Barton Hall / Cunningham Plantation

Barton Hall / Cunningham Plantation

Colbert County, Alabama; Cherokee, Alabama; Barton Hall; Cunningham Plantation; National Register of Historic Places; Historic American Buildings Survey

Barton Hall, or Cunningham Plantation, is a two-story, Greek-Revival-style, wood-frame house near Cherokee in Colbert County. Its construction was initiated during the 1840s by Armstead Barton, whose father, Dr. Hugh Barton, had left Virginia during the late 18th century and settled with his young family in East Tennessee. At the time of its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, in 1969, it was owned by Taylor Bodkin, a descendant of the Barton family.

The home's most distinctive feature is its stairwell, which "ascends in a series of double flights and bridge-like landings to an observatory on the rooftop that offers views of the plantation." The staircase was documented, along with other interior and exterior features, by the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) during the 1930s, and Barton Hall was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

Brian Corrigan, University of North Alabama

National Register of Historic Places, Barton Hall, Cherokee, Colbert County, Alabama, National Register #73000337.

Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS AL-337, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/al0075.photos.001619p (accessed November 7, 2015).

"Barton Hall (Alabama)," Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barton_Hall_(Alabama) (accessed November 7, 2015).

Alabama Cultural Resource Survey

November 7, 2015

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