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

Rowan House

Photographed by Tim Carr, November 15, 2009

1. Rowan House Marker

Inscription. Thomas Rowan, son of Irish immigrants who settled in St. Clair County, Alabama, purchased his first 130 acres at auction and built a house here by c. 1854 that probably forms the core of the two northeast rooms. Heir John Thomas Rowan and his wife, Ada Scott Rowan, enlarged the house to its present turn-of-the-century farmhouse form about 1904. The Rowans were prominent farmers and landowners in the Cahaba Valley for three generations, at one time owning much of the land on this section of the Ashville - Montevallo Road. The last family member to live in the house died in 1979, after which the property declined. In 1998 builder Charles Kessler Jr. purchased the property to develop Woodruff Farms. The Leeds Historical Society convinced Kessler to donate the lot to the Society. Volunteer workers restored the badly deteriorated house. It was dedicated to the people of the community in April 2000.

Erected 2000 by Alabama Historical Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Commission

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series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 2000.

Location. 33° 31.494′ N, 86° 34.674′ W. Marker is in Leeds, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is on Montevallo Road (Alabama Route 119) near Woodruff Parkway, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1900 Montevallo Road, Leeds AL 35094, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fuller's Mill (approx. 1.3 miles away); Congressional Medal Of Honor Recipients (approx. 1.4 miles away); Jonathan Bass House Museum (approx. 1.6 miles away); Mt. Hebron School (approx. 2.3 miles away); Mt. Hebron Cemetery

Photographed by Tim Carr

2. Rowan House & Marker

(approx. 2.3 miles away); Leeds Benchmarks In History (approx. 2.4 miles away); John Henry (approx. 2.6 miles away); The Depot (approx. 2.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leeds.

Photographed by Tim Carr

3. Rowan House

Rowan Oaks, circa 1904, restored 1999, Leeds Historical Society image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 27, 2013

4. Rowan Oaks, circa 1904, restored 1999, Leeds Historical Society

Woodruff Farms Sign Next To The Rowan House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Carr

5. Woodruff Farms Sign Next To The Rowan House

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2019. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2009, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 3,654 times since then and 93 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 21, 2009, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. 4. submitted on November 7, 2013, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 5. submitted on November 21, 2009, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.