Information
Landmark: Gorgas HouseCity: Tuscaloosa
Country: USA Alabama
Continent: North America
Gorgas House, Tuscaloosa, USA Alabama, North America
Overview
The Gorgas House stands as one of the University of Alabama’s most important historic landmarks, its red brick walls watching over the heart of the Tuscaloosa campus.
Part museum, part carefully preserved home, it lets you glimpse early campus life, hear echoes of its domestic past, and trace the legacy of one of the university’s most influential families.
Built in 1829, just a few years after the University of Alabama opened its doors, the Gorgas House still stands as the oldest building on campus, its brick walls weathered to a deep, warm red.
The building began as a dining hall with a steward’s quarters, where the smell of fresh bread often lingered, and later it was turned into housing for faculty.
In the late 1800s, General Josiah Gorgas, a former Confederate officer, moved in with his wife, Amelia Gayle Gorgas.
He would go on to lead the university, while she ran its library and post office, her desk often scattered with neat stacks of letters and worn books.
Their son, William C., with a mop of dark hair falling into his eyes.
Gorgas earned worldwide acclaim as a physician and U.
S.
Army Surgeon General for his pioneering fight against mosquito-borne killers like yellow fever and malaria, work that proved vital during the Panama Canal’s sweltering, disease-ridden construction.
The Gorgas House blends Federal style with touches of Greek Revival, a mix that echoes the crisp lines and symmetry of early 19th‑century Southern design.
The two-story brick house feels simple yet elegant, with balanced facades, wide columned porches, and interior finishes that look as if they’ve been there for a century.
Over the years, people have cared for it with steady hands and restored it piece by piece, so it still holds the warm grain and charm it had when first built.
Today, the Gorgas House welcomes visitors as a museum, displaying period furniture, worn leather chairs, personal keepsakes, and everyday household pieces that reflect the Gorgas family’s life and the spirit of the 19th-century campus.
The Gorgas Legacy showcases exhibits on Josiah, Amelia, and William Gorgas, highlighting their work in education, health, and worldwide public health reform-right down to artifacts like Josiah’s worn leather medical satchel.
Step back into the University of Alabama’s early days, from its founding to the Civil War, when Union troops swept through in 1865 and left most buildings in ruins-except the sturdy Gorgas House, still standing with its white columns.
From time to time, the museum rolls out rotating exhibits-special displays that shine a spotlight on Tuscaloosa and the university’s past, like a vintage football jersey faded from decades of cheering crowds.
The Gorgas House tells the story of a prominent Southern family while echoing the wider currents of higher education, the Civil War, and the evolving world of medicine and public health, its brick walls still cool to the touch after a century and a half.
Amelia Gorgas stands out as one of the university’s most influential women, honored for decades of devoted service that left an enduring mark on its halls and traditions.
The museum sits just off the university’s Quad, an easy stroll for students, travelers, and anyone drawn to history-close enough to hear the faint echo of campus bells.
You can join a guided tour to learn more about the building’s place on campus and the Gorgas family’s legacy, from the worn marble steps to the stories that still echo in its halls.
The house is filled with genuine antiques, so walking inside feels like slipping into the 19th century, right down to the faint scent of polished wood.
Tip for visitors: Stop by during the University of Alabama museum’s regular hours-think quiet mid-morning on a weekday-since access can follow the school’s academic calendar.
The house is small enough that you can see everything in about an hour, even the creaky staircase and the sunlit kitchen.
Pair your visit with a stop at other campus landmarks, like the Paul W., where the brick walls stay warm in the afternoon sun.
You could stop by the Bryant Museum, catch a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, or wander through the Alabama Museum of Natural History, where fossils line the glass cases.
The Gorgas House is both a historic home and a testament to resilience, having endured the Civil War and still sharing the woven stories of a family, a university, and a state through almost two hundred years of shifting times-the creak of its wooden floors carrying whispers from the past.
Part museum, part carefully preserved home, it lets you glimpse early campus life, hear echoes of its domestic past, and trace the legacy of one of the university’s most influential families.
Built in 1829, just a few years after the University of Alabama opened its doors, the Gorgas House still stands as the oldest building on campus, its brick walls weathered to a deep, warm red.
The building began as a dining hall with a steward’s quarters, where the smell of fresh bread often lingered, and later it was turned into housing for faculty.
In the late 1800s, General Josiah Gorgas, a former Confederate officer, moved in with his wife, Amelia Gayle Gorgas.
He would go on to lead the university, while she ran its library and post office, her desk often scattered with neat stacks of letters and worn books.
Their son, William C., with a mop of dark hair falling into his eyes.
Gorgas earned worldwide acclaim as a physician and U.
S.
Army Surgeon General for his pioneering fight against mosquito-borne killers like yellow fever and malaria, work that proved vital during the Panama Canal’s sweltering, disease-ridden construction.
The Gorgas House blends Federal style with touches of Greek Revival, a mix that echoes the crisp lines and symmetry of early 19th‑century Southern design.
The two-story brick house feels simple yet elegant, with balanced facades, wide columned porches, and interior finishes that look as if they’ve been there for a century.
Over the years, people have cared for it with steady hands and restored it piece by piece, so it still holds the warm grain and charm it had when first built.
Today, the Gorgas House welcomes visitors as a museum, displaying period furniture, worn leather chairs, personal keepsakes, and everyday household pieces that reflect the Gorgas family’s life and the spirit of the 19th-century campus.
The Gorgas Legacy showcases exhibits on Josiah, Amelia, and William Gorgas, highlighting their work in education, health, and worldwide public health reform-right down to artifacts like Josiah’s worn leather medical satchel.
Step back into the University of Alabama’s early days, from its founding to the Civil War, when Union troops swept through in 1865 and left most buildings in ruins-except the sturdy Gorgas House, still standing with its white columns.
From time to time, the museum rolls out rotating exhibits-special displays that shine a spotlight on Tuscaloosa and the university’s past, like a vintage football jersey faded from decades of cheering crowds.
The Gorgas House tells the story of a prominent Southern family while echoing the wider currents of higher education, the Civil War, and the evolving world of medicine and public health, its brick walls still cool to the touch after a century and a half.
Amelia Gorgas stands out as one of the university’s most influential women, honored for decades of devoted service that left an enduring mark on its halls and traditions.
The museum sits just off the university’s Quad, an easy stroll for students, travelers, and anyone drawn to history-close enough to hear the faint echo of campus bells.
You can join a guided tour to learn more about the building’s place on campus and the Gorgas family’s legacy, from the worn marble steps to the stories that still echo in its halls.
The house is filled with genuine antiques, so walking inside feels like slipping into the 19th century, right down to the faint scent of polished wood.
Tip for visitors: Stop by during the University of Alabama museum’s regular hours-think quiet mid-morning on a weekday-since access can follow the school’s academic calendar.
The house is small enough that you can see everything in about an hour, even the creaky staircase and the sunlit kitchen.
Pair your visit with a stop at other campus landmarks, like the Paul W., where the brick walls stay warm in the afternoon sun.
You could stop by the Bryant Museum, catch a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, or wander through the Alabama Museum of Natural History, where fossils line the glass cases.
The Gorgas House is both a historic home and a testament to resilience, having endured the Civil War and still sharing the woven stories of a family, a university, and a state through almost two hundred years of shifting times-the creak of its wooden floors carrying whispers from the past.
