One of the things I find so wonderful about Alabama is just how many historic, Victorian homes can be found here, and how those same homes are so well-preserved by numerous organizations, including the Alabama Historical Commission. The Jemison –Van de Graaff Mansion for instance, built in 1859, is located right here in Tuscaloosa. People go on tours there to relish in its archaic beauty, as well as plan community events. The Victoria, built in 1887 and located in Anniston, is another example. It was transformed and restored in 1996, becoming a stunning bed and breakfast. Historic homes like these can be found all over Alabama. They are sometimes open to the public and shared with the community, but many are also endangered—like the Kildare-McCormick House.
The Kildare-McCormick House, popularly known as Kildare, was built in 1886 and is located in Huntsville. It was built by an industrialist named Michael O’Shaugnessey, who was originally from Kildare, Ireland. In 1900, fourteen years after having built the mansion, O’Shaugnessey moved to Nashville, selling the house to a man named Cyrus McCormick. McCormick, like O’Shaugnessey, was a prominent industrialist. He was a well-respected individual within the community and allowed the beautiful Queen Anne-style mansion to serve as a space for social events and gatherings. After living there for thirty-one years, McCormick moved out of the house and sold the property. In the nearly forty years to come, the house is said to have been sold to many owners who took the house and transformed it into a number of different things, from an antique shop to a brothel. In 1975, James Reeves purchased the long-neglected historic home and restored it, as much as he could, to its formal glory.
The house, in its beauty and history, has inspired many, including one of James Reeves friends, Dr. Arthur Smith. According to The Historic Huntsville Quarterly of Local Architecture and Preservation, Dr. Smith, a physicist at Oxford University, lived at Kildare while working as a NASA contractor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Apparently he was so taken by the home that he wrote a book about it, entitled, The Lives, & Times o f the McCormick Mansion, A Celebration o f the Warmth, Charm, Hospitality & History o f Southern Folks in Rocket City, Alabama. For over one hundred years, the Kildare mansion has inspired with its history, elegance, and architecture. It has even inspired paranormal enthusiasts, as it has been rumored to be haunted. Though, there is obviously no proof to support those claims.
Fast forward to today. The Kildare home and its current owners, who bought the home back in 2007 hoping to turn it into an event space for the community, are sadly and continuously vandalized and tormented by trespassers, the bulk of which are college students. In an attempt to put the vandalism to rest, the owners began building a giant wooden fence around the home. The city of Huntsville stopped them from doing so, as they believed the fence to be unappealing and unwelcoming. Because the harassment continues, affecting not only the Kildare home but the surrounding homes and families within the same neighborhood, the owners are considering tearing down the home.
This, of course, is saddening to many, as the home has proved to be inspiring in its unique architecture and lush history. As of now, the house still stands and much of the Huntsville community are fighting to keep the home in one piece. The beautiful, historic three-story mansion houses many stories and continues to inspire people with its beauty. Here’s hoping that much like the Jemison Van de Graaff mansion and The Victoria, the Kildare-McCormick House will not wither, but blossom—embracing its history, restoring its reputation, and staying a lovely part of the community.
References
http://www.historichuntsville.org/hhq-vol-xxviii-no-2-3---summer-fall-2002
http://kildaremansion.com/
The house, in its beauty and history, has inspired many, including one of James Reeves friends, Dr. Arthur Smith. According to The Historic Huntsville Quarterly of Local Architecture and Preservation, Dr. Smith, a physicist at Oxford University, lived at Kildare while working as a NASA contractor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Apparently he was so taken by the home that he wrote a book about it, entitled, The Lives, & Times o f the McCormick Mansion, A Celebration o f the Warmth, Charm, Hospitality & History o f Southern Folks in Rocket City, Alabama. For over one hundred years, the Kildare mansion has inspired with its history, elegance, and architecture. It has even inspired paranormal enthusiasts, as it has been rumored to be haunted. Though, there is obviously no proof to support those claims.
Fast forward to today. The Kildare home and its current owners, who bought the home back in 2007 hoping to turn it into an event space for the community, are sadly and continuously vandalized and tormented by trespassers, the bulk of which are college students. In an attempt to put the vandalism to rest, the owners began building a giant wooden fence around the home. The city of Huntsville stopped them from doing so, as they believed the fence to be unappealing and unwelcoming. Because the harassment continues, affecting not only the Kildare home but the surrounding homes and families within the same neighborhood, the owners are considering tearing down the home.
This, of course, is saddening to many, as the home has proved to be inspiring in its unique architecture and lush history. As of now, the house still stands and much of the Huntsville community are fighting to keep the home in one piece. The beautiful, historic three-story mansion houses many stories and continues to inspire people with its beauty. Here’s hoping that much like the Jemison Van de Graaff mansion and The Victoria, the Kildare-McCormick House will not wither, but blossom—embracing its history, restoring its reputation, and staying a lovely part of the community.
References
http://www.historichuntsville.org/hhq-vol-xxviii-no-2-3---summer-fall-2002
http://kildaremansion.com/
Taylor ZimmermanColorado Springs, Colorado
Taylor Zimmerman is a senior at the University of Alabama, majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing. She has a penchant for all things historic and mysterious; thus, she feels she was born in the wrong era. Daydreaming, storytelling, and Netflix-binge-watching are some of her favorite things to do.
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