The Oaks (Colbert County, Alabama)
The Oaks (also known as Abraham Ricks Plantation) is a historic residence near Tuscumbia in Colbert County, Alabama. Ricks came to North Alabama from Halifax, North Carolina in the early 1820s. He acquired a large plantation which he sold in 1826 and purchased nearby land, which was worked by the forced labour of enslaved people who he had brought with him. A log house had been built on the new property circa 1818, and Ricks built a new, larger house connected to it which was completed in 1832. The house remained in the family until 1966, and is still in use as a private residence.
The Oaks | |
.jpg.webp) The house in a 1935 HABS photo | |
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| Nearest city | Tuscumbia, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°40′27″N 87°35′36″W |
| Area | 7.7 acres (3.1 ha) |
| Built | 1818 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000319[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1976 |
The original house is a 1+1⁄2-story log structure covered with weatherboards. Exterior chimneys rest in each gable end, and a shed roofed porch projects from the rear of the house. The log house is connected to the two-story main house by a one-story, gable roofed hall with two exterior doors and windows matching those of the main house. The front façade of the main house is five bays wide, with a central portico supported by two square columns and topped with a deck. The twin-leaf door is surrounded by sidelights and a transom; a similar door with sidelights opens to the deck above. The portico is flanked by a pair of twelve-over-twelve sash windows on each side on both floors. The interior has a center-hall layout with one room on either side of a main hall.[2]
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[1]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- Floyd, W. Warner; Ellen Mertins (April 27, 1976). "The Oaks". National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form. National Park Service. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015. See also: "Accompanying photos". Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
External links
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. AL-362, "The Oaks, Ricks Lane, Leighton, Colbert County, AL", 12 photos, 3 data pages
