion and the young union soldiers even worked to put out the fire they had already started at the place.
The mansion, which has undergone a number of restorations, assumed its current appearance in 1908. The president's quarters are on the third floor, while the bottom two floors are used for gatherings and receptions.
http://tour.ua.edu/tourstops/presmansion.html
When Reverend Basil Manly accepted the post as president in 1838, the Board of Trustees appointed a committee to gather the required funds for a presidential home. As the original design plans for the campus had been taken by the architect when he left the state, the committee members had to look at the already constructed buildings and form a design plan from them. In the end, the mansion was built in the area which had been designated as the future medical school grounds.
The President’s Mansion is one of the few buildings that survived the burning of the campus in 1865 because of Mrs. Louisa Frances Garland, wife of the 3rd University president Landon C. Garland. Upon learning that the campus was burning, she left Bryce Hospital where everyone had taken shelter and raced back to the mansion to defend her property. Her strength of will and presence of mind stopped the Federal Army from destroying the mansion and the young union soldiers even worked to put out the fire they had already started at the place.
The mansion, which has undergone a number of restorations, assumed its current appearance in 1908. The president's quarters are on the third floor, while the bottom two floors are used for gatherings and receptions.
http://tour.ua.edu/tourstops/presmansion.html
Source
Tuscaloosa News Archive
Date
Circa 1890
Contributor
Jason Townsend (Description)
Elizabeth Bradt (Description)
Type
Photograph
Identifier
66
Coverage
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Original Format
Photograph
Physical Dimensions
6 inches by 4 1/2 inches