Northport in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Shirley Place

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, September 5, 2010

1. Shirley Place Marker

Inscription. James Shirley built this raised cottage in 1838, using Federal and Greek Revival detailing. Constructed of local handmade brick, it was home for him, his wife, Mary Ann Christian Shirley, and his mother, Elizabeth Shirley. James was town surveyor in the 1830s. He built the first bridge over the Sipsey River in West Tuscaloosa County and Northport’s first brick commercial buildings in the 1850s. This house was later the home of William L. Christian, a Confederate veteran and Northport merchant; and, afterwards the home of George and Grace Christian. In 1979 Marvin Harper, a Shirley descendant, acquired the house. He gave it to the City of Northport in 1997.

National Register of Historic Places - March 24, 1972

Erected 1998 by Alabama Historical Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Commission series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1924.

Location. 33° 13.158′ N, 87° 34.73′ W. Marker is in Northport, Alabama, in Tuscaloosa County. It is on Main Avenue north of 5th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map.

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Marker is at or near this postal address: 512 Main Avenue, Northport AL 35476, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is 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 walking distance of this marker: Northport First United Methodist Church (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Northport Baptist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Northport's Cotton Industry / Original Village of North Port (approx. ¼ mile away); Home Guard Defended Covered Bridge / Bridging The Black Warrior River (approx. 0.4 miles away); Horace King (approx. half a mile away); Captain Benjamin F. Eddins (approx. half a mile away); Medeiros Point (approx. half a mile away); Burns’ Shoals (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northport.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, September 5, 2010

2. Shirley Place Marker

Shirley Place image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, September 5, 2010

3. Shirley Place

Credits. This page was last revised on November 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 6, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 3,013 times since then and 99 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 6, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.