Take an exciting tour of historical sites in Uniontown, AL on Saturday, December 9th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Travel to old churches and historic homes and listen to fantastic stories from the past. Learn about Uniontown’s colorful history and take in some of the amazing sites not seen anywhere else in the world. Come join the tour for a wonderful day of exploration and discovery!
Fairhope
Built of heart pine; Fairhope is a fine example of Gothic Revival style domestic architecture. It is one of the few remaining antebellum Gothic homes in the area. The house was built by Joseph Selden shortly after his marriage to Elizabeth Collier Harrison Minge in 1854 as a centerpiece of his estate.
Pitts Folly
Pitts’ Folly is for drive-by viewing only, but you will definitely want to see it! This impressive home was constructed beginning in 1851 and completed in 1853. It was built for Philip Henry Pitts, a planter born in Essex County, Virginia in 1816, and his wife, Margaret Mary Davidson Pitts, from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina born in 1824, their 10 children, and later 3 grandsons. The architect was Benjamin F. Parsons who also designed the Perry County Courthouse.
Pitts’ Folly was surveyed and photographed for the Historic American Buildings Survey in the 1930s and added to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1980s. This house has served as a multi-generational family home making the current resident of the home the fifth generation of the family to live in the house.
Violet Cottage
Sometime before 1884 Moses and Flora Marx erected this outstanding example of Victorian architecture. They named the house Violet Cottage after their youngest daughter Violet. An affluent Jewish family, Mr. & Mrs. Marx owned a large dry goods store with a millinery shop.
First Missionary Baptist Church
After worshiping at several locations following its founding in August of 1866, the congregation purchased the lot on which the present building is located. A frame building was erected here in 1871 and later replaced with a brick one during the 1890s. However, the brick building was soon condemned and had to be torn down. The current High Victorian Gothic structure was ready for occupation in October of 1907.
The C.H.O.I.C.E. House
The C.H.O.I.C.E. House is located next to Uniontown’s historic First Missionary Baptist Church. It was designed and built by four students of Auburn University’s Rural Studio: AC Priest, Davis Benfer, Hailey Osborne, and Yi Xuan (Raymond) Teo. This duplex can house people who are suddenly left homeless due to natural disaster, house fire, or other unforeseen circumstance. Rural Studio was made aware of this need by Emefa Butler who heads up the local nonprofit C.H.O.I.C.E. (Choosing to Help Others in our Community Excel). ARCH (Alabama Rural Coalition of the Homeless) had previously identified the need for emergency housing in Perry County, and now the C.H.O.I.C.E./Rural Studio partnership is creating a solution. The C.H.O.I.C.E. House is set to open January 2024.
La Dai’ Villa
Lamont and Daisy Germany moved from the Northeast searching for their perfect Southern home. In 2017 they purchased this gorgeous home which was formerly known as the McCorkle-Belcher house. They christened it for their own, renaming the house “La Dai’ Villa” which is a name they created from the first several letters of Lamont and Daisy.
The house was originally built by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas McCorkle from 1906 to 1908.
Westwood
James Lewis Price, a native of Richmond, Virginia, began construction on this Greek Revival house in 1836, completing it in 1840. Price and his wife, Louisa Adele Shearer, raised four daughters here. Maria Overton Price, their eldest daughter, married Alexander Caldwell Davidson in 1860, and he purchased Westwood from his father-in-law as a wedding gift for his bride. Westwood was built for entertaining in the elegant plantation manner and, at its zenith, it was noted for the magnificence of its receptions. It has been referred to as “the Mecca of Canebrake Society.” Louis Davidson was quoted in Carl Carmer’s Stars Fell on Alabama as saying, “There are only two places in the world where one may live a happy civilized existence – Paris and Uniontown.”
Old Post Office & Uniontown History
This circa 1830s post office is in the Uniontown Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 2000. Originally called Woodville, Uniontown lies in the Canebrake, a portion of the Black Belt Prairie traditionally recognized as one of the richest farming areas in the state. The Black Belt region refers to a wide swath of fertile black soil characteristic of 18 central Alabama counties, including Perry County.
Uniontown First Presbyterian Church
The church was organized in 1848 with eight members. Services were held at the home of Col. J. H. Davidson until a church building was built in Uniontown on Green Street. The congregation moved into the first church building in 1854. The name of the Church started out as Hopewell but was changed to Uniontown in 1853. At a congregational meeting held on April 18, 1914, the name of the Church was then changed to the First Presbyterian Church, Incorporated. The cornerstone of the present Church was laid in March 1914 although it was not dedicated until 1923. The first service in this neoclassical structure was held in October 1914.
The Drake House
This home originally built by Mr. and Mrs. Edward White in 1915, is a two-story frame dwelling with a three-bay façade. The current owners, Brad Ballard and Dudley Long, of the two-story dwelling have officially named the home “The Drake House” in honor of the late Eleanor Drake, the most previous homeowner, family friend and PCH&PS member. Brad and Dudley seek to restore the home to its former glory, keeping the original while updating it to the comfort of the present. Brad and Dudley feel that it is important to keep the philosophy of the builder in mind and look forward to honoring the home by restoring its original state as well as its original intention.
(Tickets may be purchased on the day of the tour starting at 10am at the Tour Headquarters, 390 Water Avenue.)
