Preserving the Heritage at the Magee Farm with Museums part of Albama’s Past

In 1848 Mr. Jacob built a farmhouse and related building constructed with black slave labor for his family. The construction of the farmstead and buildings was so good that from that date to the present day the house needed minimal help or maintenance from that day to the present. The two story house was the home of 4 different families over the years before being designated a living history and museum site for the city of Kushla. The Magee Farm is one of those attractions that you will want to put on your Alabama travel schedule.

Along side the main house there was also a commissary; post office, bath house and school room on the grounds. However the only remaining buildings are the homestead and the schoolroom - the heritage of those times lives on with the displays that are set for you to see. It was the largest private homestead for many miles when it was finished.

The main homestead was designed with some fascinating plans. There is a center veranda that has two bedroom entrances leading onto it. One of these bedrooms has a door on the veranda but no entrance into the main area of the house. It was designed to provide travelers and guests that were non members of the family a safe room to reside without them being able to enter the family’s private areas. The other bedroom has a door on the veranda but also an entry that leads into the formal living room. Of course this extra bedroom was used by family members that came to visit or acquaintances that the family wanted to allow access to the rest of the house.

There is also a parlor room that could be closed off with either a curtain or by shuting the sliding wooden doors. The foyer of the house opened into both the center and the back veranda. The schoolroom is attached to the back porch. This building is now the museum for the property. On the second floor are two large bedrooms, each including their own fireplace. For warmth, the house has a total of 5 fireplaces. Imagine keeping enough firewood to keep 5 fireplaces burning all winter!!

The kitchen was out back but connected to the remainder of the house by the back veranda. It was typical to have the kitchen removed from the house proper to keep the heat out of the main house. Behind the cookhouse is the outhouse so when the outhouse needed to be used it could require quite a run in the dark or cold to get to the outhouse when nature called.

Today, it is on the most popular Alabama attractions. The farmstead is also the location of the Living History and Battle Reenactment - both in the spring and the fall.