This house was built in 1880 for Dr. H. B. Ward (Oct. 7, 1852 – Dec. 31, 1917). Henry Bascomb (H. B.) Ward graduated from the Medical College at Mobile in 1878 and established his practice in Cuba in 1880. In addition to his physician’s practice, Dr. Ward wore the hats of a businessman and a farmer. He also served as Cuba’s first mayor. Dr. Ward opened a general store in Cuba in 1881. He also maintained large farming interests in the Cuba area. Dr. Ward acquired real estate within the incorporated limits of Cuba as well as extensive farmland totaling in the thousands of acres in the vicinity of Cuba, and in the nearby community of Ward (which is named after his family), and in the Mobile area. As a farmer, Dr. Ward profited from Cuba’s bustling truck farming industry. At the turn of the century, Cuba was considered a truck farming capital. In 1890, Cuba was incorporated and Dr. Ward served as its first mayor.
The Dr. H. B. Ward House is a two-story, wood-frame I-house with Greek Revival and Victorian additions. The primary facade is five bays wide, with a one-story porch spanning the entire width. A two-story central portico, Greek Revival in style, projects from the central bay and over the one-story porch. The backside of the house has an addition that was added circa 1890. A complex roof consisting of a hip with cross gables crowns the house.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the condition of the Ward house deteriorated to the point of disrepair due to neglect. In 1993, Beth Gray purchased and began a meticulous and historically sensitive restoration of the house. The Dr. H. B. Ward House was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on August 14, 1998, at the request of Ms. Gray.
This home is located on 4th Ave in downtown Cuba (32.428528,-88.375944 – Google Maps).
This is a private residence – drive by only.
Photographs that are provided were taken March 23, 2016.
Sources: 1) NRHP “Dr. H. B. Ward House” Registration Form; 2) wikipedia.org/Dr_H_B_Ward_House.