This house, the Fambro / Arthur home,
takes its name from two of its owners.
One was a judge, the other was a former
slave.
The Fambro Family
A. Judge W. W. Fambro built this house
in the early 1840s. He may have created
his home by moving two older structures
onto this lot where he merged them into
one larger home.
B. Elizabeth Jacob was 28 when she
married the 45 year old Fambro in 1850.
They were childless, but their house did
not remain empty. The couple provided
room and board for students and teachers
from the nearby academy.
C. Mary Snyder Johnson lost her birth
parents in a steamboat accident. Frank
Johnson, the captain of that boat, saved
baby Mary and adopted her, but the
Fambros raised Mary in this house.
Ironically, another boating accident
claimed Mary's husband and son in 1881.
The Arthur Family
D. Ezekiel Arthur was born into slavery. After Emancipation, he traveled to several
different states to find his mother and sisters who had been "sold away." They returned to Cahawba, and he purchased this house in 1894. The Arthur family lived in this home for 100 years.
E. Mattie Arthur was the daughter-in-law of Ezekiel. She lived in this house until
her death in 1995. The copper bucket is a family
heirloom from Cahawba's early days.
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