how can one house help us piece a story together?

It may be counterintuitive, but tomorrow we will start at the end of the nineteenth century and look backwards to witness the transformation in American life on many fronts, but above all, the "urban" one by thinking about one house - the Kilgore House.

The class will meet tomorrow at the former site of this Queen Anne Victorian style house, which was constructed in 1890 in Tuscaloosa for a Bryce Hospital administrator and his family. The house  figuratively opens the door for many discussions that will take place throughout this semester.

Some background: the Kilgore was demolished in May 2013 to make way for a university dining hall. All that remains on the property, which is now called Hackberry Park, is this little structure, which was once used as a schoolhouse and storage space.

How do we insert the Kilgore House into the story of emerging urban life in and outside of Tuscaloosa? To find answers, it will be helpful to read Gunther Barth's opening thoughts in City People. It is also helpful to be curious about what Tuscaloosa looked like in the 1890s and wonder how class, gender and maybe even race can push our thinking.

Who built the house? Who were its initial occupants ? Who was also permitted to live and work here? What did the head of household do for a living? How do the answers to these questions advance our thinking about modern and urban living?