James Martin House (Florence, Alabama)

James Martin House
Location 1400 Cypress Mill Rd., Florence, Alabama
Coordinates 34°48′57″N 87°42′12″W / 34.81583°N 87.70333°WCoordinates: 34°48′57″N 87°42′12″W / 34.81583°N 87.70333°W
Area 0.7 acres (0.28 ha)
Built 1843
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 81000128[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP December 9, 1981
Designated ARLH October 19, 1979[2]

The James Martin House (also known as the Martin-Bounds House) is a historic residence in Florence, Alabama. Martin was a leading Florence industrialist of the Antebellum era, who owned a cotton spinning mill along Cypress Creek. He had come to Florence from Jefferson County, Kentucky, and established his mill in 1839. A fire destroyed the complex in 1844, but was rebuilt and reopened in 1850. The mill was destroyed during the Civil War, but not rebuilt before Martin's death in 1869. Martin's sons operated the mill until 1873, and owned the house until 1879. It was purchased in 1886 by John Bounds, and remained in his family until 1974.

The original block of the house is five bays wide, with a small pedimented porch covering the double front door, which is surrounded by a transom and sidelights. A pair of nine-over-six sash windows flank the porch on either side. An addition was built on the left side of the façade in the mid-19th century, adding a hallway and two rooms to the center-hall plan layout. A wing to the rear of the house was originally attached via an open breezeway which was later enclosed. The entire house has Federal-style woodwork with some Greek Revival details, such as fluted Doric columns and pilasters on the front porch.[3]

The house was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1979 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.[2][1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage". preserveala.org. Alabama Historical Commission. June 13, 2014. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ Gamble, Robert S. (May 1981). "James Martin House". National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form. National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015. See also: "Accompanying photos". Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.