Howard, John W., House and Outbuildings
a.k.a. Raybon House;Sewell House
AL 10E, Greenville, ALThe original owners of the house were John W. Howard (1822-1875), was the son of Major James Howard and Tabitha Motley, and his wife Elizabeth Rebecca Penn (1837-1924). After their marriage in 1852 in Macon County, the Howards moved to the Taluca community in Butler County. Taluca, located 12 miles east of Greenville on Alabama Highway 10, thrived during the 1850s with a large mercantile store, a post office, Lodge Hall, a camping ground, and a horse-drawn cotton gin and sawmill. The Howards first lived in a two-room log cabin (no longer standing) until their fine, one-story Greek Revival residence was constructed. Wright and Rouse served as builders, and their inventory of building materials used for the house survives today.
John Howard became a prominent planter in the county and later attained distinction as the inventor of the plow called the "Subsoil-Plow" (Patent number 136,726, March 11, 1873). John and Elizabeth Howard raised a large family of five daughters and five sons. John W. Howard, Jr. and his daughter, Kate Howard Raybon were later occupants of the house. Mrs. Raybon and her husband continued to maintain the property as a farm. Gradually, the land was used primarily to grow pine trees. Today, the property is owned by a 4th generation descendant, Emily Kate Raybon Sewell, and the house is furnished with family antiques and heirlooms.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.