Magnolia Grove (Additional Documentation)
About this property
Magnolia Grove is a historic Greek Revival mansion in Greensboro, Alabama, United States. The house was named for the 15-acre (6.1 ha) grove of southern magnolias in which it stands. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973, due to its architectural and historical significance. It now serves as a historic house museum and is operated by the Alabama Historical Commission. Magnolia Grove was built in 1840 for Isaac Croom and his wife, Sarah Pearson Croom. Croom was a lawyer and planter from Lenoir County, North Carolina and one of the contributing founders of The University of the South at Sewanee. Sarah was the sister of Richmond Mumford Pearson, a prominent pro-Union politician and Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Isaac Croom died in 1863, with Sarah following him in 1878. They left no living children, so the estate passed to Sarah C. Pearson, the daughter of Richmond Mumford Pearson. She married James M. Hobson, also of North Carolina, who eventually served as probate judge of Hale County for over twenty years. The Hobson family moved to Greensboro and raised four sons and three daughters at Magnolia Grove. The Hobsons' most famous offspring was Richmond Pearson Hobson, a naval hero of the Spanish–American War. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1933 for his actions aboard the USS Merrimac and in 1934, by special act of the United States Congress, he was advanced to Naval Constructor with a rank of Rear Admiral. Hobson resigned from active naval duty in 1903 to begin a career as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Alabama. He served from March 4, 1907, until March 3, 1915, and during that time proposed more than 20 constitutional amendments to ban alcohol. He was denied the Democratic nomination in 1916 to the 65th Congress. He then organized the American Alcohol Education Association in 1921, organized the International Narcotic Education Association in 1923, organized the World Conference on Narcotic Education in 1926, and founded the World Narcotic Defense Association in 1927. These activities have caused some to label him the "Father of American Prohibition". On January 22, 1942, the Gleaves-class destroyer USS Hobson, was commissioned in his honor posthumously. Magnolia Grove was dedicated as a state shrine in his honor on May 1, 1947. Magnolia Grove is a relatively rare Alabama example of a full-scale pedimented temple-form house in the Greek Revival style. It is a two-story masonry structure, built in handmade brick. The front facade is stuccoed, including the pediment. The sides and rear are left with the brick face exposed.
Location
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Magnolia Grove (Additional Documentation) listed on the National Register?
Magnolia Grove (Additional Documentation) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 10, 1973.
What type of historic resource is Magnolia Grove (Additional Documentation)?
Magnolia Grove (Additional Documentation) is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Magnolia Grove (Additional Documentation)?
The period of significance for Magnolia Grove (Additional Documentation) is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Magnolia Grove (Additional Documentation)?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Magnolia Grove (Additional Documentation) will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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