The Ely-Crigler House - Marianna, Florida

In my last post I discussed the history of the "1840 House" at the intersection of Lafayette and Russ Streets in Marianna. This beautiful old structure was originally a wing of the elegant home shown here.

This is the Ely-Crigler House, which faces Lafayette Street (U.S. 90) in Marianna and is one of the city's most stunning landmarks. An architectural treasure, it is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the national listing of architectural landmarks.

Built in around 1840, the home is unique in that its brick walls run all the way to the ground and are of massive thickness. Likely this is because the house was constructed during the Second Seminole War and was designed to serve as a fortress in the event of an attack. With its original east and west wings, it was one of the largest homes on the entire Gulf Coast. The east wing has since been demolished and the west wing has been disconnected and moved to face Russ Street, where it is now the "1840 House."

Note that I call the home a "house" and not a "mansion," despite the fact that it was definitely of mansion size. This is because I remember well that the last descendents of the Crigler family to occupy the home became quite irate when it was called a "mansion." They considered it a "house."

A portion of the Battle of Marianna was fought in the street in front of the house and a Native American mound once stood on the grounds.

The 1840 House - Marianna, Florida

This beautiful old structure at the intersection of Lafayette (U.S. 90) and Russ Streets in Marianna is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Jackson County.

Now used as a business, the structure was originally one of the two wings of the Ely-Crigler Home, located just around the corner facing Lafayette Street. The home was constructed in around 1840 and originally included the central brick section that survives today as well as large east and west wings. The east wing has since been demolished, but the west wing was moved slightly and turned to face Russ Street during the years after the war.

It is, so far as I know, the only case to be found in Florida of a Civil War home now being located in two places at the same time.

The Davis-West House - Marianna, Florida

This beautiful old home, one of my favorites in Marianna, is the Davis-West House. Constructed well before the Civil War, the home for over 100 years was owned by Dr. Theophilus West and his son, C. Slade West. It is now in the hands of a local historic preservation group and is open for tours by appointment.

Dr. West was a surgeon from Florida during the Civil War. He served in the Army of Northern Virginia and was among the soldiers surrendered by General Robert E. Lee at Appomatox Courthouse, Virginia.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the house is one of a number of 19th century structures still standing in Marianna.