The Hayes-Long Mansion - Greenwood, Florida

Over the next few days, I'll continue posting articles about some of the interesting historic sites around Greenwood.

This beautiful old home is the Hayes-Long Mansion. Located on State Highway 71 north in Greenwood, it is one of my favorite historic homes in Jackson County.

The Hayes-Long Mansion was built in around 1840 by James Hayes, a prominent early Jackson County resident and land owner. The home was built of native longleaf pine lumber and was originally a frame structure. The bricks were added during the early 1900s.

Mr. Hayes (spelling his name without the "e" as "Hays") enlisted in the Confederate Army on March 18, 1862 in Marianna. On the same day he was commissioned as the 2nd Lieutenant of Company D, 6th Florida Infantry. He was shot and killed at the Battle of Chickamauga in September of 1863.

The house remained in the hands of his estate until 1885. It was then owned by several families until it was purchased in 1913 by William H. Long. He renovated the home, adding the brick, and it remained in the hands of his family until 1984.

Beautifully restored, the historic mansion is a private residence today, but can be viewed along Highway 71 North in Greenwood. A historic marker, placed by the Chipola Historical Trust, stands in front of the house and provides details on its history.

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.