Excerpts from THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JAMES ROBERT MAXWELL which can be used to produce a key to the 1887 map
PAGE 1:
The newly wedded pair at once went to Tuskaloosa,
and to housekeeping in their own home, that has lately
been torn down, but which was on the corner westward,
across the street from the present county jail, which is
on the quarter square, then the vegetable garden of
Thomas Maxwell. Diagonally from the Maxwell residence was the old Baptist Church, now occupied by the
warehouse of Allen & Jemison Co. Across the street,
northwardly, was the residence of M. D. J. Slade, who
was owner and publisher of the Tuskaloosa Monitor
newspaper.
PAGE 2:
Mrs. Little's school was in their family home, which
stood where the Diamond Theater now stands, the front
facing the Odd Fellows Hall on west side of Greensboro
Street, where the Allen & Jemison Hardware Store is
now.
In front were several large China trees, and along
outside of the sidewalk on the south side of the house
was another row of China trees.
PAGE 3:
Across the street, to the south, was the residence of
Dr. Leland, a long one-story building.
PAGE 5: About Jan. 1st, 1850, my grandfather and grandmother went to housekeeping in a two-story house that
stood where now stands the county courthouse. It had
a one-story piazza on the side next to Greensboro Street,
that being the front of the house.
sent to Mr. Milford F. Woodruff's preparatory school. Mr. Woodruff leased the lower story of the
Odd Fellows Hall, a two-story brick building that stood
where now stands the hardware store of Allen & Jemison
Company. In the front was a pillared one-story portico,
brick paved. Across the front, about level with the
eaves, in large gilt letters was I. 0. 0. F. The lower
story had two front rooms, one at each corner,
with one
large window to each. The rooms were about fifteen
feet square, and in the center a hall and staircase reaching the upper story, and one large room in the rear
about 40 x 30 feet for a schoolroom.
The corresponding rooms upstairs were the lodge
rooms and accessory rooms.
PAGE 6: His father was the principal bookseller of the town,
David Woodruff. The bookstore was about in the center
of the block on Main Street, about where Pizitz' department store now stands.
PAGE 7: Our playground was a large yard in the rear of the
schoolroom. Only the street separated it from grandma's
house. Whenever I got hungry I ran across the street.
PAGE 17: I do not remember what became of Charles, but the
next man of all work at our home was named Bill
Comegys. My father bought him from Mr. E. F.
Comegys, who lived in the brick house that still stands
diagonally across the street from the present residence of
my brother, Charles N. Maxwell, in Tuskaloosa.
In order to give an idea of Tuskaloosa society and
population during the years from 1852 to 1858, when
my mother died, I think well to give the residences and
locations of families and churches and other buildings
during those years, I being from eight to fourteen years
of age.
I have described the square on which our home was
located. The square eastward from that held our Uncle
Robert's and grandparents' house on its northeast quarter square. On the northwest quarter square was our
vegetable garden. The southern half of that square
belonged to the Hogan family, the only names of mem-
bers of which I can remember are Alexander and Gertrude. This family, probably in 1856 or 1857, moved to
Iowa, about the time of big speculations in land in that
state.
Tuskaloosa Families and Their Homes--1845 to 1860
The next square to the south contained, at its north-
east quarter, the old Methodist Church and parsonage;
on its southeast quarter the residence of Dr. Reuben
Searcy, the building being much as it now stands; on
PAGE 19:
Dr. John R. Drish owned a large farm on both sides
of the Greensboro road reaching from the boundaries
of the old corporation southward to where the depot of
the Ala. Great Southern R. R. now stands. His residence is now the Jemison schoolhouse. It was planned
and its building was superintended by a negro slave of
Dr. Drish. From its front door northward to the corporation line extended a broad avenue of elm trees
which still stand. At the corporation line was the entrance gate; on the west side of which was built a
porters' lodge, occupied by a family of negroes that
were the property of Dr. Drish. Some one was supposed
to be always in attendance to open and shut this gate
as needed. The style was that of an Englishman's country estate, and this large plantation was well cultivated
at all times. West of this residence of Dr. Drish, extending from the back yard in rear of the residence
nearly to the Greensboro road on the west, was a long
row of brick rooms where the negroes lived who culti-
vated this farm.
PAGE 20:
In the large field on the west side of the road that
reached from the corporation line down to about where
the oil mill now stands, and perhaps 200 yards west of
Greensboro road, was the gin house and long-armed
wooden screw press to gin and press all the cotton
raised on the place and that of many neighbors contiguous with smaller farms.
In sight of the residence of Dr. Drish was that of Mr.
Alexander Dearing, an imposing residence, so long in
late years occupied by Major James Spence.
PAGE 21 & 22: Again in plain sight of the old Alexander Dearing
home, a few hundred yards to the northeast and just
outside of the old corporation line (which Queen City
Avenue bounded) was the residence of Alexander Dearing brother, James Dearing. The house was of the
same general plan, but the high pillars of the porticoes
are of wood instead of brickwork.
Hon. John J. Ormond was a member of the Supreme
Court of Alabama for many years, resigning about
Jan. 1st, 1848, and resumed the practice of law in
Tuskaloosa, dying in 1865. He lived in the house now
occupied by Dr. Geo. Little.
PAGE 23:
Many of the papers bearing on the deeds to my father
were arranged by Judge Ormond in the purchase of the
Maxwell Plantation. https://reclaimalabama.blogspot.com/2023/03/blog-post_30.html
PAGE 25: Yet farmers or
drovers, buying from the farmers way up in Tennessee,
every winter brought down from that state hogs in large
droves on their own feet, and as a rule they did not
have to drive beyond Tuskaloosa.
Here they struck the edge of the black belt with its
large plantations.
Where Stallworth's Lake now is there was a constant
flowing spring of most excellent water, with no mineral
taste whatever. It was curbed up with brick and mortar
and overflow ran from it at about two feet from the
surface of the earth through a pipe of perhaps one and
a half inches in diameter, even in the dryest seasons.
PAGE 30: Mr. Robert Jemison built his residence (now the Van de Graffe home) with pine lumber of the choicest description from their own lands and mills, sea- soned and worked up by band on the spot. Plank Road Jemison's Mills to Tuskaloosa Doors and fittings of the principal rooms were picked from the choicest of curly pine, and dressed, smoothed and varnished in the natural grain and color of the wood.
PAGE 31: I have described the square on which our home was located. The square eastward from that held our Uncle Robert's and grandparents' house on its northeast quar- ter square. On the northwest quarter square was our vegetable garden. The southern half of that square belonged to the Hogan family, the only names of mem- bers of which I can remember are Alexander and Ger- trude. This family, probably in 1856 or 1857, moved to Iowa, about the time of big speculations in land in that state.
PAGE 31 AND 32: The next square to the south contained, at its northeast quarter, the old Methodist Church and parsonage; on its southeast quarter the residence of Dr. Reuben Searcy, the building being much as it now stands; on its southwest quarter the frame residence of Mrs. Raoul, with Alfred Raoul, her son, and daughters, Elise and Hattie. Capt. Charles L. Lumsden married Elise Raoul, probably in 1861. The northwest quarter of this square was occupied by the home of one of the Richardsons, who were owners of the steamboat Ophelia and of some plantations the location of which I never knew.
PAGE 32: Coming southward along Greensboro Street, the next square held, in its northeast quarter, the Presbyterian Church which has lately been replaced by the new build- ing so generously financed by the widow of Mr. James Spence. The southeast quarter of the square held a one-story frame building tenanted by a widow named Douthet with two children. The western half was owned by a merchant named Hopkins, his home being a frame building with a piazza extending the length of the front at the northwest quarter of the square, where now stands the parsonage of the Presbyterian Church.
PAGE 32: The Presbyterian parsonage of that date being in the home now occupied by Mr. Clayton Strickland at the then extremity of Greensboro Street, at the southern boundary of the corporation, on the eastern side. The pastor was the Rev. R. B. White, whom I well remember as he was still pastor at the end of the Confederate War.
The next square towards the south was owned by Mr.
Alfred Battle, whose residence and gardens, ornamental
and vegetable, occupied the whole square, as it still does,
being the residence of Mrs. B. Friedman.
Mr. Battle was a wealthy planter, the plantation being
down on Warrior River, in the then Greene, now Hale,
County. He was a native of North Carolina, a brother
of Miss Mary attle, who married Governor Henry W.
Collier, and one of the leading members of the Metho-
dist Church, as well as the governor.
PAGE 33: The next square to the south was almost all owned
by Mr. Henry A. Snow, one of the leading merchants,
whose store was about middle of the block west of the
present Raiford Stores.
The next square to the south was owned by Mrs. Rufus
H. Clements. He owned a plantation on the north side
of the river several miles down from Northport. His
wife was a Miss Bugbee, from Montgomery, Ala. He
served in the Legislature of 1851 when quite a young
man, having graduated from the University of Alabama
in 1845.
In the next square to the south, the northeast quarter
was occupied by the residence of Mr. John Craddock,
another wealthy planter whose lands lay somewhere near
Columbus, Miss.
The southeast corner of that square was occupied by
the one-story brick residence of Dr. John Marrast, who
was for many years postmaster at Tuskaloosa. The
post office was in a low one-story row of rooms between
where now are the new buildings, occupied by the Tucker
Motor Co., and rear of Rogers' undertaking rooms.
Across the street, where now stands the new post office
the army,
and other Federal offices, was the Washington Hotel
that belonged to Judge Washington Moody, but was, as
a rule, rented out to some hotel man.
PAGE 34: Dr. John Marrast's residence was the last inside of
the corporation on the west side of Greensboro Avenue,
which then had a center row of water oaks.
Returning down on the east side of Greensboro Avenue
and designating occupants, the Presbyterian parsonage,
occupied by the Rev. Dr. Robert B. White, in the same
house now owned by Mr. Clayton Strickland, was the
end house. The northwest corner of that block I cannot
now name the owner of as a certainty, but I think it was
a small one-story brick house owned by a Mr. Wyndom,
the proprietor of the hotel, and Wyndom Springs, which
a summer watering-place for Tuskaloosa people
quite well patronized by people whose business allowed
them to take several months' vacation in the months from
July to September. There was a son whose given name
I have forgotten, but one daughter was named Adeline.
This location is now occupied by Mr. John R. Kennedy
and occupies the northern half of that square.
The next square, on the right of Greensboro Avenue
going north, was occupied and built during these years
by Mr. Robert Jemison, Jr. The whole square.
The junior was attached to Mr. Jemison's name by
himself to distinguish his signature from that of his
uncle of the same name, Mr. Jemison's own father having been named William. I think Mr. Robert Jemison,
Jr.'s wife was a Miss Taylor from Mobile. Across the
street to the west was the Rufus Clements' home.
PAGE 35: The next square was built on during these years by
Mr. William Battle, a son of Mr. Alfred Battle, either
after or before his marriage with a Miss Withers of
Mobile.
I am not able to remember the families who lived on
the next square opposite the square occupied by Mr.
Alfred Battle, but the next square was occupied by the
residence of the widow, Mrs. Samuel Eddins; the residence being the large brick house with brick columns
now owned by Mr. David Rosenau, which in the main
was as it now stands, occupying the southwest corner of
the square and the balance of the square, vegetable and
flower gardens.
The next square, opposite Dr. Searcy's residence, was
cut up in three parts. Where now stands the residence
of Mrs. George A. Searcy stood a small wooden one-
story house occupied by a Mistress Peak, a widow.
The northern half of the square contained the residence of Mr. Charles Jerome Fiquet on its northwest
quarter, with garden and stable lot on northeast quarter,
and the residence of Capt. Cummins, who ran a steamboat on the Warrior, Tuskaloosa to Mobile, was on the
southeast quarter of the square. Mr. Fiquet's residence
faced the Methodist Church across the street.
The next square going north was divided between the
widow of Dr. Hayes on the southern half square, her
residence being at the northwest corner of the lot, leaving
the balance of the half square for vegetable and flower
gardens; the northern half of the square was the prop-
erty of Dr. William Leland, a long, one-story frame
house with a portico facing Greensboro Avenue, and a
latticed side-porch in the rear along the side street, said
lattices painted green.
Across Greensboro Avenue, west-
ward, was the residence of our Uncle Robert Maxwell
and our grandparents.
PAGE 36:
In the southwest corner of the next square, facing
Odd Fellows Hall across the avenue, was Mrs. Barbara
Little's primary school and the family residence of
Dr. John Little, Sr.
On the adjoining lot was the residence of the Widow
Cantly. On the northwest quarter of this square was the
old county courthouse of brick with its tower in front
touching the sidewalk, containing the stairways up to the
second-floor county courtroom, and Masonic hall above
same, in the third story, and up into the clock tower
that capped the whole. On the northeast quarter of the
square, behind the courthouse, was a boarding house or
hotel. Between Mrs. Cantley's and the courthouse was
the brick office of the probate judge, and rooms and
vaults for county records, supposed to be fireproof.
The courthouse occupied the ground on which the
Alston Building now stands.
No stores for sale of goods were on any street except
what is now Broad Street, which was known then as
Main Street.
The northern half of the next square was occupied by
stores with little yards in their rear. Where the City
National Bank now stands was then the site of Charles
Foster's shoe factory and sales store.
Where Brown's
dollar store now stands was a finely appointed bar-room,
with billiard tables in rooms above.
The southeast quarter of that square was occupied by
a blacksmith shop and a carriage and wagon shop, and
at the southwest corner, across the street from the court-
house, was a furniture factory. Between the furniture
factory and rear of the bar-room on the west side of the
square was a two-story brick rooming house.
PAGE 37: Across
Main Street was the last square on top of the hill overlooking the river. On the southwest corner of this square
was a large rambling hotel, where stood recently what
was known as the Atlanta Store, run by Friedman &
Loveman, and where, at this writing, preparation is
being made for the building of a new Merchants’ Bank
and several stories above for offices. The front building was of brick, two stories in height
and 100 feet deep, with a hotel lobby and bar-room on
the ground floor, as well as a dining room. To the rear
were rooms and offices for lawyers, and upstairs was an
auditorium to be used for lectures, traveling theaters,
and shows of different sorts. All this west side of the
square was built up solidly two stories in height. At the
beginning of the war the upper story and show room was
used temporarily as a prison for Yankees. When the
Federals raided Tuskaloosa at the end of the war, the
whole property was burnt to the ground.
At the southeast corner of this square was the general store of Mr.
Spiller, and between were stores of different owners.
One which I remember was that of the merchant tailor,
Charles J. Fiquet, also the barber shop of Shandy Jones,
a free mulatto man, and others whose names I do not
recall.
The next square to eastward was also occupied by
merchant stores. On the southwest corner, extending
three-fourths of the depth of the square, was the general
merchandise store of T. J. R. & R. Maxwell, two stories
in height, the front end being of brick for 150 feet in
depth and 50 feet front.
PAGE 38:
Next door to them was the dry good store of J. P.
Turner, and next to that the drug store of Dr. John
Little, husband of Mrs. Barbara Little, the primary
school teacher.
Next, going east, was the hardware
store of H. A. Snow & Co., and next a few stores whose
owners I forget, but at the southeast corner of the
square was a carpenter shop.
Facing T. J. R. & R. Maxwell, across the main street,
was the store of Mr. John Glascock, and at about the
center of the square, eastward, was the bakery of Mr.
John Barnes, an English Yorkshireman, who had lately
arrived from England with his wife and had very little
means except being a competent baker.
PAGE 39: mercantile part of town was all on Main Street,
two squares in length on both sides of the street with
a row of water oak trees edging the sidewalks and one
down the center of the street.
Between the shoe store
of Chas. M. Foster, and Mr. Spiller, in the center of
Main Street, was a public well and a public or city
wagon scale, and by the side of the scale was a small
house for the scale keeper, whose name was Bird and
who made saddles and bridles and harness, as well as
being city weigher.
At the north end of the square, in the rear of T. J. R.
& R. Maxwells' store was a blacksmith shop, and facing
it, across the street, was the residence of our father's
old friend, Mr. A. Graham, a Scotchman, and a relative
of the Littles'. Later this residence was occupied by the
Toxey family.
Going northward from the rear of the store of T. J.
R. & R. Maxwell, and down the steep and gullied hill to
the edge of the flat that reached to the banks of the river,
was the large tanyard of Mr. Charles M. Foster, doing
a flourishing business in the tanning of hides, and turning out oak-tanned leather for all purposes.
Farther down the river, at the foot of the hill leading
from the end of Greensboro Avenue to the Warrior
Bridge, stood a large cotton factory, turning out yarns
for the making of the “warp” for the jeans made on
the hand looms.
PAGE 40: The small brick house at the foot of the
hill leading to Warrior Bridge, on the eastern side of
the street, is all that now remains of what was the cotton
mill property. It was the office of the factory company.
Between the tanyard and the factory company's office
was a long brick building, used by the operatives at work
in the factory as homes while working at the factory.
This building was at the foot of the bluff below the
present depot of the L. & N. R. R.
Just below the southern end of Warrior Bridge, on
top of the hill that constituted the steamboat wharf, was
a very large-framed cotton warehouse, and across the
river, on the Northport side, was another.
PAGE 41: Across the ravine in front of the southern entrance of
the bridge was the iron foundry and plow factory of the
Messrs. Leach and Avery, molding all sorts of cast iron
utensils and the celebrated Avery cast plows, principally
the No. 8.
The latter years of the war a hat factory was added
at this foundry. They made, almost entirely, wool hats,
but they made splendid hats out of beaver fur when the
skins were furnished them.
PAGE 42: About 100 yards down the bank of the river from this
foundry was a paper mill. I remember seeing it at work
turning out the sheets from big rollers and rolling up
big rolls of paper. But of the people who owned it,
and worked it, my memory is very indistinct. I believe
it failed to make money from the first. The stripped,
two-story brick building with gaping windows stood
there for years. A large, cemented, deep tank, which
was supplied with water from the same branch just before reaching the river, got to be a mighty sure place to
catch small bream, as we small boys soon found out.
PAGE 43: along the west side of
Greensboro Avenue in the old days between 1852 and
1858, I have no clear remembrance of the square on
top of the hill, except a large brick house on the main
street front that had been the old State Bank, and was
then the residence of a Mr. Albert G. Gooch, whom I do
not remember, but I do remember his wife, who was
a sister of Mr. John G. Barr,
At the southwest corner
of this square, where the new store of the Burchfield
Bros. now stands, was the cabinet shop of Mr. Lynch,
where all sorts of fine furniture were made.
Facing
that, across Main Street, was the Indian Queen Hotel,
with its portico in front and long line of rooms, reaching nearly to the corner opposite the Episcopal Church.
Through the center of this square and east of the
Indian Queen Hotel ran a long livery stable reaching
entirely through the square, which was run by a Mr.
William Johnson, and at this stable the mail-coach
horses of the Jemison Co. were stabled.
On the Greensboro Avenue face of this square, about
where Taylor's drug store now is, was the office of Dr.
Reuben Searcy. Where McLester Hotel now stands the
corner lot was bare from some cause unknown to me,
and I forget what was where the Ward Drug Store
now is.
PAGE 44: City Hall now is was, at that day, the
market house with butchers' stalls below, and
rooms above for city offices. On the same northeast
quarter square stood the city “calaboose,” a little brick
cabin, isolated, perhaps twenty feet square, standing
back from the sidewalk of Greensboro Avenue some
twenty feet. It was in charge of the city marshal, at
that date a Dr. Skinner; one of his duties was to apply
the “cowhide" to the backs of negro servants who were
sent to him for chastisement for small offenses not subject to punishment by law
PAGE 45: (TOP OF MARKET HOUSE/CITY HALL) weather vane representing an Indian running; a long
bow, with arrow drawn to its head in his hands, pointing
in the direction of the wind. The body of the Indian
was painted red.\
The southeast quarter of this square
was owned by the Odd Fellows, with a building and
large yard used as a playground by the boys.
Between
Dr. Leland's office and Odd Fellows Hall was a splendid
well, with its shelter upheld by four posts.
The south-west quarter of the square was occupied by the Baptist
Church and its Sunday-school room, the northwest quarter by the Episcopal Church at the corner and the rectory standing a little south of the church, a little back
from the street.
PAGE 46: Across the street that formed the northern boundary
of our home lived Mr. M. D. J. Slade, who published the
Tuskaloosa Monitor newspaper.
The office where the
work was done was two squares north, opposite the Indian Queen Hotel.
PAGE 48: Between the Episcopal Church and Market House,
somewhere about the center of the north side of that
square, was the fire-engine house, where was kept the
fire engine of that day; the pressure being obtained
from a large pump operated by long hand rails on each
side of the machine attached to the pumps, which it
took from six to ten men on a side to work.
PAGE 49:
About halfway down the hill going to the river bridge,
on the west side of the street, was the powder house, a
brick building about ten feet square with a door covered
with sheet iron and a lightning rod pointing skyward.
All merchants handling powder were forced to keep
their powder supply in that building, the city marshal
keeping the key. A twenty-five-pound keg could be
taken out at a time to be transferred into an iron can
in the stores. I do not remember ever to have heard of
any serious accident in the handling of powder.
in the schoolyard in the rear
of Odd Fellows Hall, A ball knocked over into our father's garden was sure
to allow a full run to be counted. There was a paling
fence along the southern boundary of the yard, but always several gaps in same.
PAGE 60:
Rev. Charles Manley is the only minister I remember,
a son of the Rev. Basil Manley, so long president of the
University. His home was two squares west of my
father's house, on the south side of the street in the
northeast corner of the square. There was no other residence between our home and
his, for the intervening square, next to the one on which
our home stood, was all the property of a Mrs. Ross,
whose house stood on the southeast corner of the square.
It was a large building with a brick basement story,
and two frame stories and a garret above, with a two-
story portico on the south side of the building.
