Sweetwater Mansion

John Brahan, a general in the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson, relocated to Huntsville in 1818 and served as commissioner of public lands. Brahan acquired a 4,000-acre plantation near Florence along Sweetwater Creek, where he began constructing the main house before his passing in 1835. Brahan never resided in Sweetwater Mansion. After his death, his son Major Robert Weakley Brahan acquired the house but chose not to reside there and instead traded the plantation to Patton, who in turn completed the structure the same year.

Robert Patton and his wife lived at Sweetwater Mansion for many years. After their deaths, the property was passed to their daughter Mattie Hays Patton Weeden, and her husband Lieutenant Colonel John David Weeden. The Weeden lived at Sweetwater until their deaths, at which time their son John Downing Weeden and his wife Jessie Overton Earthman took possession of the mansion which became to be known locally as the Weeden Home.

John Brahan 1 — A portrait of General John Brahan

DSC 2445 — The grave of General John Brahan, the first owner of Sweetwater Mansion.

Architecture and Design

Sweetwater Mansion is a two-story brick structure characterized by late Georgian massing and influence. It stands out among the early buildings in the Florence vicinity for retaining its original porches, showcasing simplicity in design, unique end-wall chimneys, and a bracketed cornice.

Situated on the outskirts of the City of Florence, much of the original 4,000-acre plantation has been subdivided, and the remaining gardens, once elaborate and the finest in the area, are now reduced. A mussel shell drive leads from the main gate to the house, bordered by boxwood hedges imported from England, guiding visitors along the front walk to a circular walk around a fountain. Two large magnolia trees partly obscure the facade of the house.

Postcards067 — Postcard for Sweetwater Mansion which reads “*Homestead of late Ex. Gov. R.M. Patton near Florence, Ala.*“

The rectangular structure, measuring approximately 62 feet by 48 feet, features the main entrance on the long side. The hipped tin roof is supported by a slightly overhanging cornice with small console brackets and molded trim on the facade. The brickwork on the facade is laid in Flemish Bond, setting it apart from the common bond on the remaining walls. A central one-story portico graces the front, adorned with four tapered box columns supporting an entablature topped with a balustrade. Stucco and pilasters beneath the portico distinguish the entrance, featuring a double-leaf door with eight recessed panels, a transom, and sidelights with a leaded design. Fluted trim, corner blocks, flat arches, and shutters adorn all windows, which are 12/12 double-hung.

End-wall chimneys are present on both the south and north elevations, with a small pedimented portico and three second-floor windows between the chimneys on the south side. The entrance beneath this portico consists of a single door topped with a rectangular transom.

service pnp habshaer al al0200 al0265 photos 003112pv — Exterior of Sweetwater Mansion. 1934. *W. N. Manning, Historic American Buildings Survey*

A shed-roof porch, supported by tapered square columns, runs the length of the rear of the house. In the early 1900s, the northern quarter of the porch was bricked in and extended for a kitchen, altering the original configuration of three single doors opening onto the porch.

Internally, the house features a central hall measuring 16 feet by 48 feet, with a double-run stair and landing on the rear wall. Four large rooms are on each floor, each containing Carrara marble mantels with Ionic columns supporting a simple entablature. The interior walls, originally papered, are now plastered, and remnants of the original border paper remain in the front hall. Fluted trim with corner blocks adorns interior doors and windows, most of which have eight recessed panels. Despite major alterations like the addition of the kitchen and modifications to the side entrance and stair hall for second-floor bathrooms, the floors and ceilings remain intact.

The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

service pnp habshaer al al0200 al0265 photos 003115pv — View of the stair hall. 1934. *Alex Bush, Historic American Buildings Survey*

Hauntings and Ghost Stories

Many legends surround Sweetwater Mansion from apparitions to corpses hidden beneath it. One of the most well-known stories involves a caretaker of the home. She reportedly came downstairs only to see a casket appear out of nowhere. Inside the casket was a man’s body dressed in a Confederate uniform. She had no idea who this man was but discovered that he may have been one of General Brahan’s sons who perished during the American Civil War and whose funeral took place at Sweetwater Mansion.

Many also believe that the bodies of Brahan’s two sons are buried in the “mystery room,” a room located in the basement with no doorway and can only be viewed from an exterior window. It’s also said that following the death of William “Billy” Patton, one of Patton’s sons, his mother was so distraught that she didn’t have him buried and instead kept his decomposing body in the “mystery room.”

Doors are also said to lock behind women, leaving them panicked and unable to get out. Legend states that the ghost of Billy is responsible, playing tricks on women. Others believe he does it for a much more sinister purpose. One of the earliest caretakers, Emmet Lettie Region, got locked in a room. From then on, she would only stay in two rooms that she felt 100% comfortable in.

service pnp habshaer al al0200 al0265 photos 003116pv — View from living room to dining room. 1935. *Alex Bush, Historic American Buildings Survey*

Some people also tell of an apparition of a man dressed in a Confederate uniform patrolling the front outside area of the property. Others also believe that there are portals to the afterlife in several of the rooms upstairs where women and children were kept captive, and a little boy died of snakebites. There are also reports of shadowy figures, women dressed in 19th-century garb, disembodied whispers, objects moving on their own, and the sounds of nonexistent children laughing are among the legends passed down about Sweetwater Mansion.

Sweetwater Mansion was featured in an episode of A&E’s Paranormal State on April 25, 2011. During the taping of an episode of the television 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. Sweetwater Mansion was also featured as a haunted location on the paranormal TV series Most Terrifying Places which aired on the Travel Channel in 2019.

Updates and Future

Having been abandoned for decades, Sweetwater Mansion was sold to Baron Hospitality, a hotelier and management company, on April 27, 2023, for $1,350,000.