Bragg–Mitchell Mansion
Bragg–Mitchell House | |
The Bragg–Mitchell House | |
30°41′33″N 88°5′10″W / 30.69250°N 88.08611°W / 30.69250; -88.08611 | |
Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
---|---|
Built | 1855[3] |
Architect | Alexander J. Bragg |
Architectural style | Greek Revival, with Italianate influences |
NRHP reference No. | 72000168[1][2] |
Added to NRHP | September 27, 1972 |
The Bragg–Mitchell Mansion, also known as the Bragg–Mitchell House, is a historic house museum in Mobile, Alabama. It was built in 1855 by Judge John Bragg and is one of the most photographed buildings in the city as well as one of the more popular tourist attractions.[4] The house has been attributed to John's brother, a local Alabama architect, Alexander J. Bragg.[3][5]
History
John Bragg was born near Warrenton, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1824, where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1830 and moved to Mobile in 1836, where he continued the practice of law. He was appointed judge to Alabama's 10th Judicial Circuit in 1842, later leaving that post after being elected to the 32nd United States Congress. He bought the property at 1906 Springhill Avenue on 10 May 1855 for the sum of $7500 and began construction of the house that continues to stand there today.[6]
Two notable events in the history of the mansion occurred during the American Civil War. The first was the cutting of all of the live oak trees on the property to give the Confederate defenders of Mobile free range to shell any approaching Union troops.[3] The second event was the removal of all of the furnishings from the mansion during the war to Bragg's plantation in Lowndes County. That plantation and all of the furnishings were subsequently burned when Wilson's Raiders went through that area, the irony being that Mobile itself never became a battleground as had been anticipated. John Bragg died in Mobile on 10 August 1878 and was interred in Magnolia Cemetery.[3]
The house remained in the Bragg family until 1880 when it was bought by William H. Pratt. John's brother, Confederate General Braxton Bragg, is often credited with owning the property after John Bragg's death, but this is not the case. He was a frequent guest at the house during John Bragg's lifetime and he did live on the property for a short time after the Civil War, while supervising the construction of jetties at the mouth of Mobile Bay, however.[6] The property passed through the Upham, Davis, and Wingate families before it was purchased by A.S. Mitchell in 1924.[7]
Description
The house is two-stories and built on a T-shaped plan. The architecture is in the Greek Revival style with tall, spindly columns that are derivative of the Doric order around a three-sided veranda. The bracketed cornice indicates some Italianate influence, a fusion of stylistic elements that some have dubbed a "bracketed Greek Revival".[5] It contains fourteen rooms, with seven of those being bedrooms. The ground floor features 15-foot (4.6 m) ceilings.[6]
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Alabama: Mobile County". "Nationalhistoricalregister.com". Archived from the original on 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
- ^ a b c d "History of the Mansion". "Bragg–Mitchell Mansion (Official Website)". Retrieved 2007-01-03.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Bragg–Mitchell Mansion". "Mobile's Grandest Antebellum Mansions". Archived from the original on 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
- ^ a b Gamble, Robert Historic architecture in Alabama: a guide to styles and types, 1810-1930, page 78. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press, 1990. ISBN 0-8173-1134-3.
- ^ a b c Hammond, Ralph. Ante-Bellum Mansions of Alabama., page 172. New York: Architectural Book Publishers, 1951. ISBN 0-517-02075-0
- ^ "Judge John Bragg House". "Library of Congress: Historic American Buildings Survey". Retrieved 2007-01-02.
External links
- Bragg–Mitchell Mansion official site
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Landmarks
- Government Street Presbyterian Church
- Mobile City Hall
- USS Alabama
- USS Drum
districts
- Africatown Historic District
- Ashland Place Historic District
- The Campground
- Church Street East Historic District
- Common Street District
- Convent and Academy of the Visitation
- De Tonti Square Historic District
- Leinkauf Historic District
- Lower Dauphin Street Historic District
- Maysville Historic District
- Midtown Historic District
- Oakleigh Garden Historic District
- Old Dauphin Way Historic District
properties
- Aimwell Baptist Church
- Wade Askew House
- Azalea Court Apartments
- Barton Academy
- Battle House Royale
- Beal–Gaillard House
- Bettie Hunter House
- Bragg–Mitchell Mansion
- Brisk & Jacobson Store
- Caldwell School
- Carlen House
- Carolina Hall
- Cavallero House
- Center–Gaillard House
- U. J. Cleveland House
- Coley Building
- Collins–Marston House
- Collins–Robinson House
- Convent of Mercy
- D'Iberville Apartments
- Dahm House
- Davis Avenue Branch, Mobile Public Library
- Davis Avenue Recreation Center
- Denby House
- Emanuel AME Church
- Emanuel Building
- George Fearn House
- Fire Station No. 5
- First National Bank
- Fort Charlotte
- Gates–Daves House
- Georgia Cottage
- Greene–Marston House
- Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Passenger Terminal
- Hawthorn House
- Martin Horst House
- International Longshoreman's Association Hall
- Joseph Jossen House
- Kirkbride House
- George Levy House
- Martin Lindsey House
- Magnolia Cemetery
- Meaher–Zoghby House
- Ernest Megginson House
- Metzger House
- Miller–O'Donnell House
- Mobile City Hospital
- Monterey Place
- James Arthur Morrison House
- Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church No.1
- Murphy High School
- Neville House
- Oakleigh
- Paterson House
- J. E. Paterson House
- Dave Patton House
- Pfau–Crichton Cottage
- Phillipi House
- Pincus Building
- Bishop Portier House
- Protestant Children's Home
- Roberts House
- Ross Knox House
- St. Francis Street Methodist Church
- Saint Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church
- Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
- St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church
- Saint Matthew's Catholic Church
- Saint Paul's Episcopal Chapel
- Saint Vincent de Paul
- Scottish Rite Temple
- Raphael Semmes House
- Sodality Chapel
- South Lafayette Street Creole Cottages
- Robert L. Spotswood House
- Spring Hill College Quadrangle
- State Street AME Zion Church
- Amelia Stewart House
- Stewartfield
- Stone Street Baptist Church
- Stone Street Cemetery
- Trinity Episcopal Church
- Tschiener House
- Turner-Todd Motor Company
- United States Court House and Custom House
- United States Marine Hospital
- Arthur VanderSys House
- Jacob VanderSys House
- Vickers and Schumacher Buildings
- Joseph M. Walker House
- Weems House
submissions