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HMPS Leadership Board of Directors 2011-2012

Officers
President: Douglas B. Kearley

First Vice President: Clara Armbrecht

Second Vice President: Rev. Rob Gulledge

Third Vice President: Michon Trent

Secretary: Thomas C. McGehee

Treasurer: Jeff Garrett

Legal Advisor: Harold Parkman

Board of Directors
Cart Blackwell
Mary Cousar
Allan Gustin
Stella Hester
Tunstall Inge
Robin Roberts
Paul Shestak
Sally Adams Trufant

Advisory Board
Bob Allen
Wanda Cochran
Buffy Donlon
Shelia Flanagan
Dora Finley
Dr. Kern Jackson
Erica McElhaney
Beth Morrissette
Allison Peebles
Beth Walmsley

Executive Director
Rhonda P. Davis

 

Landmark

SUMMER 2011

FALL 2011

WINTER 2011



SPRING 2012


SUMMER 2012

 
HMPS appreciates the generous support of our Corporate Partners:
 
 BankTrust
Chilton's Fine Art & Framing
Harrison Brothers Dry Dock & Repair Yard
White-Spunner Construction
 
email link
 
Oakleigh house
 

Visit the Parlors of the South - Oakleigh Porch Tour Set for May 5
www.oakleighporches.com

 
porch tours

Grab your straw hat, a glass of lemonade and head to the Oakleigh Garden Historic District for a fun-filled day of porch hopping as the Historic Mobile Preservation Society presents the first annual Oakleigh Porch Tour on Saturday, May 5, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

“Come, visit, sit a spell and see why our porches are truly the Parlors of the South,” stated Renea Greene, Oakleigh Porch Tour Chair. “Listen to stories, chat with neighbors and absorb the history of how some of these porches came to be. Start your summer on the right foot; step back in time and enjoy the day in Oakleigh. We are looking forward to your visit.”

Twelve beautifully restored and decorated porches will be open for the tour, along with lemonade stands, dog watering stations, and surprise entertainment along the way. The afternoon will end with a Porch Play at the Cox-Deasy Cottage at 4:00 p.m.

The Benson Home
202 Rapier Avenue
1908 Italianate

The Burns Home
1160 Church Street
1896 eclectic Queen Anne

The Cummings Home
1011 Augusta Street
1904 Coastal traditional and Colonial

The Garrett-Cumbie Home
1104 Palmetto Street
1927 Arts & Crafts – Craftsman Cottage

The Grill Home
1124 Palmetto Street
1930 Arts and Crafts Bungalow

The Harrell Home
1156 Palmetto Street
1899 Queen Anne transitional to Colonial Revival

The Hendricks Home
1118 Palmetto Street
1854 Greek Revival with 1890 Queen Anne additions

The Howe Home
250 Rapier Avenue
1907 Craftsman and Colonial

The McCrary-Olsen Home
1156 Church Street
1851 Greek Revival

The Patton Home
210 Roper Street
1901 transitional Queen Anne

The Wallace Home
1154 Palmetto Street
1899 Queen Anne

The Walmsley Home
300 Chatham Street
1869 Italianate

Tickets are $10 per person and children 13 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased on line at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/237640. Tickets are also available at: The Gift Shop at Oakleigh; Downtown Mobile Alliance; Mobile Arts Council; Fort Conde Welcome Center; Cotton Capers, Inc.; It’s Inviting; B&B Pet Stop; and Page and Palette in Fairhope.

The Oakleigh Porch Tour is sponsored by: Sherwin Williams, Callaghan’s Irish Social Club, Sally Trufant, Geothermal Solutions, Roberts Brothers – Chris King, Middle Bay Consulting, Griffith Shell, Contessa Events, Urban Emporium, McElhaney Insurance Company, Chez Giselle Hair Salon, Lawn Pro, Downtown Mobile Alliance, Hastings, Read & Douglas Burtu Kearley AIA.

 

Historic Mobile Preservation Society was founded in 1935 as a grassroots membership group dedicated to preserving the tangible links to the past for the benefit of present and future generations. HMPS's mission includes curating the Oakleigh Historic Complex, a 19th-century museum and archives campus in the heart of one of Mobile's most beautiful historic districts.

Activities include field trips to historic locations, guest speakers, workshops, parties, concerts, and social gatherings. Research and document and material preservation are part of the organization's ongoing work.

HMPS members receive free admission to general tours of Oakleigh Historic Complex. Members also receive a subscription to Landmark Letter .

HMPS holdings of historic materials include an impressive collection of 19th century art, including the magnificent Thomas K. Sully portrait of "Miss Walton of Florida," the formal debut portrait of Octavia Walton LeVert, once known as "the belle of the South."  The Mitchell Archives serves as a research facility for historians, scholars, students, researchers, history buffs and the lovers of Southern literature and historic photography.  The centerpiece is a 2,000-plus collection of circa 1900 dry-plate glass negatives in the William E. Wilson Collection.

     
  Current Civic Actions: 
HMPS's current civic action priorities include the following projects.  Members are encouraged to actively participate in these activities.
 
     
  barton academy Barton Academy:
HMPS is committed to exploring and promoting the restoration of Barton Academy, the state's oldest public school building and an architectural treasure at risk of demolition by maintenance neglect.  HMPS has been working closely with other civic groups to accomplish this restoration.  For information, call 251-432-6161 or email hmps2@bellsouth.net
 
  french map Historic Documents: 
HMPS conducts ongoing work to preserve and manage its archival collection of documents, maps, photographs and other materials useful to researchers.  Click here to access our list holdings list or email the archivist at hmps2@bellsouth.net
 
  Membership Opportunities: 
HMPS is a member-driven organization. Members are invited to participate in a variety of activities: educational, social, and civic. Year-round complimentary admission to Oakleigh Historic Complex, free and discounts in Oakleigh Gift Shop are among the benefits of membership. HMPS members receive a complimentary subscription to Landmark Letter and are eligible for discounted registration to the National Trust for Historic Preservation annual conference. For information, call 251-432-6161 or email hmps@bellsouth.net
 
  painting

Conservation and Exhibition of the
HMPS Art Collection:

HMPS is the owner of an extensive collection of exquisite 19th-century decorative arts including portraits and other period paintings, furniture, silver, porcelain and textiles. This remarkable portrait of Octavia Walton, titled "Miss Walton of Florida," by Thomas K. Sully, was painted upon her debut in 1833. She would later be best known in Mobile -- and the world -- as Madame Octavia Celestine Valentine Walton LeVert. This most accomplished lady spoke seven languages, was received by Queen Victoria and Napoleon III and had an audience with Pope Piux IX. She traveled extensively and wrote of her international journeys in a two-volume set, Souvenirs of Travel, which went through five printings in her lifetime. This portrait is found in the second parlor of Oakleigh mansion and is one of the many historic treasures in the HMPS collection. Hear her story and that of many other Mobilians as part of the Oakleigh tour.

 
  Looking at the Past in a New Way: 
HMPS is fortunate to have an abundance of historic letters, official documents, public records, photographs, maps and books that are significant to Gulf Coast History. The Minnie Mitchell Archives, an impressive research repository, exists due in large part to the generosity of the A.S. Mitchell Foundation, patrons and other supporters. Among the articles exhibited in the archives is a 19th century U.S. flag with 34 stars. This flag, restored through a grant from the A.S. Mitchell Foundation, once flew on the Sarah E. Meaher, a commercial ship that was the first of U.S. ship of its kind to navigate the entirety of the Danube River. This ship transported the first shipment of rails to be installed in the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The ship was seized when it entered the Port of New Orleans shortly after Louisiana had seceded from the Union. When Captain Ward Smith, a Union sympathizer, refused to lower the U.S. flag, the ship was seized and the captain and his flag -- the style of which was only flown during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln --  were expelled from Confederate territory. See a model of the Sarah E. Meaher and a miniature portrait of Captain Smith at the Minnie Mitchell Archives at Oakleigh Historic Complex. These, along with a collection of maritime paintings and original letters by Confederate war hero Admiral Raphael Semmes, are part of the collection. For information, call 251-432-6161 or email hmps2@bellsouth.net
 
  Extending the Archives to the Community:
MINNIE MITCHELL ARCHIVES are open by appointment, by calling 251-432-6161 or email hmps2@bellsouth.net
 
 

HMPS Annual Meeting and Awards
Thursday, May 10
5:30 p.m.
Mobile Arts Council
318 Dauphin Street

Tickets are $15 per person and may be purchased by calling our offices at 432-6161

The Oakleigh Historic Museum

Hours of Operation
Wednesday - Saturday:
10:00AM - 4:00PM
Other Times - By Appointment
 
Tours on the hour.
Last tour starts one hour beforeclosing.

General Admission:
$7 for adults
$3 for children and students
$5 per person for groups of 10 or more
Discounts for Seniors, AAA,
Veterans & Active Military

*Closed most holidays including:
New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
 
Directions:
Oakleigh is located five minutes east of the intersection of Government and Catherine Street. Traveling east on Government go eight blocks, turn right onto Ann Street, take the first left onto Selma Street. Buses and large passenger vehicles should go four blocks on Selma Street and turn left onto Roper Street. Others should go five blocks on Selma Street and turn left onto Oakleigh Place.

HMPS Activities
For information call (251) 432-6161 or (251) 432-1281 or Email hmps@bellsouth.net

Coming Events

May 5
1st Annual Oakleigh Porch Tour
10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Oakleigh Garden Distric


May 10
HMPS Annual Meeting
Mobile Arts Council
5:30 p.m.


May 11
LoDa ArtWalk
Mobile Arts Council
6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.


May 17
An Evening In History
5:30 p.m.
Oakleigh


May 19
To Kill A Mockingbird
Trip to Monroeville



***An Evening In History will break for the Summer months of June and July and will resume in September.

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