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University of Alabama Tuscaloosa County is proud to host one of the state’s premier educational institutions, the University of Alabama. First opened in 1831, the school has played a key role in the growth and development of Tuscaloosa County.
Built in 1840 and designed by architect William Nichols, the President’s Mansion is one of the outstanding examples of Greek Revival architecture in the nation. It is one of four of the structures of the original university that survived the campus’ burning during the Civil War. Legend has it that the wife of University President Landon C. Garland saved the home from destruction in 1865 by a personal confrontation with Union soldiers who were about to set fire to it. (picture shows President's Mansion only)
The Gorgas House, part of the antebellum university campus, was built in 1828 as a dining hall for students. In the 1840s it was converted into a faculty residence. After the Civil War it became the home of Josiah Gorgas, a Confederate general and seventh president of the University, and his wife Amelia Gayle Gorgas, the daughter of Alabama governor John Gayle. The Gorgas House is the only building by noted architect William Nichols to survive on campus. In addition to designing the University of Alabama and the state capitol in Tuscaloosa, Nichols later designed the Old Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi and the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford. Click here for rental information The structures lining the Old Quadrangle were built during the first wave of construction following the Civil War on the site of the main classroom destroyed in the conflict. Nearby, just west of the Gorgas Library, is the “Mound” which contains the remnants of the Franklin Dormitory which was burned by Union soldiers. The “Mound” is kept today to honor the history and the heritage of the University.
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