Eddins House, 919 Greensboro Avenue, Tuscaloosa

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David L* Eosenau. (sic ) Girls Seminary; This house was early used as a Seminary. Attend- ing school there were two sisters, Misses Martha and Annie Bealle. A few years after their school days, Martha Bealle married Br. Simeon Eddins. Dr. Simeon Eddins: After marrying Martha Bealle, Br. Eddins purch- ased this house, where his wife had attemded school,for his home. The Eddins were quite a prominent family and made the few alterations to the home. Here they entertained quite extensively, both before and after the War Between the States. Givil War Period: The Eddins seem to have stayed in their home dur- the War. In a niece of Iddins came to this home to live with her aunt.

This niece was Kiss Jennie Bealle, whose mother had just died, and whose father, John Richard Bealle, was in the Confederate army. The following is an interesting bit of history, told by Miss Jennie Bealle, of the time the Feder- # al troops took Tuscaloosa: rw BY I IRfllBY fiC-JMNfiRRS Project 2 THE 3DDIHS HOUSE 919 Greensboro Avenue Tuscaloosa, Alabama "My Aunt was a hot-bea&ed Southerner. Her home ..was decorated the walls with all the South- era generals in the Army of the South. 1 was in T*usealoasa when the Yankees took the town, burn- ing University and so on. The day before they seized the town, they were stationed across the river in the town of Northport out beyond the town in the dense woods.

About noon of that day two men in civilian olotb.es came to Aunt Martha's door and begged for dinner saying they were from the Southern Army. Of course we gladftly fed them. We were very much upset and had been for a long time feeling that the Yankees were coming. These two men assured us that the Yankees were not any- where near and that they did not believe that they would seize Tuscaloosa. The next day the stage coach which generally bore our important news came in blowing its single horn that the Yankees were across the river in Horthport and were coming into the town and were burning behind them. This was like a death knell to all especi- ally th$ Ed&ins family.

Not long after they reached town they began the march up Greensboro Avenue, the most beautiful avenue in town, and when they reached Aunt Martha's home two men, th same two whom we had fed, stopped at our gate and pulled off their civilian clothes and there they stood in the Yankee blue uniforms. Two low down Yankees. They were much amused at the way Aunt Martha abused them for fooling her. She became so angry that she veritably ^reached their funeral (so to speak}* Mr. Ryland Randolph, Editor of the Tuscaloosa Blade, was one of the most active and bitter editors of the south, towards the Unicin Army, and these Yankee soldiers were after him. It was rumored that they would kill Mr. Randolph if they got him. Mr.

Randolph was a frequent visitor at our home and these soldiers were hunting at my &unt Marthas for him. Aunt Martha told them that Mr. Randolph was not there (he had just left a short while before and was hiding somewhere). They searched the whole house, even to the closets. The girls were so angry that they talked saucy to the Yankees and one of them, one of the daughters, told them that they might look under an upturned flower pot in the flower garden as they might find him there. The Yankee soldier remarked that they ALA. 4 .".

Project 5 TOS KDDINS HOUSB 919 Greensboro Avenue 2?uscaloosa, Alabama had not met with, or to quote him exactly, 'They are six of the damnedest hottest-headed rebels and also the prettiest we have seen, but I know they*re mean.** "In after years our home was a gay one. uscal- oosa was the center of society in Alabama and there we all enjoyed the social activities. I remember my aunt's beautiful coach and the high seat for the coachman. We paid as much in those days for a carriage as is paid now for an auto- mobile. TbB Uddins home and the Battle home ac- ross the street were two of the show places of fuscaloosa.

^hey had military at the University in those days and the cadets always spoke of our home as the 'Columns** To add to the beauty of the place there was an old-fashioned flower e;a garden.n jjftyarga of Material: Dr. A. B. Moore, Dean of the Graduate School ot the University of-Alabama. \\ James A. Anderson, S$ , Tuf caloosa, Ala.v ALA 4- Project THE mums HOUSE Tuscaloosa, Manama i&GHITEGTURAX MERIT AHD DATA: This ambitious Tusoaloosa residence Figs a very inter- esting ftmlii' fcjjaaa plan, in that the two story porch extends around three sides of the building. The en- trance doorway and exterior window treatment attowaa very fine use of Greek motives. The interior is especially noted for the extensive excellent plaster work used throughout the lower story. te* Nut.*, A i,A*v: O>O A .

T- Source of MaAsxial: E. Walter Burkhardt, district Administrator, EXBSt Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn, Alabama.