Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens

Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens, or Arlington Historic House, is a former plantation house and 6 acres (24,000 m2) of landscaped gardens near downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The two-story frame structure was built between 1845–50 and features antebellum-era Greek Revival architecture. The house serves as a decorative arts museum, featuring a collection of 19th-century furniture, textiles, silver, and paintings. The garden features a restored garden room that is used for special events. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1970 as Arlington, and has also been known as the Mudd-Munger House.[1]

This article is about Arlington Historic House near downtown Birmingham, Alabama. For the home of Robert E. Lee, see Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial.
Arlington
Arlington in 1993
Location331 Cotton Ave., SW, Birmingham, Alabama
Coordinates33°29′59″N 86°50′20″W
Built1845–50
ArchitectStephen Hall; William Mudd
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Federal
NRHP reference No.70000103[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 2, 1970

History

Built between 1845 and 1850 by William S. Mudd in Elyton, the second county seat of Jefferson County, Birmingham, a city that Mudd helped to establish, eventually grew to encompass the former site of Elyton. Arlington is one of the only surviving structures from the time of Elyton and is Birmingham's only antebellum mansion.[2] Arlington was used by Union troops while planning the burning of the University of Alabama.

The property went through several owners and in 1902 became the home of Robert S. Munger. Over the next twenty years he did many renovations including plumbing and electric lights. He had another structure moved across the street behind the main house which was used for a kitchen, dining room, sun parlor and sleeping quarters. Mr. Munger also had one of the first “motor cars” in Birmingham.

In 1953, a citizen's group and the City of Birmingham raised money to purchase Arlington.[3]

The ashes of former Birmingham mayor George G. Siebels, Jr. are interred at Arlington.

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

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Arlington Antebellum Home & Garden". Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original on April 29, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  3. "Arlington Antebellum History". Arlington Antebellum. Retrieved October 5, 2018.


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