Sweetwater Mansion
Sweetwater Mansion History
Sweetwater Mansion (also known as the Governor Robert Patton House), located in Florence, Alabama, is a plantation house designed by General John Brahan of the Alabama Militia. A veteran of the War of 1812, Brahan owned more than 4,000 acres in eastern Lauderdale County, Alabama. The eight room home was built of bricks manufactured on the site of Sweetwater Creek which lay just below the house. Sweetwater Mansion received its name from the creek and was first occupied by Brahan’s son-in-law Robert M. Patton, a post-Civil War governor of Alabama, who completed the mansion in 1835.
The mansion’s basement once served as a Civil War hospital and had also been a county jail. There are rumours of someone who once lived in one of the room upstairs who practiced dark magic but many believe this to be untrue. The mansion has been listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Sweetwater Mansion Paranormal Activity
Stories of paranormal activity have been told about the house for many years. Numerous apparitions have allegedly been seen in and around the house. One of the most interesting stories involves a caretaker who reported that she saw a casket laid out in one of the downstairs rooms with the corpse of a Confederate soldier inside. She later discovered she had possibly seen the body of one of Governor Patton’s sons whose funeral was conducted in the house. Local paranormal investigators have investigated the property and Sweetwater Mansion was featured in an episode of A&E’s Paranormal State on April 25, 2011.
Investigators have captured numerous photographs documenting strange anomalies. One photograph was that of a distinct shape of a Civil War soldier outdoors on the property one evening. During the taping of an episode of the show Paranormal State, investigators saw a door move by itself and they also heard footsteps. A large piece of the ceiling tile also flung itself across the room.
Greetings from an old exiled Confederate family in Canada,
I was just doing some research on the Civil war & came across your site by chance.
For some reason…I can’t quite figure out why…this old mansion caught my attention…..
My mother’s family were Patton’s from Culpepper Co. Virginia, with the 7th Virginia Inf….. were burned out and escaped to Canada in 65′ on an Scottish Packet steamer.
I just went through several dozen old and recent photos of her and the state she is in now.
Are there State or County foundations in place with any plans to restore the old Mansion House.
My very best to you all,
RPM