The 1867 Matheson House is a historic building in
Gainesville,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It is located at 528 Southeast 1st Avenue. It was the home of James Douglas Matheson and Augusta Florida Steele Matheson, the daughter of Florida pioneer
Augustus Steele, who founded Hillsborough County and Cedar Key. James Douglas Matheson owned a dry goods store in downtown Gainesville and was active in local and state politics, as was his son, eight-term Gainesville mayor Chris Matheson, who was also a state legislator.
[
Chris's widow, Sarah Matheson, deeded the house to the Alachua County Historical Society, which later merged with the Matheson History Museum after it opened in 1994. Sarah Matheson lived in the house until her death in 1996. She was the first female elder at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Gainesville and was an early president of the Alachua County Historical Society and a co-founder and member of the original board of directors of the Matheson Histical Center (now the Matheson History Museum). The 1867 Matheson House is now part of the Matheson History Museum Complex, which recounts the history of Alachua County. On June 4, 1973, it was added to the ]U.S.
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. The house is open by appointment only.
History
The Matheson house was constructed in 1857 by the Matheson family from Camden, South Carolina. While it was unoccupied during the civil war, James Douglas Matheson moved into it 1867 with his wife, Augusta Florida Steele. Their son, Christopher Matheson, later inherited the house. Christopher's widow, Sarah Hamilton Matheson, would eventually deed the house to the Matheson Museum shortly before her death in 1996.
Architecture
The House combines South Carolina plantation architecture on the first floor with Classic Revival raised cottage architecture on the later added second floor. The roof and interior stairway have gothic design elements, and the house possesses a gambrel roof uncommon to Florida.“The Matheson House”
''Alachua County Historic Trust Matheson Museum, Inc.'' October 26, 2014
References
External links
*
Alachua County Department of Growth Management*
Gallery
Image:Mathesonhousegainesville2.jpg, The Tison Tool Museum, located behind the historic Matheson House.
Buildings and structures in Gainesville, Florida
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida
National Register of Historic Places in Gainesville, Florida
Historic house museums in Florida
Museums in Gainesville, Florida
Houses in Alachua County, Florida
Vernacular architecture in Florida
Historic American Buildings Survey in Florida
1857 establishments in Florida
Houses completed in 1857
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