This antebellum mansion was originally located upriver at Packards (Packer’s) Bend. Construction began on the home in the late 1850s by William Douglas “Dock” King (1826-1866), a cousin of U. S. Vice-President William Rufus DeVane King. The story goes that the house was never entirely finished at its original site due to the outbreak of the Civil War. Although the main structure was completed, an expected shipment of trim and embellishments from England never made it through the Union’s blockade at Mobile Bay.
During the mid-1960s, the house was purchased by Eugene Garrett (a former state legislator) and relocated to its present site. The house contains 9000 sq. ft. not including the verandas and 4 rooms that were not moved with the house due to extensive damage caused by honey bees. According to Mr. Garrett, nearly the entire house was constructed using pegs which made it easy to dismantle and re-assemble. It took 27 tractor-trailers to haul the house to its present location in Uriah.
This home is located beside Highway 59 at Uriah at the intersection of Highway 59 and Orchard Road (King-Garrett Plantation House – Google Maps).
This is a private residence – drive by only.
Sources: 1) Monroe County Heritage Museum; 2) AtmoreNews.com, “Restoring a bit of history” by Sherry Digmon (September 8, 2010); facebook.com/TheGarrettHouse.