1847 Capitol Building Floor - Montgomery, AL
Posted by: 
xptwo
N 32° 22.260 W 086° 18.532
16S E 565017 N 3581769
After the legislature voted to move the Capital to Montgomery, a new capitol building was built on Goat Hill. It was destroyed by fire in 1949 after only two years. Some of the marble and slate flooring from the ground floor was discovered in 1996.
Waymark Code: WMHMZW
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 07/25/2013
Views: 3
When the Montgomery County Historical Society took over the old Figh-Pickett house in 1996, they knew it would have to be moved due to the expansion of the Federal Courthouse. As the work continued, they discovered a marble and slate floor which turned out to have come from the ruins of the old Capitol building. Mr. Figh was the contractor who built the second building. Apparently he took the remnants of the floor and used them in his own house.
The society's Facebook page entry for August 29, 2011 tells the story:
"This marble and slate floor was originally in the ground floor of the State Capitol Building of 1847. After it burned in 1849 it was removed with the ruins of the fire and installed in the dining room of Mr. John P. Figh’s house at #3 Clayton Street. Mr. Figh was the contractor hired to build the present State Capitol Building. When the house was being prepared for the move to Court Street in 1996, the tiles were discovered under a slab of concrete. They are the only artifact existing from this Capitol Building." source: (
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The house was originally located at 2 Clayton Street but was moved when the Federal Courthouse was expanded. It is now located at 512 South Court Street in Montgomery, at the corner of South Court Street and Mildred Streets. The Montgomery County Historical Society has photos showing the house before, during, and after the move. They can be found on their Facebook page posted on September 1, 2011.
There is a two-sided historical marker in front of the house. The text of the marker reads:
Figh-Pickett House
John P. Figh, a native of Maryland, built this, the oldest surviving brick dwelling in Montgomery, ca 1837, at the corner of Clayton and South Court Streets. Figh was one of the chief contractors for the construction of the Alabama State Capitol. He also served as city alderman. In 1858, Figh sold his house to Alabama's first historian, Albert James Pickett, from North Carolina. Although Pickett died just before moving into the house, his family lived here for more than 50 years.
Civil War-Barnes School
In April 1865, the Union Army command made this house its headquarters. Mrs. Pickett hid her silver on an inside ledge of cupola. Later, former Confederate Generals Hood, Bragg, and Walker visited here. In 1906, Professor Elly Barnes bought the house for use as a private school for boys, which rapidly achieved fame for its quality. The Barnes School closed in 1942. In 1996, the house was rescued from demolition with the help of the Alabama Historical Commission and moved to its present location by the Montgomery County Historical Society. More information on the society can be found at its web page at (
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