Past always present in Athens: At least a dozen pre-Civil War homes give city unique charm

Nov. 27—Garth Lovvorn Sr.'s home in Athens will be 200 years old in 2024, and he has a simple explanation for why it wasn't destroyed by Union soldiers during the Civil War.

"My home was not burned, it survived. Number one because they were using it," he said. "Officers occupied the house. I understand that a couple of them or one of them rode their horses through the front foyer. I can't verify that, but that's what's been passed down."

His home is one of at least 12 houses in the city's historic districts built before the Civil War and among two dozen surviving from the 1800s, according to the National Register of Historic Places. The historic homes give the city a charm that is rare in north Alabama.

Wayne Kuykendall, Athens Historic Preservation Commission chairman, said the oldest homes in north Alabama were built around the 1820s and most of them are found in Athens, Mooresville and Huntsville. Decatur has two antebellum homes — the Burleson-McEntire House house completed in 1836 and the Dancy Polk House built about 1829.

Kuykendall said anyone who likes architecture and history would be drawn to Athens' historic districts. He said in the time the historic homes were built every aspect of their construction had a function.

"Today, they just build a lot of roofline and attic space just for looks. Back then everything had a purpose for why it was built. Tall ceilings would make it cooler in the summer because hot air goes up, you just had to have a reason," Kuykendall said.

Kuykendall said the city's earliest surviving homes were all constructed in the Federal or Greek Revival style, and homes built later in the 1800s are Victorian style.

Rebecca Davis, Limestone County archivist, said there are three Athens historic home districts: Athens College Historic District, George S. Houston Historic District and the Robert Beaty Historic District.

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Union ransacking

Lovvorn and his wife Linda, both 75, have owned the Vasser-Lovvorn House at 301 E. Washington St. since 1974. It is part of the Beaty Historic District and was built in 1824, according to the 1984 application for recognition of the district. The house was built in the Federal period with "flush-end chimneys," the application said, and a Greek Revival style portico was added later.

His parents bought the two-story house from the last Vasser descendants in 1952. He said the home was built by Thomas Vining and sold in 1833 to Richard Vasser, who owned it during the Civil War.

"There were two Vasser boys, men, who were in the Confederate Army. I believe they were both officers and they were stationed in Virginia, I believe," Garth Lovvorn said. "The parents left the home during the war to safer places because of the occupation of Athens."

Lovvorn said the house was still vacant when Union Col. John Turchin occupied Athens in 1862. His troops may have used it for treating the wounded at times and for sleeping quarters.

"The story is that ... (the Union Army) used it as their hospital for I guess any skirmishes," he said.

Much of Athens was ransacked during Turchin's occupation. Davis said the homes left standing after the ransacking survived for the same reason the Vasser-Lovvorn house was unharmed.

"Basically, they were staying in them. Sort of took possession of them and used them as field hospitals and field headquarters and things like that," she said. "A lot of it was more pillaging than out-and-out destruction in Athens."

Davis said the troops chose to stay in the the homes rather than burning them.

"They wanted places to sleep where it was warm. It was either sleep out in a tent ... or be able to sleep in one of those beautiful antebellum mansions," she said.

Davis said before Turchin occupied Athens, the city and Limestone County pledged their allegiance to the Union.

"Once the Union troops came in and destroyed everything, that changed everybody's mind pretty quick," she said. "But, up until that point, Athens and Limestone County were pretty pro-Union. So it's quite possible that the reason some of their homes were spared is because they were Union sympathizers."

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Saga of Founders Hall

There was another building spared, Founders Hall, the only building at what was then an all-female college but is now coeducational Athens State University. ASU Archivist Laken Smith said there is a legend surrounding the school remaining untouched.

Smith said the legend is that Madame Jane Hamilton Childs, the school's president, gave Turchin a letter, perhaps from President Abraham Lincoln, stating that he should spare the school.

"The story is that John Turchin came and that he read the letter, whatever letter that she had, and he told the men that the college was to be spared," she said.

Smith said no one has ever learned the content of the letter or who it was from.

"She may have had a letter, it just may not have been from Lincoln," she said. "They really don't know exactly if she convinced them with a fake letter or she had a letter from another person who was high up in the legislature. That part is really unclear."

Smith said it is possible that there was no letter, but that seems unlikely.

"There's not really another reason as to why they didn't destroy the school," she said.

Smith said in one version of the story Turchin was reported to have had his men guard the school so it would not be touched or harmed in any way. She said the story is still speculation because no one has located any eyewitness accounts and there has been no documentation supporting it.

There is, however, documentation from the female students seeing fighting from their windows at Founders Hall, Smith said. She said there were accounts of parents telling their daughters to stay at the school believing they would be safer there than at home.

Kuykendall said the Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association hosts tours of the historic districts every year around Halloween. He said more than 500 people participated in the tour this year.

"That takes you through the districts pointing out some of the homes. But, it's more from the ghost side than the historical home side," he said.

The tourism organization also has put together a Limestone County Antebellum Trail with 29 stops, including the Vasser-Lovvorn House, the Donnell House from 1851, the Beaty-Mason-Garrett Home from 1826 and the Jones-Hatchett Home "Coman Hall" from 1855.

Carol Malone, Athens Ladies Civitan Club publicity chairwoman, said this year is the club's 10th year to have a Christmas home tour. She said they often tour the historic homes and plan to feature one this year. Malone said in 2018 they toured nine historic homes.

—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.