Jonathan Bass House Museum Marker

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Leeds in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Jonathan Bass House Museum
Circa 1863

Jonathan Bass House Museum Marker Photo, Click for full size

By Tim Carr, November 15, 2009

1. Jonathan Bass House Museum Marker

Inscription. Jonathan Bass was born January 30, 1837, in Jefferson County. His father arrived in Jefferson County in 1816, and Jonathan was a life-long resident. Although the Bass House was under construction as early as 1863, Jonathan left the farm to join the Confederate Army in 1861. He finished the front two rooms when he returned from the war. Ruteria Watson married Jonathan on December 6, 1865. They built their home and left their descendants an uncommon example of architecture with unusual decorative elements of wood graining in the front parlors and stenciling on the ceiling of the Great Hall. The painted ceiling design in the Men's Parlor that depicts a billiard table is a rare feature in American architecture, unique for its time and place.

Erected 2006 by Leeds Historical Society / Alabama Landmarks and Heritage.

Location. 33° 32.442′ N, 86° 33.492′ W. Marker is in Leeds, Alabama, in Jefferson County. Marker is on Montevallo Road, on the right when traveling east. Click for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1129 Montevallo Road, Leeds AL 35094, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. The Depot (approx. 1.1 miles away); John Henry (approx. 1.1 miles away); Rowan House (approx. 1.6 miles away); Trussville (approx. 6.1 miles away); Cahaba Project (approx. 6.1 miles away); Confederate Storehouse Burned By Federal Troops (approx. 6.2 miles away); Trussville Furnace (approx. 6.7 miles away); Wilson Chapel And Cemetery (approx. 8.9 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Leeds.

By Tim Carr, November 15, 2009

2. Jonathan Bass House Museum Marker

Also see . . . Jonathan Bass House Museum. (Submitted on November 23, 2009, by Tim Carr of Birmingham, Alabama.)

Additional comments.
1. Previous Occupants
My family and I lived in the Bass House from 1995 until the date of its sale to the Leeds Historical Society. We purchased the house from our home Church (Bold Springs) and then later sold the house to the Historical Society due to the divorce of my parents. We have many great memories in that house, and enjoyed doing projects to fix it up, such as hand cutting the pickets for the fence around the house. Many long hours were spent restoring the floors, walls, raising the roof to its original elevation, etc. of this great house. It is bittersweet each time I travel back to Leeds to visit friends and see the house. On my last trip, it was closed, but I was able to walk around outside a little bit with our old neighbor, Mr. Blair. Thank you for posting these pictures :) Note To Editor only visible by Contributor and editor