…built in 1835 for William Sayre, one of the founders of First Presbyterian Church, Montgomery’s first organized church. It is perhaps “Federal Style Colonial”, with Italianate detail added circa 1850. The house originally stood at the corner of Bibb and Lee Streets, and was moved to its present location in front of the State Archives Building in 1900 (the Archives wasn’t built until 1939). Sayer moved on to Mobile where he became mayor, and the home was subsquently occupied by several outstanding citizens, until in 1861, it was selected to be the residence of the President of the newly formed Confederate States of America. The house served in that capacity for three months, until the capitol was moved to a more civilized location. The house was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1974.

-Charles Humphries

Below is a collection of photos taken in 1951 by John E. Scott of the interior of the house.

Photos courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History.