Spring in Selma is magical! It’s the time flowers are bursting into bloom after winter’s cold and color is everywhere. Azaleas, dogwood, wisteria, Lady Banks roses and flowering fruit trees are around every corner. Combine these with Spanish moss and Southern hospitality and you’ll think you’ve discovered a new world…one you’ll never want to leave.
It’s also the time of Selma’s Annual Pilgrimage of Historic Homes, when some of the owners of Selma’s historic and architecturally significant homes open their doors to ticket holders and allow them a glimpse of history with a Selma flair. Selma’s architectural diversity will be displayed by the houses chosen for this year’s tour. Antebellum mansions, Victorian splendors, a town house moved from Cahawba and the finest furnishings to be found in Alabama will be available for visitors to view.
This year’s pilgrimage will be open Friday and Saturday only, with a different activity to be held each night. On Friday night, the Mabry-Jones house will be open for touring with refreshments served after the tour. This antebellum house is not only beautifully restored Civil War Mementosand furnished, but also is home to museum-quality artifacts, pictures, and books owned by some of Selma’s earliest citizens who were prominently involved with the War Between the States. This house was the home of Admiral Catesby ap C Jones who commanded the Virginia (Merrimac) during the famous battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac. It is owned and maintained by his descendents and it is a treat you won’t want to miss. Saturday night’s entertainment will feature Old Live Oak Cemetery. “Residents” of this historic cemetery will return for a brief time to tell you about their life and times in an interactive manner. The ever-popular Cemetery tour is also something you won’t soon forget.
Other Pilgrimage pluses included this year are St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Kenan’s Mill in operation, Sturdivant Hall, the Old Depot Museum, the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum, the Selma Art Guild’s art show, ArtsRevive’s Juried Art Show, Tin Man’s Gallery and 25 plein air artists who will sell their paintings at the Selma Art Guild on Saturday from 4:30-6:00.
Join us for the weekend. A magical experience awaits you!
|
|
Gillman Hall Gillman Hall (circa 1860) is a lovely Greek Revival Italianate. This house was constructed with solid bricks finished with stucco. The front porch posts were fashioned from iron, and this carefully restored home is furnished with many period antiques. |
|
Munroe-Wilkinson House The Munroe-Wilkinson House (circa 1858) was one of the early homes in this new portion of town as Selma expanded in the middle of the 19th century. According to several sources the brick portion of the house was brought from Cahawba around 1850 by the Middletons. It was renovated in the 1920s under architect Frank Lockwood.
|
 |
|
|
Parke House The Parke House (circa 1859) is an antebellum mansion originally constructed using old growth heart pine as three rooms over three rooms laid out in the shape of an L. It was built in the Greek revival style but underwent extensive remodeling near the beginning of the 20th century when Victorian and Edwardian elements were added to its interior. It retains four of it original gas chandeliers and has five bedrooms, eight fireplaces and six bathrooms in its present form. The free standing brick kitchen remains and was expanded into a nine hundred square foot outbuilding in the 1980s. A two room slave quarters also survives and was moved and incorporated into the main structure. A New Orleans style brick courtyard was added as well during renovations in the 1980’s. Most recently a seven car garage was built using antique bricks in 2008 and a modern chef’s kitchen was completed in 2012. The house is currently furnished with period antiques. |
|
Platt-Lewis-Gayle-Linden House The Platt-Lewis-Gayle-Linden Home (circa 1849), a gracious Italianate home, has been beautifully furnished by owner Shannon Linden and restored by its previous owners, Cecil Gayle and the late Ken Parker. Carved eaves and cornice brackets are original to the house, and a charming, Victorian octagonal addition was built around 1900. This home is lovingly furnished with numerous family heirlooms as well as art and silver pieces collected throughout her lifetime. A bronze sign that was original to the Stabler Infirmary in Greenville is Mrs. Linden’s favorite piece. Both her father and grandfather were physicians, and the L.V. Stabler Memorial Hospital in Greenville is named for her grandfather. |
|
|
|
Wooten Law Firm This one-and-one-half story Queen Anne house, circa 1890, with hipped roof and cross gable, features a turreted porch and beautiful stained glass. After serving as a residence for many families it is now the home of the Wooten Law Firm, a general practice headed by a Selma native. |
|
Mabry-Jones House Evening Reception and Tour The Mabry-Jones Home (circa 1850) is a Greek Revival home built by Dr. Albert G. Mabry, a Selma physician and the first president of The Alabama Medical Association. Dr. Mabry’s stepdaughter married Capt. Catesby ap Roger Jones, who came to Selma in 1863 after commanding the CSS Virginia (popularly known as The Merrimac) against the Monitor in 1862. Featuring many original furnishings and authentic memorabilia, the house is a historic treasure. Since Capt. Jones’ death in 1877, the home has been occupied by descendants of the Mabry-Jones family. |
|
