Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
“The Laura Watson House was a historic house in Gainesville, Alabama. The one-story, wood frame, spraddle roof house was built for Laura Watson and her son, Booker, circa 1900.”
Wikipedia article Laura Watson House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 13 National Register listings published here for Sumter County · listed in 1985 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 30 fires within 5 miles of Laura Watson House between 1996 and 2018, burning about 200 acres in total. None started naturally. 11 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 11 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 September 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160921-6 |
| 18 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 3 August 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 12 August 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 July 1996 | Smoking | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 3 July 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 3 July 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 14 July 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Laura Watson House: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Silica, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swilley's Bend Quarry | Silica, Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Quartz | |
| Johnston Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Swilleys Bend Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gainesville, the town this property stands in, in 9 storm reports between 1999 and 2022: 5 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gainesville | $3,000 | A few trees were blown down between Gainsville and Geiger. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gainesville | - | Several trees uprooted along Highway 39 near Williams Road. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gainesville | - | Multiple trees uprooted and power lines downed in the city of Gainesville. |
| January 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gainesville | - | Several trees uprooted in the town of Gainesville. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gainesville | - | Several trees uprooted in the town of Gainesville. |
| February 2007 | Hail | Gainesville | - | Reported south of Gainsville along SR 39. |
| December 2000 | Hail | Gainesville | - | Dime size hail was reported at the Gainesville Lock and Dam on the Tombigbee River. The hail lasted around 5 minutes and then crossed the river. |
| March 1999 | Hail | Gainesville | - | Dime sized hail reported in Gainesville. |
| February 2004 | Hail | Gainesville | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Gainesville Historic District | 0.3 miles | 1985 |
| Colgin Hill | 0.4 miles | 1985 | |
 | Col. Green G. Mobley House | 0.5 miles | 1982 |
 | Main-Yankee Street Historic District | 0.6 miles | 1985 |
 | Coffin Shop | 0.6 miles | 1985 |
| Park and Bandstand | 0.7 miles | 1985 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 85002928 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Sumter County | All 13 listed properties in this county. |
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