Youpon Plantation

Youpon Plantation is a historic plantation house and associated complex near Canton Bend, Alabama, United States. The property was originally known as Mimosa and is also identified as the Mathews-Tait-Rutherford House. It is a historic architectural site rather than a commercial consumer brand, and its significance rests primarily on the surviving antebellum residence, its architectural development, and its documentation in the Historic American Buildings Survey. The principal house was completed in 1848 for William T. Mathews, a planter and local builder. Construction was directed by George Lynch, a contractor from Maryland. The completed building evolved from an initially Federal-style design into a prominent Greek Revival residence after the addition of its monumental portico. Architectural historians associated with the Alabama Historical Commission have regarded it as one of the notable examples of Alabama's so-called stately pillared houses. The house is a substantial three-story structure. Its lower level is a fully raised brick basement, while the two upper stories are wood-frame construction. Historically, the basement contained spaces used by servants, the principal floor held formal rooms, and the upper floor provided bedrooms. A broad central hallway, approximately 15 feet wide and 40 feet long, organizes the main levels of the rectangular plan. The front elevation is five bays wide and four bays deep. Central entrances on the first and second floors are marked by fanlights. The central three bays are framed by a monumental tetrastyle Doric portico with a full-width cantilevered second-floor balcony. The portico was added after the original construction and is a major reason the property is recognized for its Greek Revival character. The complex has also changed over time. An original detached octagonal kitchen was destroyed by fire around 1900. A different octagonal dependency, distinguished by a tent-like flared roof, was subsequently moved and connected to the rear porch for use as a kitchen. The rear porch was enclosed in 1978. The name Youpon refers to yaupon holly trees that once stood prominently in the front grounds. The property was acquired by the Frank Tait family around the beginning of the twentieth century and remained with Tait descendants for much of the century. In 1999 it was purchased by the Rutherford family. The house and complex were extensively recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936 and 1937, creating an important architectural record of the site. Available reference material does not establish a current operating organization, public visitation program, commercial offering, or present ownership arrangement beyond the reported Rutherford-family purchase.

Youpon Plantation, historically called Mimosa and also known as the Mathews-Tait-Rutherford House, is an antebellum plantation residence and complex located near Canton Bend in Alabama. The main house was built for William T. Mathews, a planter and local builder, under the supervision of George Lynch, a Maryland contractor. Construction was completed in 1848. The building's architectural history reflects a transition in style. The original house was constructed in the Federal style, but a large Greek Revival portico was added later. The resulting residence is a three-story structure composed of a raised brick basement and two wood-frame stories. The main floor historically contained formal rooms, while the basement included servant-related spaces and the top floor contained bedrooms. A broad central hall runs through the principal levels of the rectangular plan. Its front elevation has five bays and four bays in depth. Fanlight-crowned central doorways appear on the first and second floors. The dominant exterior feature is a tetrastyle Doric portico across the central three bays, together with a full-width cantilevered balcony at the second-floor level. This combination places the property among Alabama's prominent pillared Greek Revival houses. The surrounding complex has experienced alterations and losses. The original detached octagonal kitchen was destroyed by fire around 1900. Another octagonal outbuilding with a flared, tent-like roof was later moved and attached to the rear porch to serve as a kitchen. The rear porch was enclosed in 1978. The name Youpon derives from yaupon holly trees that once characterized the front grounds. Ownership changed in the late nineteenth or early twentieth-century period when the Frank Tait family acquired the property. The site remained in the hands of Tait descendants until the Rutherford family purchased it in 1999. No additional ownership transfers, institutional affiliations, restoration program, or current public-use arrangements are established by the supplied reference material. The property was documented extensively by the Historic American Buildings Survey during 1936 and 1937. That documentation preserves architectural information about the house and complex and contributes to its historical importance. The Alabama Historical Commission's architectural historians have identified Youpon as one of the state's notable examples of a stately pillared residence. Available sources describe the property as a historic house and settlement-related site, not as a consumer product, operating company, or active commercial brand.

• 1999

  Rutherford family acquisition

  [1]Youpon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The property was purchased by the Rutherford family after remaining with descendants of the Frank Tait family for much of the twentieth century.

• 1978

  Rear porch enclosed

  [1]Youpon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The rear porch was enclosed, altering part of the house's later service and circulation arrangement.

• 1937

  Historic American Buildings Survey documentation completed

  [1]Youpon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The Historic American Buildings Survey's extensive recording of the property was completed during this documentation period.

• 1936

  Historic American Buildings Survey documentation begins

  [1]Youpon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The house and complex began receiving extensive documentation through the Historic American Buildings Survey, continuing into 1937.

• 1900

  Original kitchen destroyed

  [1]Youpon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The property's original detached octagonal kitchen was destroyed in a fire around the turn of the twentieth century.

• 1848

  Completion of the principal house

  [1]Youpon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The three-story plantation residence built for William T. Mathews was completed under the direction of contractor George Lynch.

Historic architectural and cultural heritage site; not a conventional commercial brand.

• Historic plantation residence · 1848

  Youpon Plantation main house

  The principal building is a three-story antebellum residence completed in 1848. It combines a raised brick basement with two wood-frame stories. The rectangular plan includes a broad central hallway, formal rooms on the principal floor, bedrooms above, and historically service-related areas in the basement. Its most distinctive exterior feature is the later-added tetrastyle Doric portico and full-width second-floor balcony.

• Historic outbuilding

  Youpon Plantation kitchen dependency

  After the original detached octagonal kitchen was destroyed by fire around 1900, another octagonal dependency with a tent-like flared roof was moved and connected to the rear porch. It subsequently served as the property's kitchen and forms part of the complex's architectural history.

1. 1Youpon Plantationen.wikipedia.org