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Henry McAlpin | |
---|---|
Born | 1777 |
Died | 1851 |
Nationality | Scottish |
Henry McAlpin (1777 –1851) was an Scottish master builder and architect who was prominent in the early 19th century.
McAlpin was born in 1777 in Stirling, Scotland. He emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1804. He remained there for eight years, before moving south to Georgia. [1]
McAlpin began working with William I. Scott, who helped him acquire property. [1]
Around 1825, he built a mansion at the Hermitage Plantation in Savannah, Georgia, located around 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city, [2] replacing the original plantation house. Sources differ as to who was its architect: some say William Jay; [3] others claim it was Charles B. Cluskey. [4] [5] The plantation was around 220 acres (89 ha) in size at the time, and McAlpin purchased the property from Jean Bérard de Moquet, Marquis de Montalet (who had purchased it from Patrick Mackay). [6] The mansion was located at the end of a long driveway lined on either side by oak trees. [7] The plantation was run by 65 slaves. [8]
McAlpin expanded the property to cover 600 acres (240 ha) and increased its number of slaves by over one hundred. [9] With the help of Scott, McAlpin purchased the 275-acre (111 ha) "The Glebe" lands adjoining The Hermitage. [1]
Rice was grown at the plantation, but the Hermitage was mostly an industrial site, with steam-powered saw and planing mills, a rice barrel factory. It also contained Savannah's largest brickworks, which produced more than 60 million bricks. [10] Many of its "Savannah Grey" bricks were used to build Savannah's early homes. [11] Around 1820, McAlpin built a railroad to move the bricks around the plantation. [1]
McAlpin became a United States citizen n 1818. [1] The following year, he married for a second time, this time to Ellen McInnis, of Charleston, with whom he had six children: two daughters and four sons. She died in 1831, aged 31 or 32.
He was president of the Saint Andrew's Society between 1840 and his death, but was involved with the organisation for many years previously. He was also a director of the Central Railroad and Banking Company. [1]
McAlpin died of heart disease in 1851, aged 73 or 74. [1] He was initially buried at the plantation, but his body was later removed to Savannah's Laurel Grove Cemetery. He was interred beside his second wife.
This article is actively undergoing a
major edit for a short while. To help avoid
edit conflicts, please do not edit this page while this message is displayed. This message was added at 08:39, 16 July 2024 (UTC). This page was last edited at 09:02, 16 July 2024 (UTC) (115 seconds ago) – this estimate is cached, . Please remove this template if this page hasn't been edited for a significant time. If you are the editor who added this template, please be sure to remove it or replace it with {{ Under construction}} between editing sessions. |
Henry McAlpin | |
---|---|
Born | 1777 |
Died | 1851 |
Nationality | Scottish |
Henry McAlpin (1777 –1851) was an Scottish master builder and architect who was prominent in the early 19th century.
McAlpin was born in 1777 in Stirling, Scotland. He emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1804. He remained there for eight years, before moving south to Georgia. [1]
McAlpin began working with William I. Scott, who helped him acquire property. [1]
Around 1825, he built a mansion at the Hermitage Plantation in Savannah, Georgia, located around 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city, [2] replacing the original plantation house. Sources differ as to who was its architect: some say William Jay; [3] others claim it was Charles B. Cluskey. [4] [5] The plantation was around 220 acres (89 ha) in size at the time, and McAlpin purchased the property from Jean Bérard de Moquet, Marquis de Montalet (who had purchased it from Patrick Mackay). [6] The mansion was located at the end of a long driveway lined on either side by oak trees. [7] The plantation was run by 65 slaves. [8]
McAlpin expanded the property to cover 600 acres (240 ha) and increased its number of slaves by over one hundred. [9] With the help of Scott, McAlpin purchased the 275-acre (111 ha) "The Glebe" lands adjoining The Hermitage. [1]
Rice was grown at the plantation, but the Hermitage was mostly an industrial site, with steam-powered saw and planing mills, a rice barrel factory. It also contained Savannah's largest brickworks, which produced more than 60 million bricks. [10] Many of its "Savannah Grey" bricks were used to build Savannah's early homes. [11] Around 1820, McAlpin built a railroad to move the bricks around the plantation. [1]
McAlpin became a United States citizen n 1818. [1] The following year, he married for a second time, this time to Ellen McInnis, of Charleston, with whom he had six children: two daughters and four sons. She died in 1831, aged 31 or 32.
He was president of the Saint Andrew's Society between 1840 and his death, but was involved with the organisation for many years previously. He was also a director of the Central Railroad and Banking Company. [1]
McAlpin died of heart disease in 1851, aged 73 or 74. [1] He was initially buried at the plantation, but his body was later removed to Savannah's Laurel Grove Cemetery. He was interred beside his second wife.