Eutaw Part II: Basil Hall

Another real highlight in my visit to Eutaw, AL was getting to meet Thom Smith, the owner of Basil Hall. Thom invited me to lunch, along with Ellen and her daughter, Sarah. Sarah cooked for us and it was so delish! What an absolute delight to have lunch in this beautiful home, with such wonderful Southern company.

I drove up and saw this and immediately squealed with glee.  What a beautiful place this is.  I love how these historic homes have their own banners out front, announcing the original owners and when these homes were built.  What a gracious entry this is!  Check out the magnificent magnolia trees in front. Thom told me that these are older than the house.  I encouraged him to make some magnolia wreaths out of all his leaves. 🙂  So beautiful, I couldn’t stop taking pics along the way to the front door. And what an entry it is.  Thom came out and greeted me with a hug and we were like long-lost friends.  Thom is originally from NC, but has spent many, many years in NYC where he has been in the fashion industry for about 40 years.  He and his wife have been splitting their time between an apartment in Manhattan and this beautiful stately Southern home that they’ve owned for 20 years. It was so much fun to talk to Thom about all of the history of Eutaw.  He is a wealth of knowledge and what a pleasure it was to meet him. I couldn’t get enough of his beautiful house. He told me to look up and described this railing as a hairpin railing.  Can you see it?

Magnificent house, don’t you agree?! Come on inside!  Thom and his wife have acquired some absolutely stunning antiques over the years and this house is outfitted with some beautiful pieces.  I can’t imagine that this house ever looked so pretty as it does now. So  many beautiful and collected pieces in Thom’s home.

Looking back towards the front door.  All my pics didn’t turn out great, but I had to try to capture it.  This wall of blue toile in the kitchen was just amazing.  Such a beautiful collection of blue and white.  Looks like a magazine! Blue and white everywhere. Over the door. Living room with so many beautiful things to see. Wreaths on the doors. That’s Thom and Ellen in the background.  Ellen is part of the Historical society of Eutaw and the one who invited me. Gorgeous-ness everywhere. Not so great pic of the diningroom, but after the tour downstairs, we went in here to have lunch. Salad Chicken, rice and beans.  Delish! Scrumptious chocolate cake with white frosting and pecans.  To die for!

We visited for awhile longer and then I had to get going, so that I could finish the tour.  They mentioned a house across the street that was for sale, so I had to check it out.  See that little peek over the fence?  Come on….let’s go see!

What a beauty this place is too. Check out the metal rusty roof, how quaint is that?!  Circa 1836:  And guess what, it’s for sale!  This house can be yours for $239,000.  I was amazed at some of the great prices on some of the homes for sale in Eutaw.  If you’re looking for a fixer-upper, this is your town! Couldn’t you just see yourself in this pretty home?

What character it has.   Thom told me that this house was moved from it’s original location to this location.  And it was moved on huge logs!!  That’s totally amazing to me. You can just imagine all the families that have lived here. Sprawling front porch. Pretty blue ceiling. The old floors inside are just gorgeous.  Pretty rooms.  I didn’t see a kitchen, so that would have to be added, but just think what you could do from scratch. So much potential. Blurry pic of the stairs, but this old wood just wins me over. Sigh….look at this floor and that bed!  Oh my, how pretty is this.

OK, so who wants to buy it??

Thanks for tagging along on another tour of Eutaw with me.  I still have more to go!

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The winner of the Simple Fit shade is Cyndee!  Congrats! I’ve emailed you, so please get back to me.