Object description

The Urquhart House is a historic residence in Huntsville, Alabama. The property was acquired by Allen Urquhart in 1813, and the house was built soon after. The dogtrot house was built in several phases, with the eastern "pen" being the original section. It was originally built as a one-room log house with a 7-foot ceiling. The house was extensively modified around 1835; the ceiling was raised to 9 feet, 2 inches , and many Federal-period details were added, including beaded chair rails and baseboards, an elaborate mantle, and lath and plastered walls. The second floor and western pen may have been added at this time; most of the original details were removed from the western pen in the early 20th century, making it difficult to date its construction. When it was completed, the house's dogtrot form was established, including loft rooms over both pens and the breezeway. An addition was made in the 1860s or 1870s to the rear of the western pen which features a Greek Revival mantle. In circa 1915–1930, a kitchen was added to the rear of this room, and an enclosed porch was built in the ell along the rear of the house. A front porch was added in the middle of the 20th century.