Miss Willie's House
Encyclopedia
Miss Willie’s House, also known as the Dr. Samuel Welch House, is a historic brick Queen Anne-style house in Talladega
, Alabama
, USA
. It was built by Dr. Samuel W. Welch and his wife Ethel in 1907. Upon the deaths of Dr. Welch and his wife, the house passed to their daughter, Miss Willie Wallace Welch, who lived in the house until her death in 1997. The house is a contributing property
to the "Silk Stocking District
", a historic district
designated in 1979 by the National Register of Historic Places
in Talladega County
.
, Alabama
, and built by contractor Robert S. West, of Talladega. This duo collaborated on many of Talladega's historic homes and buildings. Dr. Welch served as the State Health Officer for Alabama and spent much of his career addressing health and medical issues across the State. He was also a Mason
and an Odd Fellow
. Miss Willie Welch was a life-long bachelorette, a local historian, and was employed by the Talladega Public Library for over 30 years.
s and 17 Grecian
columns along the wraparound porch. Although the house is a single-story house, the roof was built tall and steep in case the attic was ever converted to living space. The floor plan is divided by a wide central hallway with rooms on each side. The extra-wide hallway was built to accommodate a staircase at the rear for access to the attic. Two of the four interior fireplaces feature French enameled mantles.
At the time of construction, neither gas nor electric lines had been installed in the neighborhood so the house was both wired for electric lighting and piped for gas lighting. Electric lines reached the neighborhood first, so electric light fixtures were purchased for the house. The gas pipes and fittings can still be seen in each room today.
Talladega, Alabama
Talladega is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 15,143. The city is the county seat of Talladega County. Talladega is approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham, Alabama....
, 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...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was built by Dr. Samuel W. Welch and his wife Ethel in 1907. Upon the deaths of Dr. Welch and his wife, the house passed to their daughter, Miss Willie Wallace Welch, who lived in the house until her death in 1997. The house is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the "Silk Stocking District
Silk Stocking District (Talladega)
The Silk Stocking District is a a historic district in the city of Talladega, Alabama, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 13, 1979. Architectural styles include Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, and other late Victorian types. The district...
", a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
designated in 1979 by the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in Talladega County
Talladega County, Alabama
Talladega County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Talladega is a Muscogee Native American word derived from TVLVTEKE, which means "border town." As of 2010, the population was 82,291...
.
History
The house was designed by renowned architect Frank Lockwood of MontgomeryMontgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, 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...
, and built by contractor Robert S. West, of Talladega. This duo collaborated on many of Talladega's historic homes and buildings. Dr. Welch served as the State Health Officer for Alabama and spent much of his career addressing health and medical issues across the State. He was also a Mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and an Odd Fellow
Odd Fellows
Odd Fellows is a name broadly referring to any of a large number of friendly societies, fraternal and service organizations and/or Lodges.-Societies using the name "Odd Fellows" or variations:...
. Miss Willie Welch was a life-long bachelorette, a local historian, and was employed by the Talladega Public Library for over 30 years.
Description
The Welch Home is one of only three solid brick houses in Talladega County - the walls being double-brick (8" thick). It features three bay windowBay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
s and 17 Grecian
Classical order
A classical order is one of the ancient styles of classical architecture, each distinguished by its proportions and characteristic profiles and details, and most readily recognizable by the type of column employed. Three ancient orders of architecture—the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—originated in...
columns along the wraparound porch. Although the house is a single-story house, the roof was built tall and steep in case the attic was ever converted to living space. The floor plan is divided by a wide central hallway with rooms on each side. The extra-wide hallway was built to accommodate a staircase at the rear for access to the attic. Two of the four interior fireplaces feature French enameled mantles.
At the time of construction, neither gas nor electric lines had been installed in the neighborhood so the house was both wired for electric lighting and piped for gas lighting. Electric lines reached the neighborhood first, so electric light fixtures were purchased for the house. The gas pipes and fittings can still be seen in each room today.