The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-07-18
COUNTRY HOME BURNED
MUNGER RESIDENCE ON OLD FITz-
PATRICK PLANTATION.
Fire Destroys Splendid Gilmore Coun-
ty Place, which Has BEEN
Scene Of Many Happy
Social Affairs.

When on Friday afternoon. the beau
tiful country home of Mr.. and Mrs. A.
H. Munger near Elmore Station was
entirely destroyed by fire one of the
most elegant country homes in Alabama
went out of existence.
The fire occurred at 8 o'clock in the
afternoon and at the time there was
no one in the house, but Mrs. Bethune
who lives there, and Miss Mary
Knowles of Montgomery her niece who
was visiting her Miss Knowles heard
a cracking, rumbling noise when
seemed to come from the third STORY
and ran in haste UP stairs to investl-
gate it. AS she approached the third
story she was met by what appeared
to be a ball of fame rushing down as
II though a funnel She returned to
the first floor and notifying Mrs.
Bethune, they as quickly as possible
called for neighboring help. The
farm hands had all gone to the fields.
The fire was son raging so that those
who went 20 the rescue and attempted
to save some of the furniture and
valuables on the first floor had their
clothing burned.
The fire began at o'clock and at 6
o'clock the beautiful residence was
head Of ashes. Not thing was saved
on the second and third floors and very
little on the first floor.
The home was built on the famous
old Fitzpatrick plantation and was
three miles from Gilmore Station. The
situation was Ideally beautiful. 1t was
built on the side of a hill which sloped
down to Motor Creek. The grounds
were extensive and a rose garden of
two hundred bushes was a beautiful
part of 1t. Not a bush remains now.
One would never suspect that there had
been one there. The home was fur
| nished with much grand old mahogany,
silver and rare old portraits and libra
| ry that belonged to the Fitzpatrick
| family. All the mahogany save three
| dining room pieces was destroyed. Not
| a bit of the silver was saved, and of the
| old portraits, only one was rescued
| That one was of Mrs. Fitzpatrick, wife
| of Governor Fitzpatrick. Among those
| lost was one of Mrs. Anna e. Somer-
vile, one of the celebrated beauties OF
| Alabama and great-grandmother of
| Mrs. Munger.
| This splendid home that is now a
| thing of the past contained twelve
rooms The lower portion was OF
| selected, polished logs and the upper
| portion was of shingles. The large
reception hall sitting room was fur
nished in white hickory bound in brass
| and there was much wrought iron in
| artistic setting about the grand old
| English fire place This home was
| built about four years ago after Mrs
| Fitzpatrick formerly Miss Evie Shep-
| herd. was married to Mr. A. H. Munger
| of Kansas City and since that time
they have gone there to spend the
| Christmas holidays, giving large house
| parties that were becoming famous In
| the history of the social side of Ala
| bama. A Christmas tree there since
| the building of the home in 1901 has
| been an annual event of Importance In
| the large family that each year has
| gathered there to enjoy It.
| When the fire occurred Mr.. A. A
/ Bethune was at the races in Montgom-
/ cry and Miss Mary Knowles, while the
| farm hands and neighbors were trying
| to save some of the valuables, rode
| three miles horseback to Gilmore Sta.
ton, to telegraph him of the catastro'
phe.
The plantation consists of $500 acre:
and Mr.. Bethune has charge of it.
The house was insured for 5000
which does not represent Its intrinsic
value by half. Many of it's content:
which were lost are irreparable, theil
historic and sentimental value being
| beyond computation.
Mr.. Munger is expected in Montgom
| cry soon from his home in Kansas City