Foscue-Whitfield House
Encyclopedia
The Foscue-Whitfield House, best known as the Foscue House, is a historic Federal
style house just outside the city limits of Demopolis
, Alabama
, United States
.
. In 1855 Augustus' daughter, Mary Alice Foscue, married Dr. Bryan Watkins Whitfield, son of the builder of Gaineswood
. Augustus died in 1861 and the house was inherited by Mary and her husband. The house has remained in the Whitfield family to the present day and was recently restored by a descendant.
facade at the front elevation and a gabled roof. A new brick addition was built onto the front of the house in 1849, requiring the removal of a two-tiered, columned entrance portico. A smaller columned entrance portico was added at that time. The full-width front porch with a hipped roof
was added in 1920 by Jesse Whitfield, grandson of the builder, replacing the portico from 1849.
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
style house just outside the city limits of Demopolis
Demopolis, Alabama
Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. The population was 7,483 at the time of the 2010 United States Census....
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The Foscue House was built in 1840 by Augustus Foscue as the family residence for his plantationPlantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. In 1855 Augustus' daughter, Mary Alice Foscue, married Dr. Bryan Watkins Whitfield, son of the builder of Gaineswood
Gaineswood
Gaineswood is a plantation house in Demopolis, Alabama, United States. The house was completed on the eve of the American Civil War after a construction period of almost twenty years. It is the grandest plantation house ever built in Marengo County and is one of the most significant remaining...
. Augustus died in 1861 and the house was inherited by Mary and her husband. The house has remained in the Whitfield family to the present day and was recently restored by a descendant.
Description
The house is two and a half stories and built with handmade brick. It features a five-bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
facade at the front elevation and a gabled roof. A new brick addition was built onto the front of the house in 1849, requiring the removal of a two-tiered, columned entrance portico. A smaller columned entrance portico was added at that time. The full-width front porch with a hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
was added in 1920 by Jesse Whitfield, grandson of the builder, replacing the portico from 1849.