Joseph T. Smitherman Historic Building
| Old Dallas County Courthouse | |||
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| National Register of Historic Places | |||
 The former Dallas County Courthouse in Selma |
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| location | Selma , Dallas County , Alabama | ||
| Coordinates | 32 ° 4 '18 " N , 87 ° 1' 33" W | ||
| Built | 1847 | ||
| Architectural style | Greek Revival | ||
| NRHP number | 75000310 | ||
| The NRHP added | 1975 | ||
The Joseph T. Smitherman Historic Building in Selma , known by a number of other names throughout its history, is the former courthouse of Dallas County in the US state of Alabama .
The building, built in the style of the Greek Revival , was completed in 1847 and fulfilled various functions during the period of its existence. On June 20, 1975, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and historical importance . The building currently houses the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum , which is dedicated to Semla's history.
history
The building was built by a Masonic lodge , Selma Fraternal Lodge No. 27, built in 1847. These had invested $ 15,000 (in today's prices $ 479,726) to help orphans and children of needy Freemasons. The facility opened as the Central Masonic Institute in October 1848 but was not prosperous. Next, the structure was used as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War . Towards the end of the war, the building survived the Battle of Selma and then served for a short time as the Freedman's Bureau hospital . It was then acquired by some of the city honors who wanted to support the attempt to relocate the county seat of Dallas Counties from Cahaba to Selma. These efforts were successful, and Selma became the county seat in 1866. The building served as the Dallas County Courthouse until 1902, when a new courthouse was built on the corner of Alabama Avenue and Lauderdale Street.
Henry W. Vaughan's estate trustees bought the building in 1904 for $ 5,025 and leased it to another school, the Selma Military Institute , that same year . This organization used the building until 1908 when it moved to what is now an administration building on North Broad Street. The trustees converted the building back into a hospital in 1911, the Vaughan Memorial Hospital . This institution was in the building until a new hospital was completed on West Dallas Avenue. The building stood empty and neglected for the next nine years until the city government and Selma Housing Authority bought it in 1969 for $ 82,500. At the time, Joseph T. Smitherman was the city's mayor. After the renovation, the Historic and Civic Building was opened on May 16, 1971 . It was renamed in 1979 in honor of Smitherman in recognition of his contributions to the maintenance and renovation of the building.
architecture
The three-story red brick building was built in the classical style that was popular at the time. Most striking are the central portico in the style of a Greek temple with the monumental Ionic columns. The exposed masonry of the facade, which comprises seven bays , consists of a stretcher bond, a ledge separates the floors optically from one another. The portico with a gable triangle occupies the three middle bays of the building, the balconies embedded in it on the upper floors underline the width and depth of the surface covered in this way. The design of the wrought iron balcony railings uses an open diamond pattern.
museum
The building is now home to the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum. On the ground floor is the collection of the Civil War Museum and documents on slavery . The first floor houses the collection of political documents and the second floor is equipped as a hospital as it will have looked when it was used as the Vaughan Memorial Hospital. The museum also has a collection of furniture from the mid-19th century, Indian artifacts, and provides space for local associations for meetings and events.
See also
Web links
- Vaughan-Smitherman Museum (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Entry in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed April 20, 2016
- ↑ a b c Vaughan-Smitherman Museum ( English ) In: City of Selma, Alabama . Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
- ^ A b c d History of the Joseph T. Smitherman Historic Building ( English ) In: Historic Selma and Dallas County, Alabama . Retrieved March 4, 2010.
- ↑ a b c Pilgrimage Headquarters: The Smitherman Building . In: Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society . Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
