Marion, AL – Perry Lakes Park (contains several Rural Studio designs)
In recent years, Bald Eagles have nested in a giant loblolly pine near the entrance to this 600-acre park. The park contains four oxbow lakes, formed when the Cahaba River changed its course about 150 years ago. Foot trails traverse the park’s mature hardwood forests and swampy lowlands. The park contains several unique features that [...]
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Blount-Peters Home at Marion, AL (ca. 1853 – 1859)
This home was built for Edward A. Blount and his wife, Mary, between 1853 and 1859. In January 1852, the Blount’s bought three lots at the location of this house for $26, $40 and $20. A clear title was granted for this property in January 1853 when the note was satisfied. In 1859, The Blount’s [...]
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Lowery-Henry House at Marion, AL (built 1850’s)
The Lowery-Henry house is just one of about 90 antebellum structures in the Marion area. It is thought that this house was built by a Lowery family in the 1850’s. This Greek Revival-style home is o…ne of only a few large houses in Alabama which has heavy square piers instead of the more conventional round [...]
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“The Camellias” at Marion, AL (built in early 1830s)
The Camellias is a beautiful antebellum home located just south of Marion, AL. It gets its name from the many camellia bushes located on the front lawn. The house was built in the early 1830s by Joseph Crenshaw as a gift for his daughter, Mary Crenshaw Reese, wife of Carlos Reese. Joseph Crenshaw was owner [...]
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King-Colburn-McMillan Home at Marion, AL (c. 1819)
This is one of Marion’s oldest homes thought to have been built around 1819. It is a raised cottage which is rare in the Black Belt, and is most often associated with homes along the Gulf Coast. General Edward B. King resided in this house prior to the Civil War. He played a major role [...]
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Marion Military Institute at Marion, AL
Marion Military Institute (MMI) traces its origins back to 1842 with the creation of Howard College in Marion, Alabama by the Alabama Baptist Convention. From 1863 to 1865, two buildings on the Howard College campus served the Confederacy as Breckenridge Military Hospital. These were Lovelace Hall (or the Old South Barracks) which was built in [...]
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Parish-Curry Farmhouse at Marion, AL (built 1834)
This two-story farmhouse, built in 1834 by Joel Parish, his wife, Emma Curby, and their children, is one of the old buildings in Perry County. The Parish family moved from North Carolina in a covered wagon, camped on a knoll nearby, and built their home. The family moved in and completed the house and a [...]
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Moore Lee House at Marion, AL (1840s)
This home, built in the 1840s, is the only Gothic style house in Marion and one of the last in Alabama. Constructed in cruciform pattern, the two-story house has a central wide porch with classical supports on the second floor. This house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It located on Marion’s [...]
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Berean Baptist Church at Marion, AL (built 1873)
This church was built by freed slaves in 1873, Berean is an offspring of Siloam Baptist Church. Siloam and local Baptists gave $1000 for the building of the Berean. Berean was an important site for civil rights meetings in the sixties. This church is located at 804 Washington Street in Marion, AL (GPS coordinates N32.628722,W87.318833). [...]
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Wiley Harris House at Marion, AL (ca. 1838)
A Greek Revival home built about 1838. Attached to the house is the building which once served as headquarters of the Alabama Baptist State Convention. Along with the only remaining incense cedar tree brought to Marion from California in the 1870′s, the grounds contain many old camellias. Location of home: 106 Convenient Street, Marion, AL, [...]
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Marion Presbyterian Church (1877) at Marion, AL
The Marion Presbyterian Church was organized on July 30, 1832. The present building was constructed in the 1870’s using Norman-style architecture and dedicated on December 30, 1877. (At that time, Mrs. M. C. Rankin planted the magnolia tree that is located in front of the church.) The sanctuary today remains very much as it was [...]
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Lincoln Normal School’s Phillips Memorial Auditorium at Marion, AL
The Lincoln Normal School was a historic African American school in Marion, Alabama. Lincoln Normal was founded in 1867 by freed slaves as a school for African-American children. In 1870, the school expanded to include teacher training and for a time became known as the Lincoln Normal University for Teachers. The program primarily focused on [...]
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