Elm Bluff Plantation
| Elm Bluff | |
|---|---|
The main house at Elm Bluff in 2008
|
|
| Location | Elm Bluff, Alabama |
| Coordinates | 32°10′15″N 87°06′12″W / 32.17074°N 87.10347°WCoordinates: 32°10′15″N 87°06′12″W / 32.17074°N 87.10347°W |
| Founded | circa 1840 |
| Built | 1845 |
| Architectural style(s) | Greek Revival |
| Governing body | Private |
 Location of Elm Bluff in Alabama
|
|
Elm Bluff is a historic former plantation and plantation house in the rural community of Elm Bluff, Dallas County, Alabama, United States. Situated on a bluff high above the Alabama River, the now near-ruinous house is considered by architectural historians to be one of the most refined and unusual Greek Revival-style houses in the state.
Elm Bluff was established by John Jay Crocheron around 1840. A lifelong bachelor, Crocheron was born on August 21, 1795 in Richmondtown, Staten Island, New York. He was the son of John Crocheron and Johanna Houseman. The Crocherons were a French Huguenot family. Following the death of his father, Crocheron relocated to Alabama. He was elected as one of twelve directors for the Bank of Alabama during the 1820s, when the bank was located in Cahaba. While in Cahaba he established a successful mercantile business and engaged in various commercial enterprises in Mobile, including ownership of steamships.
By 1840 John Jay Crocheron had transferred the running of the mercantile business in Cahaba to his half-brother, Richard Conner Crocheron. Richard Crocheron was one among many Crocheron relatives who had relocated to Alabama from New York. His brick mansion at Cahaba burned in the early 20th century, although some of the monumental brick columns remain, known now as the "Crocheron Columns."
Following the transfer of the business to Richard, John Jay Crocheron then relocated to Elm Bluff, near his Crocheron and Stoutenborough relatives in Richmond, named in honor of their former home in New York. He began acquiring additional property until the plantation comprised several thousand acres. In 1845 he completed the main house.
...
Wikipedia