Governor George Smith Houston House, historic house in Alabama, United States
The Governor George Smith Houston House is a historic building in Athens, Alabama, built around 1835 in the Federal style, a type of architecture with simple, balanced lines and symmetrical design. The house features rooms with original woodwork, fireplaces, and staircases, plus an old well on the west side of the property.
The house was built in 1835 when Alabama was still a young state, and is closely tied to the life of Governor George Smith Houston. The family donated the building to the city in 1938, when it opened as a museum, and today it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The house is named after Governor George Smith Houston, a significant local leader whose family donated the building to the city. Visitors can see in the rooms how people lived and managed their daily lives during the 19th century.
The house is located on Houston Street in the center of Athens and is accessible to visitors with mobility needs, with a step-free entrance and parking available nearby. The library in the building offers hours Monday through Friday plus one Saturday per month, giving visitors several chances to explore the house.
The house was documented by photographers from the Historic American Buildings Survey, who took detailed photographs in the 1930s showing how the building looked at that time. These old photos allow visitors today to visually trace the house's long history and understand how little its appearance changed over more than a century.
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