McGehee–Stringfellow House
The McGehee–Stringfellow House, also called Oak Grove, was a Federal-style plantation house near Greensboro, Alabama, later listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The McGehee–Stringfellow House, historically known as Oak Grove, was a substantial early nineteenth-century plantation residence near Greensboro in Hale County, Alabama. It was significant primarily as an example of Federal-style domestic architecture in the region and for the evidence it provided about the construction, social organization, and agricultural economy of the antebellum Alabama Black Belt. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1980, because of its architectural importance. Abraham McGehee and Harriet Hill McGehee were associated with the construction of the house. The couple had married in 1817 and had moved from Georgia to Alabama by 1824, when work on the residence was under way. Construction ended prematurely after Harriet McGehee died on February 25, 1826. She was the first person buried in the family cemetery on the property. McGehee subsequently sold the unfinished or partially completed house and an approximately 800-acre plantation to Enoch Stringfellow before moving west to Mississippi. The property then became associated with the Stringfellow family. After Enoch Stringfellow died in 1839, the house passed to his son, McDonald Stringfellow. McDonald died in 1875, but the residence remained in the Stringfellow family until the late 1970s. Over time, the plantation’s agricultural fortunes weakened and the family lacked the resources needed for adequate preservation. The building had already begun to deteriorate noticeably by the 1940s. Architecturally, the house was a two-story brick structure arranged around a central hall, with two rooms on each floor. Its symmetrical three-bay front, side-gabled roofline, and large exterior chimneys reflected the Federal idiom. The bricks were made by enslaved African-American workers on the plantation, an aspect that connected the building’s material history directly to the labor system that sustained the estate. Interior woodwork was assembled with wooden pegs rather than nails, preserving an older construction technique. A planned two-story brick rear ell was never completed after Harriet McGehee’s death. The Stringfellows later added a frame rear section and a detached log kitchen; the log kitchen was subsequently replaced by a frame kitchen and dining building linked to the main house by a covered breezeway. In the 1970s, the house and surrounding land were sold to MacMillan Bloedel, a forestry company. During the 1980s, an effort was made to relocate the structure. The move failed when the brick building collapsed while it was still on its original site. Although the physical house was lost, the site retained its National Register status. The McGehee–Stringfellow House is therefore best understood not as an operating consumer brand but as a documented historic property and architectural landmark whose significance survives through historical records, archaeology, and preservation-register documentation.
History
The McGehee–Stringfellow House, also known as Oak Grove, was built near Greensboro, Alabama, during the early nineteenth century. Its construction was undertaken by Abraham McGehee and his wife, Harriet Hill McGehee. Abraham was born in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, in 1791, while Harriet was born in 1798. They married in 1817 and had relocated to Alabama by 1824, when construction of their brick residence was in progress. The project was interrupted by Harriet McGehee’s death on February 25, 1826. She became the first burial in the family cemetery on the property. The house was not completed according to the original plan: a proposed two-story brick ell at the rear was never built. After Harriet’s death, Abraham McGehee sold the house and an approximately 800-acre plantation to Enoch Stringfellow and later moved west to Mississippi. Enoch Stringfellow died in 1839, after which the property passed to his son, McDonald Stringfellow. The residence remained in the Stringfellow family until the late 1970s. During this period, additions altered the original arrangement. Enoch Stringfellow added a frame rear section and a detached one-story log kitchen. McDonald Stringfellow later replaced the log kitchen with a frame building containing the kitchen and dining room, connected to the main residence by a covered breezeway. The plantation’s agricultural decline had long-term consequences for the building. By the 1940s, deferred maintenance had allowed the house to deteriorate, and the family reportedly lacked the resources required to preserve it. The property was sold in the 1970s to MacMillan Bloedel, a forestry company. In the 1980s, the company attempted to move the house from the property. The relocation failed when the brick structure collapsed while it was still standing on its original site. Despite the loss of the building, the site was recognized for its architectural importance and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1980. The house had been a two-story Federal-style brick residence with a central hall and two rooms on each floor. It had a symmetrical three-bay facade, side gables, and large external chimneys centered on the side walls. The bricks were handmade on the plantation by enslaved African-American workers, and the original woodwork used wooden pegs rather than nails. These features made the property important both as a surviving example of regional architecture and as material evidence of the labor and social systems associated with plantation life in Alabama.
- 1980
National Register listing
[1]The McGehee–Stringfellow House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 17.
- 1980
Failed relocation and structural collapse
[1]During an attempted move in the 1980s, the brick structure collapsed on its original site. The exact year is not specified in the reference material.
- 1875
Death of McDonald Stringfellow
[1]McDonald Stringfellow died, although the property remained with the Stringfellow family for several more decades.
- 1839
Property passes to McDonald Stringfellow
[1]After Enoch Stringfellow’s death, the house was inherited by his son, McDonald Stringfellow.
- 1826
Harriet McGehee dies
[1]Harriet McGehee died on February 25, interrupting construction and becoming the first burial in the family cemetery.
- 1824
Construction begins in Alabama
[1]The McGehees had relocated to Alabama and were building the plantation house by this year.
- 1817
Marriage of Abraham and Harriet McGehee
[1]Abraham McGehee and Harriet Hill McGehee married before their later move to Alabama and the construction of Oak Grove.
Products and positioning
Historic architectural landmark and documented plantation-era residence; not a commercial product or operating brand.
Brand decisions
1980
Historic-register recognitionOtherBackground
The property was recognized for its architectural significance despite the deterioration affecting the building.
Action taken
The McGehee–Stringfellow House site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1980.
Aftermath
The register status remained associated with the site even after the structure collapsed during a later relocation attempt.
- Attempted relocation of the houseOther
Background
After the property was sold to MacMillan Bloedel, an effort was made during the 1980s to move the historic structure to another location.
Action taken
The company attempted to relocate the brick house from its original site.
Aftermath
The building collapsed before the move could be completed, leaving the historic site without the house.
Sources1 sources
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