Partly Cloudy at St. Luke's

The side windows at St. Luke's Episcopal Church reflect the partly cloudy skies

 from a couple of weeks  ago. Trees were still bare, but they are beginning

 to bud. St. Luke's Church is located at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park 

near Selma. It was built in Cahawba in 1854,

 moved in 1887 and returned in 2006. 

Linking to Skywatch Friday

At the Top

Selma has enjoyed blue skies, flowering Japanese Magnolia

 and spring temperatures this past week, and here is a peek

 at the top of Sturdivant Hall. What a magnificent view 

that must be looking down! The antebellum Greek Revival house

 museum is located in Old Town Selma. 

Linking to Skywatch Friday

The Fence at the Mabry-Jones House

The fence that surrounds the Mabry-Jones House is one of the simplest,

 yet most unique in town, and you are invited to step inside the fence

 on Friday, March 16 for an evening reception and tour of this 1850 mansion.

 Once the home of Capt. Catesby ap Roger Jones (who commanded the Merrimac

 against the Monitor) in a Civil War battle of the ironclads, this Greek Revival

 still remains in the family and is filled with intriguing collections.

 Even more intriguing are the circumstances of Capt. Jones' death.

 For more information about the house and tour,

 visit the Selma Pilgrimage website. 

Posted at Friday Fences

Kenan House

Here's a house that still bears scars of a fire when Wilson's Raiders plundered Selma during one of the last battles of the Civil War in April 1865.

Located just north of town, the Kenan House was in the direct path of the Union calvary headed to destroy the Selma Arsenal and Naval Gunworks.

Finding no one home, the Yankees piled furniture in the parlor and set it afire. But this 1826 Greek Revival that was built from lumber on the property, didn't burn, thanks to servants who rushed out of hiding as soon as the troops were gone. However, a large area of the charred floor is still visible in front of the parlor fireplace.

The Kenan House is among nine homes that will be open for visitors during the Historic Selma Pilgrimage March 18-21. The nearby Kenan's Mill, an 1860's gristmill on Valley Creek, will also be open, and visitors can purchase stone-ground cornmeal and grits.

Skywatch Friday - Clouds 'n Roses

It's Skywatch Friday! Check out lots of other overhead scenes at Wigger's World.

Cotton clouds 'n yellow roses were a treat for my camera to shoot last week. The roses are Lady Banksias, and the Greek Revival architecture is the back view of the antebellum Henderson House. The clouds are cumulus.

Spring Blossoms at the Parke House

More Japanese Magnolia!
This time, it is blooming at the Parke House, an 1850's Greek Revival home built by a Selma physician as a wedding present for his daughter.

Greek-Revival Architecture

The Lee-Bender-Butler House is a Greek Revival structure that was built in 1850 by Thomas Helm Lee, a cousin of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Lee also built Selma's Sturdivant Hall, now a house museum.

Sturdivant Hall Museum

Here is a view from the sidewalk as visitors approach Sturdivant Hall. The house museum is considered one of the finest Greek Revival neoclassic antebellum mansions in the Southeast. How's that for a pedigree?!

Its architect was Thomas Helm Lee, a cousin of Robert E. Lee, and the home became a museum in the late 1950s. With numerous antiques, portraits, period furniture and formal gardens, it is a must-see for tourists. The site also includes a gift shop.

For more details, visit the Sturdivant Hall website.

Click on the photo for a larger view.

Oh, and yes, it has a ghost!