Have you ever driven past a house and it beckoned you to come closer and take a peek inside the windows? There’s a house on the way to my friend, Debbie’s house near Wilsonville and it always draws my eye when we are driving by. It’s old. I mean, mid-1800’s old, so you know it has some stories. I’d love to know what they are. One sunny afternoon, I decided to take a closer peek at this aging beauty.
The Klein’s are evidently the beginning family in this home. I’d love to know the history on all of that.
She’s a very stately and large home and must have been quite the showplace in the mid-1800’s.
With the wide and welcoming front porch, you can imagine the company that this house saw.
Looks like those are the original doors. It’s in such a state of disrepair now and I wonder if anyone will ever restore her. I sure do hope so. She has been sitting like this as long as we have lived in Birmingham, over 4 years. I heard that once the home was an antique store and at one time a tea room. That was before my time.
The chimney is still intact, but crumbling. It would take some major vision to restore her to her former glory.
The front porch is a beauty. There are many cotton fields on this stretch of Hwy. 25 going into Wilsonville, so I imagine that this home farmed and probably owned some of that land back in the 1800’s.
The stairs look to be marble, stained and tarnished, but marble nonetheless.
One window that I could get a peek into, showed a fireplace.
I bet the boards on the outside are all original too. Don’t you love these shutters?
There are many of the shutters still intact. I can also dream that the aqua shutters that I picked up at an antique store probably came off of a home like this. Ahhh, the beauty of old and weathered.
I think the glass is also original, but many of the panes are broken. This large and stately chimney is on the left side of the house.
Who lived in this house and what did they do? What sort of lives did they lead? Were they wealthy land owners with a beautiful house and furnishings? Those are the questions that went through my mind, while walking around the weedy property which has seen much neglect.
The foundation is set on large stones of some sort. They sure don’t build them like this anymore. Weathered and green boards have seen better days. It’s been a long time since she has seen a bucket of paint.
The large back porch is plenty big too.
How many people have walked up and down these stairs?
It was sort of eerie walking around the place, but also made me think about just who lived there. She’s an aging beauty, but it would only take the right person to come along and give her new life.
I sure wish someone would. Not me, but someone. I have no idea who owns the house. If any of you here in the area know anything about this beautiful old home, I’d love to hear about it.
UPDATE: I did get some current information about the Klein house from an ancestor, Nell Gottlieb, so check out her page for an update on how the house is being used now in 2020.
Melissa Rakowski says
Rhoda, is this house for sale? Oh boy, would I love to get my hands on that house and works some magic! If it is for sale, could you forward the sale listing? I am very curious!
Jojo says
Those are great pictures. It does make you wish that walls, steps and entrance gates, etc., could talk. You made me laugh when you said someone needed to give this place some tender loving care – but not you. If anyone could get this house in tip-top shape, it’s you!!
Stacy@RedDoorHome says
Wow! What a gem. I see so many possibilities.
Melinda says
This is a perfect house for Layla and her husband Kevin to fix up from the Lettered Cottage. What a gorgeous old home. It has such personality and would be so beautiful restored to it’s original elegance. Keep us posted if anyone decides to restore it. Love & blessings from NC!
Rachel says
Wow! How beautiful and how full of potential. I think it would be a wonderful challenge to work on something like that. Don’t I wish we had the finances to do it.
Sheila says
Morning, Rhoda!
I love old houses, too. It looks to me like the front doors are a replacement. The original doors on a house of that age would have been wood, much like the other outside door. I think they replaced these doors with the glass doors when the house was a tearoom or shop.
I like the house’s simple, country elements. The simplicity of the fireplace speaks to the types of furnishings that were likely there at some point. Because it is not Victorian in the same sense that the Greek Revival mansions are (with more decorative columns and trim both out and inside) and is more Southern Vernacular (meaning indigenous to the buildings in the surrounding countryside), I think the house could even take on a more modern sensibility in terms of decor with not only antiques but neat modern pieces and primitive/clean-lined antiques (from the period) as well. I can even see it with a collection of art ranging from contemporary “modern” pieces to outsider art. I saw a house that belonged to a music producer in Nashville that was a similar age and had a similar look done in that fashion (it was in one of the shelter mags years ago), and it was so neat. But I agree with you. This could be a fun house to redo. It does, however, need much work. Thanks for the tour!
XO,
Sheila 🙂
debbie says
At the risk of being melodramatic, my heart literally connected with this old place. I absolutely love it and agree that someone MUST rescue this beauty before it’s too late.
Is there an historical society near which could take on the project?
There is a grand old home along my common commute that I would dearly love to explore. It has no trespassing signs so I dare not.
I love your pictures and am so glad that I clicked your blog this morning.
Kim says
Rhoda, I bet that was a stately mansion in her time. Probably was a cotton plantation. How awful that it has been abandoned and falling to ruin. I do wish someone would restore her to her original beauty.
Becky K. says
Oh, but it would be an amazing blog project if you were to buy this and restore it….hear me whining?
What lovely bones this house has. I understand your fascination.
Becky K.
laura trevey says
Think of the memories in that house… I would love to have a huge front porch like that as well.
xoxo Laura
Julie says
You should look up the address in your county tax accessors office. To find out the who the owner is. Most of them are online now. It would only take a few minutes of research. It would make a great blog series of you finding the owners and telling the story. If you cant find it in the tax records, ask a local Realtor they usually know stuff like that, especially on specialty houses like that.
Julie says
I forgot to add that I think the house is amazing! I would love to take on a project like that and save the history, but sadly my budget does not agree!
Kathryn@BonafideSouthern says
My husband and I rent an 1890’s farmhouse from my husband’s grandmother. It was the house she was born and raised in. She and her husband restored the home about 10 years ago, and we’ve happily lived there for the last 3 years. It too was built on those huge stones, like you’ve shown in these pictures. When they were restoring it, they removed some extra stones that were just lying underneath the house. My husband’s grandmother said that people from all around stopped and asked for those rocks to use as flower bed borders. Thank you for sharing this wonderful home.
Linda @ A La Carte says
I love this house. It would be wonderful if someone would restore it and open it again. Thanks for the tour!
Michelle says
WOW! It’s simply amazing! And really, it goes to show how well things were built, what care was put into them. For this to have been vacant and unkept for all this time, and it to still look this good goes to show the quality of the craftsmanship. I wish I could restore it, what a fun project that would be. I can picture it with beautiful gardens leading up to the door, beautiful!
~Michelle
Elizabeth says
I know KLIEN’s in Montgomery (where I’m from). They’re an old family. Maybe related? They own an old family jewelry store. But that house for sure has to be a cotton plantation. It’s amazing it survived the Civil War.
Tracy Bentley says
This house is called the Wallace-Klein Plantation House. It is on the state of Alabama Historic homes. It was built by the Kleins in 1841. It was put on the Historic Homes on Jan 18, 1978. Across the road Hwy 25 there is the remains of a Blacksmith Shop and a pre-Civil War Cemetary. It is said that this house is haunted. There has been several people experience unnatural happenings. The Mayor of Harpersville, Alabama would be able to tell you more about the house. There is several older homes in Harpersville that you might be interested in. There is a littel church right of the road called Klein Church.
Hope this helps some.
Ashley says
this house has been empty awhile. I think Harpersville Historic Society did a piece on this maybe in the daily home or something a few years back. Its a beauty! The house is known as the Wallace-Klein Plantation. I have tried to look online for more info. but have not been able to yet.
Judy says
Love the information that Tracy (above) provided. There were/are Kleins here in Montgomery who owned a wonderful jewelry store. Their original store was in downtown Montgomery where they erected an old clock out front which was a well known landmark. When the store closed in downtown many years ago, the clock was moved to a local mall, which is now (sadly) closed too. The clock has been relocated again but I’m not sure where it is today.
When David and I were in Vicksburg this past winter, we toured a beautiful old plantation home owned by a Klein family. That family was also in the jewelry business!
Maybe all these folks are connected somehow. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find out more about this house in the future. Let me know if you want a “partner in crime” and I’ll see what I can do on my end to find out more on this lovely old home.
Judy