Corry Homestead, Corry House, State Route 69, 10 miles South of Jasper (244 School Street), Oakman

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ALA,64-OAK,A-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The early log house marks rural to industrial transition and wealth of farmer/coal mine operators. Description: The Corry Family Homeplace is a one-story frame Gothic Revival style structure with twin gables punctuating the facade. The interior reflects the prosperity of the Corry family which has continuously occupied it through the years. It also contains the original log structure. The residence is situated on a broad lawn punctuated by shade trees. Portions of the surrounding area have been intensively mined (both underground and strip) for coal and timbered. Future plans call for the residence to be opened for tours. CORRY HOMESTEAD, CORRY HOUSE HABS No. AL-949-A (Page 2)

Historical Overview

Walker County remained relatively isolated during the nineteenth century. Small farms and a few small mining operations constituted area commerce. But when the railroad arrived in the little town of Day's Gap (now Oakman) boomed sprouting warehouses, stores, and saloons. This boom is chronicled in the Corry papers, a major collection of family and business papers, financial records, scrapbooks and other memorabilia representing the lives of three generations of the Corry family of Walker County and spanning the period from the late to the Recently microfilmed by the University of Alabama Special Collections Library, the papers will be a primary resource for researchers of local history.

Joseph Mortimer Corry, builder of the Corry House, and a native of South Carolina, settled here in the Both farmer and merchant, he had extensive land holdings. By leasing only his mineral rights instead of selling them, he prospered during the initial coal boom of the and continued in the coal business the rest of his life. His son Benjamin Franklin Corry and his wife Alice M. Corry, after spending 20 years in Oklahoma, returned to Oakman and to an involvement in the coal industry as operators of several small coal companies, and to work for such civic causes as the founding of the Alabama Benevolent Old Age Association and rural electrification. Alice Corry also successfully crusaded to get an accredited high school in Oakman.

Joseph Mortimer Corry, their son, also learned the coal business and remained involved all his life. From to he was also a rural mail carrier and deeply involved in Democratic politics. He corresponded with U.S. Congressional Representatives John H. Bankhead, Carter Manasco, Carl Elliott and U.S. Senator Lister Hill, all from Walker County. His involvement in politics and patronage at the grass roots level is well detailed in his correspondence. Fourth generation Corry family member, Harold Corry is the current owner of the Corry family homestead and adjacent lands. CORRY HOMESTEAD, CORRY HOUSE HABS No.

AL-949-A (Page 3) sources consulted Interview with Harold Corry, Corry Family Papers, University of Alabama Special Collections, Tuscaloosa Library Horizons, A Newsletter of the University of Alabama Libraries, Vol. 3, No. 2. Spring pp. ADDENDUM TO: HABS No. AL-949-A CORRY HOMESTEAD,

Corry House

Birmingham Industrial District 244 School Street Oakman Walker County Alabama REDUCED COPIES OF MEASURED DRAWINGS HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior C St. NW Washington, DC