It’s taken awhile to get to the end of our Eutaw historic tour and I may have saved the best for last. Kirkwood was my last stop of the day and a grand finale it was. I mentioned in an earlier post that I hoped to see the new owners of Kirkwood, a couple from Atlanta, the Sears, who I knew years ago. I did get to visit with them and it was fun catching up.
You can read more about the house and how the furnishings were auctioned off last year, after the Sears bought the house. They brought in their own collection of antiques to fill the house.
SO, grab yourself a big cup of something delish, we’re going on another home tour!
Kirkwood is an 8,000-square foot Greek Revival antebellum mansion first built in 1860 by cotton magnate Foster Mark Kirksey, who operated the property as a plantation. Mr. Kirksey’s wife, in fact, was a relative of Mary Todd Lincoln, Abe’s wife.
Come on along with me, I think you’ll really enjoy this one. Kirkwood has been photographed for many publications over the years and you can see why.
It was a perfect Fall day for touring homes and this one was stunningly beautiful. You just don’t see houses like this every day. Check out that turret on the top. Amazing! 
A huge wrap around porch encircles the house, along with those huge Ionic columns. 
Of course, a house of this magnitude wouldn’t be complete without a spacious porch with rocking chairs. 
Along with tall and welcoming front doors.
It’s a stately Southern beauty.
Stained glass just inside the foyer.
And what a foyer it is, this view looks back towards the pretty screened porch, which we will see later.
I’m not going to try to talk about every picture, but will let this house speak for itself. I think it will suffice to say that it has been decorated according to the time period, with many gorgeous antiques and collectibles.
This is Rebecca, the homeowner and it was great catching up with her again after all these years. She had a picture of herself from high school in the kitchen and I said, THIS is how I remember you.
More of the spacious foyer.
A pink bedroom.
Upstairs. You can imagine how much furniture is needed to fill up an 8,000 s.f. house.
Blue toile wallpaper is elegant.
More of the upstairs open area.
Another bedroom decorated to the max.
I thought this wallpaper was really pretty.
Check out this magnificent door!
Downstairs looking out to the porch. Wait til you see it.
Dining room is oh, so elegant.
The sunny yellow kitchen was amazing too, so pretty and cozy.
Fireplace and kitchen table.
Stove
This toile room was just off the kitchen and held so many framed articles that have been written about Kirkwood over the years.
Peeking out to the screened porch.
And what a porch it is. I would be loving this space.
So peaceful and serene.
I think the plans for Kirkwood are to open it up as a special events type of place. The homeowners live full time in Atlanta and come back to visit when they can. But, I did hear talk of opening it up for tours and other events, which is great, a house this magnificent needs to be shown off.
And that is the tour of Kirkwood and finishes up our final stop in Eutaw, AL. I SO hope you all enjoyed this tour as much as I did. If you ever get the opportunity to do this historic tour, go for it. You will be glad you did. Thanks again to the ladies in Eutaw who invited me. I’d love to go back next year.
Can you just imagine how pretty these houses are at Christmas?!
****************************
The giveaway winner for Holiday magazine is:
Shannon with Below the Plateau! Congrats, Shannon, please email me and I’ll get you hooked up with your own copy.
Wow, Rhoda! You did save the best for last. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful rooms and furnishings, especially the half-tester beds. They looked like Mallard originals!
Rhoda,
Thanks so much for the chance to see Kirkwood, what a magnificent house! 8,000 sq. ft., I can’t imagine having a house that large. What a treat it would be to tour one of those in real life. Beautiful, just beautiful.
Hugs, Cindy
This is just unreal. Such a magnificent place. All of the furnishings and decor are gorgeous. Thanks for the tour. Hugs, Marty
Hi sweet friend! Loved the tour. I’m going on a Holiday home tour in Freeport in a couple of weeks….can’t wait. Say “hi” to Peter.
Hugs,
Kat
Rhoda,
This is the epitome of a historical home — a treasure box filled with delightful details of the past.
Thank you for taking us on another fantastic tour.
Your Friend,
Deborah
What a glorious home! Thank you for taking us along for the tour…I really enjoyed it :o)
Kristen
Just beautiful.. Can you imagine how much fun it would be to outfit an 8,000 sq ft house! .. Would take me a life time maybe – but what an adventure!!
Thanks for posting the wonderful Southern home tours for this Yankee homemaker to see. I really loved the kitchen…that’s something I could do.
Wow, absolutely breath taking!!! I love the South!
http://www.monogrammedeverything.com
Rhoda,
I can’t imagine having all of that room! What a special home! Exquisite.
About 4 years ago, my husband and I dropped in on an old plantation home in Fosters, AL. (south of Tuscaloosa) – not at all lavish but just as big. The most memorable part was the COLD. It was a gray December day and we were chilled to the bone while inside – even though we wore heavy coats and gloves. Funny thing: the owners were dressed like it was 70 degrees inside. Guess you adjust to little or no heat in these houses. Though it was run down and ill-furnished, we still enjoyed taking a peek inside the large rooms with beautiful windows and woodwork, and the owners were so gracious. (My husbands family has roots in the community)
I like the widows peak and the stained glass. The bed with the canopy reminds me of a bed I saw at Neuschwanstein Castle. Grand olde house!
http://dobermans-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/
Oh my goodness, the furnishings in this home are MAGNIFICENT!! I was in awe loking at all the photos! What a beautiful, historic home. It woulkd be so nice for them to open it for tours and special events! Thanks so much for taking us along for the tour!!!!! XO, Pinky
My husband and I had our wedding at Kirkwood Plantation on May 13, 2000. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I am a native of Eutaw, but we now reside in Atlanta. I will never forget my wedding nor will I forget the historical significance & elegance of Kirkwood Plantation.
I was born in Eutaw and spent a great deal of my early life in this home virtually from birth until my father, C. J. Roebuck, sold it to Mr Swazey (sp?) of Virginia. I knew Dr Kirksey,Harold, as a child until his death in 1953 and our family was very close to Mrs. Kirksey, Janie, until her death in 1963. My father promised Dr Kirksey he would take care of Mrs Kirksey for the rest of her life and he did. Long story I won’t go into here. It is a wonderful memory of my early years. I would be more than happy to share more history of this home if interested. For instance, no where have I ever read in any article the story of the marble fireplace mantel in the main parlor.
Best regards,
Bill Roebuck
Thank you, Bill, for chiming in on this house. It’s been awhile since I visited this house and took the tour, but it was a very interesting place.