2002 – the home of Dr. and Mrs. Rhett Murray

the white house

Dr. and Mrs. Rhett Murray’s home, called the white house, is located in downtown Huntsville’s historic Twickenham District at the corner of Eustis Avenue and White Street. This beautiful home had a modest beginning. In 1829, Mary Catherine Turner purchased four acres of land, which included the current site of the white house, from LeRoy Pope at a cost of $1,000.00. Approximately seven years later, George Cox bought the property and reportedly involved architect George Steele to construct the orginal portion of the house consisting of the basement and two rooms on both the first and second floors.

In 1844, Thomas W. White purchased the house and grounds and enlarged the home to more than ten rooms in order to accommodate his growing family, which eventually included 12 children. To the east of the house, on the ground floor, he added a hall, stairway, and four more rooms comprised of Mrs. White’s chamber with fourteen foot ceilings, two tiny dressing rooms and a nursery, all of which opened onto her room. The two original first floor rooms were converted into parlors. A dining room was added adjacent to them with the convenience of folding doors to separate the spaces. By opening the doors, a large floor was made available for square dancing, a popular activity during this era. Many of the doors were fashioned in the Crusader’s Cross patter, and much of the original woodwork in the house remains unchanged since Mr. White’s improvements.

For a time during the Civil War, Federal Officers occupied the lower story. In 1894, the msall front porch was relocated to the back entrance and a Victorian porch was built to keep up with the fashion of the day.

A separate brick building, which is still standing, contained the servant’s quarters, a kitchen, a dairy, and a smokehouse. During this time, the food was taken from the kitchen to a warming room in the main house before being served. Bells were used to summon the servants, each tone signifying a specific room. A cedar of Lebanon, planted by Mr. White, still stands. One of the first glass-covered flower pits in this area was built in the graden for the storage of plants during the winter months.

The Dining with Friends Committee and the AIDS Action Coalition Board of Directors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to Dr. Rhett and Melanie Murray and family for their generosity and support of AAC for the 2002 DWF event.