Henry McAlpin
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Henry McAlpin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1777 Stirling, Scotland |
| Died | 1851 (aged 73–74) |
| Resting place | Laurel Grove Cemetery |
Henry McAlpin (1777–1851) was a Scottish master builder and architect who was prominent in the early 19th century.
McAlpin was born in 1777 in Stirling, Scotland. He emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1804. He remained there for eight years, before moving south to Georgia.[1]
Career
McAlpin began working with William I. Scott,[2] who helped him acquire property.[1][3] Around 1825, he built a mansion at the Hermitage Plantation in Savannah, Georgia, located around 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city,[4] replacing the original plantation house. Sources differ as to who was its architect: some say William Jay;[5] others claim it was Charles B. Cluskey.[6][7] The plantation was around 220 acres (89 ha) in size at the time, and McAlpin purchased the property from Jean de Bérard-Moquet-Montalet, Chevalier Marquise de Montalent (who had purchased it from Patrick Mackay).[8] The mansion was located at the end of a long driveway lined on either side by oak trees.[9] The plantation was run by 65 slaves.[10]
McAlpin expanded the property to cover 600 acres (240 ha) and increased its number of slaves by over one hundred.[11] With the help of Scott, McAlpin purchased the 275-acre (111 ha) "The Glebe" lands adjoining The Hermitage.[1]
Rice was grown at the plantation, but the Hermitage was mostly an industrial site, with steam-powered saw and planing mills, a rice barrel factory. It also contained Savannah's largest brickworks, which produced more than 60 million bricks.[12] Many of its "Savannah Grey" bricks were used to build Savannah's early homes.[13] Around 1820, McAlpin built a railroad to move the bricks around the plantation.[1]