Annesdale

Annesdale
Location 1325 Lamar Ave., Memphis, Tennessee
Coordinates 35°7′30″N 90°1′3″W / 35.12500°N 90.01750°W / 35.12500; -90.01750Coordinates: 35°7′30″N 90°1′3″W / 35.12500°N 90.01750°W / 35.12500; -90.01750
Area 7.5 acres (3.0 ha)
Built 1855 (1855)
Architectural style Italian Villa
NRHP reference # 80003856[1]
Added to NRHP November 25, 1980

Annesdale is a historic mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

History

The two-story mansion was completed in 1855.[2] It was built for Dr Samuel Mansfield.[2]

The house was built in 1850 by Dr. Samuel Mansfield, a wholesale druggist. In 1869, Robert C. Brinkley bought it as a wedding gift for his daughter, Annie Overton Brinkley, who married Col. Robert Bogardus Snowden. Three nearby neighborhoods, Annesdale Snowden, Annesdale Park and Rozelle Annesdale get their names from the property. Today, the house is owned by the estates of a brother and sister, Robert G. Snowden and May Snowden Todd. Robert Snowden and Todd both died in 2006. But Todd’s husband, Thomas Hardy Todd Jr., continued to live in the house until his death last June. One of Annesdale’s unique features is a lookout tower. Inside, it has marble and hardwood floors, handsome paneling, a curving staircase, elaborately painted ceilings, ornate plaster and the original light fixtures and mantles. The old craftsmanship even extends to the bricks, which were handmade from clay excavated in digging the basement. “There’s a black-and-white marble floor in the entrance hall,” Beasley said. “One of the things that amazes me is there are no cracks in that marble floor.”

Annesdale has 13 rooms, including five bedrooms, four full baths and one half-bath. There are a total of nine fireplaces. The house also has a working elevator. Originally, the rear of the house was designated for staff, but the Todd family converted those areas for use as a laundry room, butler’s pantry and dark room, Beasley said. Furnishings from the house were sold at an estate sale in October. They included century-old antiques too large to fit into most modern homes. Robert C. Brinkley built the original Peabody hotel in 1869, the same year he bought Annesdale for his daughter. Brinkley also donated the land for Saint Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. His other business interests included banking and a railroad.

The mansion was purchased by Colonel Bogardus Snowden and his wife Annie Overton, the granddaughter of Judge John Overton.[2] Their son, Robert Brinkley Snowden, became a real estate developer who lived at Ashlar Hall.

A bone fragment, possibly human, was found in June 2016 in the grate of a boarded-up fireplace. The fragment was sent to the morgue for further investigation. The bone is very old and may date to the Civil War when Annesdale was used as a hospital.[3][4]

Architectural significance

It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since November 25, 1980.[5]

References

  1. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form: Annesdale". National Park Service. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  3. Eiklor, Rose (June 27, 2016). "Possible human remains found inside Annesdale Mansion fireplace". WMC Action News 5. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  4. Skinner, Kaleigh (June 25, 2016). "Possible human remains found in Annesdale Mansion". Commercial Appeal. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  5. "Annesdale". National Park Service. Retrieved January 13, 2016.


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