Transcription from the Historic American Building Survey, National Park Service, Dept. of the Interior outling the history of the David Graves House, Lowndes Co., AL

From the Historic American Building Survey, National Park Service, Department of the Interior: "In 1818 David Graves and his father, William Graves received land patents from the Federal government and moved to Alabama. This part of Alabama was then western Montgomery County and the Graves family is mentioned as being pioneer settlers of the area. William Graves was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and was selected for various offices such as Justice of the Peace. In 1821, (William)Graves was appointed to a committee which was to select a site for the Montgomery County Courthouse. In 1822 an election precinct was established at the Graves home and his son David was elected as a tax collector for the county. During these years, the Graves family increased their land holding and built the one story house which remain extant." (See Note #1 below).

In 1830, the western part of Montgomery County was partitioned off to become part of Lowndes County. The 1830 Lowndes County census lists David Graves and a family of 13 occupying land in the northeast part of the county. A second source states that this property consisted of 360 acres. Between 1834 and 1842, a post office for Graves Landing is listed on the Alabama River north of the Graves home to serve the surrounding rural community. Both William Graves, Sr. and his son David died in 1836 and an inventory of their estate shows they were owed in excess of $10,000. David's brother, William Jr., and son Peyton assumed control of the Graves property and continued to increase the size of the plantation.

By 1850, several descendants of William Graves, Sr. had become prominent planters. William Graves, Jr. died in 1854 and his estate was listed as worth over $33,000 and containing 1,072 acres. Other family members such as Peyton Graves and Y.W. Graves are listed as owning substantial acreage and large numbers of slaves. While the exact occupants of the Graves home is uncertain, it is believed that Peyton Graves resided there before the Civil War. In addition to his prominence as planter, Peyton Graves was also a successful lawyer and politician and in 1863 he was elected to the state legislature from Lowndes County. His brother-in-law, Thomas Judge, was also a prominent lawyer serving in the Alabama Senate and Supreme Court.

The Civil War appears to have had a significant influence on the Graves plantation. Most members of the family left the area to settle in Lowndesboro and Montgomery. Peyton Graves moved to Montgomery but retained ownership of part of the plantation. An 1873 Alabama newspaper mentions his ownership of property in Lowndes County and his advanced methods of cotton cultivation. It is unknown which family member resided in the house after the Civil War. Clara Graves owned the property until 1891 and the last interment in the family cemtery occured in 1884. After 1900, the house was purchased by Eli Robinson and occuped by his son, George, who lived there with his family. The Robinsons owned the house until the 1940s although the progression of ownership is not clear. In past years the house has been altered and used by the owner as rental property.

Although the Graves family left the area in the late 19th century, their influence continued to be felt in later years. In 1928, a marker signifying William Graves' participation in the Revolutionary War was placed in nearby Manac by the county chapter of the D.A.R. The Graves family continued to be active in politics and the grandson of Peyton Graves, Bibb Graves, served two terms as governor of Alabama between 1927 and 1939.

Southeast of the Graves house across Highway 40 is the Graves family cemetery which contains twenty marked graves. The cemetery was in use between 1832 and 1884 and contains members of the Graves and allied families. Among those buried in the cemetery are: William Graves, Sr. and his wife Sarah; David Graves and six of his children; and various members of the Hinkle, Fagan, and Judge families." (See Note #2 below)

NOTE #1: Subsequent to this article, the David Graves House was moved to the Ft. Toulouse-Jackson Park, Wetumpka, Elmore Co., AL. The Wetumpka AL website states: " Graves House: Originally located in Lowndes County, this Tidewater cottage was moved to the park to avoid destruction. Built between 1825-1830 by David Graves, the son of a Revolutionary War Hero. It has been restored by the Alabama Historical Commission and now serves as an interpretive center for the park."

NOTE #2: The Graves family cemetery is currently on land owned by General Electric. Permission is required to access the area.