Liberty Hall, also known as the John Robert McDowell Place, is a historic plantation house located near Camden. This two-story Greek Revival-style mansion was built during the 1850s for John Robert McDowell by W.W. Robinson. It is one of the least altered antebellum plantation homes in the Alabama Black Belt. The house has a hipped roof, a full-height portico supported by four huge columns and a long balcony at the upper level. One unusual feature of this antebellum mansion is the columns on the portico – two are round and two are square. Four round columns were ordered for the home. However, two of the columns were lost during a violent storm when being transported up the Alabama River to Camden. Robinson improvised by using two square columns. Interior features of the home include elaborate plasterwork in the formal rooms and hall on the lower level that was designed by Harriet McDowell, wife of John Robert McDowell.
This house was photographed and recorded in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1936 & 1937. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on January 05, 1984. The house is also featured in Jennifer Hale’s Historic Plantations of Alabama’s Black Belt.
Liberty Hall is still owned by McDowell descendants. The house has been completely restored and it is now operated as a bed and breakfast (libertyhallbandb.com).
“Liberty Hall” is located approximately four miles southwest of Camden on the west side of Hwy 221 approximately 1.1 mile south of the junction with Hwy 10 (31.97301205,-87.33495791 – Google Maps).
B&W photographs that are included are provided courtesy of the U. S. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs (HABS, Photographer: Alex Bush, Dates of Photographs: August 29, 1936 and January 8, 1937).
Sources: 1) NRHP “Liberty Hall” Registration Form; 2) The Alabama Catalog: A Guide to the Early Architecture of the State, by Robert Gamble; 3) Historic Plantations of Alabama’s Black Belt, by Jennifer Hale.