Fairhope is a historic 2 ½-story Gothic Revival style plantation home that was built for Joseph Selden and his wife, Elizabeth Minge Selden, as the centerpiece of a one thousand acre estate. The house was built by Theophilus Gilliam Fowler, a local builder. Construction began in 1857 and the house was completed by 1861. The house features numerous Gothic Revival details, including intricate bargeboards on the eaves and gables, hood moldings over the doors and windows, octagonal brick chimneys, and central gables topped by finials on all four sides. The wrap-around porch on the house contains elaborate iron grill work that was manufactured at Peacock Iron Works of Selma.
Fairhope is one of the most significant Gothic Revival structures in the historic Canebrake area of Alabama and it is one of the few remaining in the area. It was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on December 19, 1991 and to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on May 29, 1992. Fairhope is located about one mile east of Uniontown. The house is approximately ¼ mile south of Highway 80 at the end of a private driveway and it is not visible from the highway.
Sources: 1) Perry County Heritage, Volume II; 2) NRHP “Fairhope Plantation” Registration Form
2/12/14