This house, also known as Everhope, is a classic Greek Revival plantation home that was built circa 1853 for Captain Nathan Carpenter, who had served with the Eutaw Rangers in the Mexican-American War, and later served as captain of the Confederate Rangers (Company B of the 36th Regiment, Alabama Infantry). This antebellum home was once part of a 667-acre cotton plantation. The design and construction of the house is attributed to David Rinehart Anthony who built several plantation homes in the area. Anthony’s own home, built later in Eutaw, bears a strong resemblance to the Carpenter house, most notably the octagonal columns and side-gables. This is a 2 1/2-story wood-frame structure with a side-gabled roof covering the portico and main block of the structure. The front elevation features a two-story portico supported by four monumentally-scaled octagonal columns. The portico spans the entire front of the house, covering all five bays of the facade. Double doors with sidelights occupy the central bay of each floor, with a cantilevered governor’s balcony projecting from the second level. This five thousand plus square foot house is believed to have been constructed from timber taken from the Carpenter property.

The house remained in the Carpenter family for 122 years, until 1974. At this time, the house was virtually unchanged since its construction. It still had no running water or restroom facilities. The house sat empty until purchased by Dr. and Mrs. George E. Rudd in 1977. The Captain David Carpenter house was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on December 21, 1977, following its purchase by the Rudds. The Rudd family never moved in full time, only using the house occasionally on holidays and weekends. During their absence, the house suffered periodic vandalism. In 1994, the house was purchased by Charles and Jan Bullock. The Bullocks began a program of restoration and adding modern conveniences to the house being careful to maintain its unique antebellum authenticity. The Captain David Carpenter house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1999, during the Bullocks’ ownership. The house was purchased by David and Pam Harmon in 2005. They continued the restoration and preservation of the historic house. The Harmons gave the house its current name, Everhope. In 2012, Barden Smedberg purchased the house and opened it as Everhope Plantation Bed and Breakfast. Visit everhopeplantation.com for details.

The Captain Nathan Carpenter House (Everhope) is located beside Highway 14 approximately seven miles northwest of Eutaw, AL (GPS coordinates 32.901533, -87.970324).

Sources: 1) NRHP “Captain Nathan Carpenter House” Registration Form; 2) everhopeplantation.com; 3) GreeneCountyHistoricSociety.org.