Historic Pond Spring, Gen. Joe Wheeler Home in Hillsboro open after restoration effort

HILLSBORO, Alabama -- Meandering under a lush canopy of kudzu-tangled red oaks, Kara Long walked toward the resting place of three families from the 19th and 20th centuries.

"This is the family cemetery," said Long, curator of the 50-acre Pond Spring, the historic grounds best known for its final residents, the Wheelers. "But he's not buried here."

Long ends her tour of the plantation, commonly referred to as the Gen. Joseph Wheeler home, by noting that the Napoleon-sized soldier -- and later congressman -- is one of only two Confederate generals buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

"He had the honor of being buried there because of his service to the U.S. after the Civil War," said Long, a veritable encyclopedia of everything Pond Spring.

Long is just one of four employees who are elated about the reopening of the Wheeler Home after a three-phase, $2 million restoration effort that forced the group to close the 1870s Victorian-style structure -- Pond Spring's focal point -- 12 years ago.

Although some work continues, such as landscaping and fixing up the gift shop in the neighboring Sherrod home, the staff is ready for visitors to tour the site's 12 historic structures and delve into the museum.

"It's rare for a house museum to have a collection this complete," Long said. "We have everything; furniture, military uniforms, china, books, Victorian dresses.

"From the most monumental to the most insignificant piece of history that belonged to this family, we have it," she said.

Listed as a preserved sites by the Alabama Historical Commission, the Wheeler Home offers much for history enthusiasts.

When the house was donated in 1992 to the state by Gen. Wheeler's granddaughter, most of the family's possessions were included. Trunks containing items such as textiles, ranging from garments from the Victorian era to the Roaring '20s, are constantly being unearthed and catalogued by the staff.

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Historic Pond Spring, Gen. Joe Wheeler Home in Hillsboro open after restoration effort