TUSCUMBIA-Angela Howell, director of the Sweetwater Place Foundation, will present Sweetwater: Past, Present and Future for the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation Quarterly Meeting on Sunday, August 17.
The meeting will take place at 2 pm at the Helen Keller Public Library in Tuscumbia.
The event is free and open to the public.
Sweetwater Mansion | photo by Danny Hester
Howell has worked tirelessly to save the historic Sweetwater Mansion, a Florence, Alabama plantation home designed by Gen. John Brahan of the Alabama Militia. Construction of the home was completed in 1835. The home was first occupied by Brahan’s son-in-law, Robert Patton, who later became governor of Alabama.
The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Plans are to restore Sweetwater and create a living history museum, a botanical area with trails, and most of all to remember the people buried there who helped to make it the wonderful place that it is,” Howell said.
Howell said she has been interested in the historic home since childhood. “My grandparents and most of my family have always been a big part of the East Florence area where Sweetwater is located,” Howell said. “As a child, I spent many nights with my grandparents listening to the stories my grandmother would tell about the “Big House”, as she called it. Sweetwater Creek held a special significance for my grandfather, being the site of his baptism.”
Howell has an even more personal connection with the home. Her family descends from Governor Patton’s family.
“I am a direct descendant on the Richardson side of the Patton family,” she said. “This family connection sparked my interest to learn more about the rich history of Sweetwater. My research has been ongoing for years, and the more I learned about Sweetwater, the more I realized the historical importance of the property and the need to tell the stories of the family and all the people who lived there.”
Howell recently launched a nonprofit, the Sweetwater Place Foundation, to further support the preservation efforts.
“I now have additional help with my research through Sweetwater Place Foundation and its members,” she said. “Our continued research only further strengthens the historical significance of the property which is growing stronger every day. This historic house, this property, and the untold stories of the people who lived there, died there, and are buried there is too important to not be told, for this reason, Sweetwater cannot and must not be lost.”
Howell has high hopes for the future of the Sweetwater home and property.
“I envision the home and grounds fully restored in order to create a living history museum,” she said. “Plans would be made to create a botanical area with walking trails that could be enjoyed. I also see the restoration of Sweetwater as the creation of a memorial to all the forgotten people who are buried there and who helped make it the wonderful place that it is.”
Howell will share the ongoing preservation efforts of Sweetwater Mansion with foundation members Susan King Olson and Lisa Medley Murray during the August 17 presentation. The presentation will include current research about the historic property along with recent and historic photos of the home and the people connected with the property throughout its history. The program will illustrate the current condition of the house, share volunteer clean-up efforts, and outline the work that remains to fully restore the property.
At the conclusion of the presentation, attendees will be invited to drive to the Sweetwater property in nearby Florence, Ala. for a tour conducted by Howell.
