Riverdale is a historic plantation house near

Selma Selma may refer to: Places * Selma, Algeria *Selma, Nova Scotia, Canada *Selma, Switzerland, village in the Grisons United States: *Selma, Alabama, city in Dallas County, best known for the Selma to Montgomery marches *Selma, Arkansas *Selma, Cal ...

, Dallas County, Alabama. Architectural historians consider it to be the "most elegant and refined house of its period in Dallas County." ''See also:'' The two-story wood-frame house was built in the

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

-style in 1829. It is five

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

wide, with a two-tiered,

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

spanning the central bay. It was built by Virgil H. Gardner, a native of Jones County, Georgia, for his bride, Margaret Loise Aylett of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Their daughter, Mary Gardner, was married in the house in 1854 to Henry Quitman, son of former Mississippi governor

John A. Quitman John Anthony Quitman (September 1, 1798 – July 17, 1858) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. As President of the Mississippi Senate, he served one month as Acting Governor of Mississippi (from December 3, 1835, to January 7, 1836) a ...

. Following the deaths of Virgil and Margaret Gardner during the 1880s, the plantation was purchased by W. P. Watts. Houston Alexander sold the house and roughly of the property in 1961 to the Hammermill Paper Company. The company offered to donate the house to the local historical society on the condition that it be moved. The former plantation site is now the location of International Paper's Riverdale Mill, built in 1965. The house was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on September 10, 1979. It was disassembled and moved during the 1980s to a site off

Alabama State Route 22 State Route 22 (SR 22) is a state highway that extends from Safford in Dallas County to the Georgia state line near Roanoke in Randolph County. The route travels across most of the state from west to east. Route description Starting ...

References

National Register of Historic Places in Dallas County, Alabama Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Federal architecture in Alabama Houses in Dallas County, Alabama Houses completed in 1829 Plantation houses in Alabama {{Alabama-plantation-stub