Riverdale
National Register of Historic Places

Riverdale

Selma, Dallas County, Alabama
Listed
September 9, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
79000384

About this property

Riverdale is a historic plantation house near Selma, Alabama, United States. Architectural historians consider it to be the "most elegant and refined house of its period in Dallas County." The two-story wood-frame house was built in the Federal-style in 1829. It is five bays wide, with a two-tiered, pedimented portico spanning the central bay. It was built by Virgil H. Gardner, a native of Jones County, Georgia, for his bride, Margaret Loise Aylett of Virginia. Their daughter, Mary Gardner, was married in the house in 1854 to Henry Quitman, son of former Mississippi governor John A. Quitman. Following the deaths of Virgil and Margaret Gardner during the 1880s, the plantation was purchased by W. P. Watts. Houston Alexander sold the house and roughly 1,500 acres (610 ha) of the property in 1961 to the Hammermill Paper Company. The company offered to donate the house to the local historical society on the condition that it be moved. The former plantation site is now the location of International Paper's Riverdale Mill, built in 1965. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 10, 1979. It was disassembled and moved during the 1980s to a site off Alabama State Route 22.

Location

Selma, Dallas County, Alabama
32.43403, -86.86968

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Nearby Historic Sites

Lassiter House
Early Republic
4.6 mi
Marshall's Grove
Early Republic
8.3 mi
Northern Heights Presbyterian Church
Industrial
8.5 mi
Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Civil War
8.7 mi
First Baptist Church
Industrial
8.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Wilson's Raid — Selma
1865Civil War
9 mi
Battle of Selma
1865Civil War
9 mi
Battle of Selma Alabama (Wilson's Raid)
1865Civil War
9 mi
Battle of Selma, Alabama
1865Civil War
9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Riverdale listed on the National Register?

Riverdale was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 9, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Riverdale?

Riverdale is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Riverdale?

The period of significance for Riverdale is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1829.

Can I research the history near Riverdale?

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