Pfau-Crichton Cottage
Encyclopedia
The Pfau-Crichton Cottage, best known as Chinaberry, is a historic cottage in Mobile, Alabama
, United States
. The -story, wood-frame, Gulf Coast cottage was completed in 1862. The house was built by the Pfau family, but its best known resident was Miss Anne Randolph Crichton, known for the elaborate gardens that she developed on the property. She enlisted in the Navy
at the outbreak of World War I
and continued her service until retirement, in the 1950s. She traveled extensively in Europe
during the 1930s, maintaining scrapbooks that recorded her visits to various art museums, gardens, and monuments. She was the last direct descendant of Hugh Randolph Crichton, the founder of the Mobile County
town of Crichton. The house was added to National Register of Historic Places
on October 18, 1984 as a part of the 19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood Thematic Resource
listing of well preserved buildings that represent the historical development of what was once the village of Spring Hill.
Pfau-Crichton Cottage is unique in its architectural features. The home itself is a 2-story structure, each floor being measured at 700 sq ft (65 m²). The bottom floor of the home is the central living area consisting of the kitchen, library, bathroom, living room, dining room, and a single bedroom. The unique part of this part of the architecture is that all rooms are connected by multiple doorways, but no hallways. The upper floor is a one-room storage area.
On the property there are a total of three structures. Aside from the cottage itself there is an outlying kitchen and a chapel. There are brick walkways that lead to each structure and all garden areas.
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The -story, wood-frame, Gulf Coast cottage was completed in 1862. The house was built by the Pfau family, but its best known resident was Miss Anne Randolph Crichton, known for the elaborate gardens that she developed on the property. She enlisted in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
at the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and continued her service until retirement, in the 1950s. She traveled extensively in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
during the 1930s, maintaining scrapbooks that recorded her visits to various art museums, gardens, and monuments. She was the last direct descendant of Hugh Randolph Crichton, the founder of the Mobile County
Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...
town of Crichton. The house was added to 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...
on October 18, 1984 as a part of the 19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood Thematic Resource
19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood Thematic Resource
The 19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood Thematic Resource is a multiple property submission of buildings that were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places. It covers eight properties in the Spring Hill neighborhood of Mobile, Alabama, all built during the mid-19th century...
listing of well preserved buildings that represent the historical development of what was once the village of Spring Hill.
Pfau-Crichton Cottage is unique in its architectural features. The home itself is a 2-story structure, each floor being measured at 700 sq ft (65 m²). The bottom floor of the home is the central living area consisting of the kitchen, library, bathroom, living room, dining room, and a single bedroom. The unique part of this part of the architecture is that all rooms are connected by multiple doorways, but no hallways. The upper floor is a one-room storage area.
On the property there are a total of three structures. Aside from the cottage itself there is an outlying kitchen and a chapel. There are brick walkways that lead to each structure and all garden areas.