By Associated Press
Montgomery AL – The state is paying more than $737,000 to renovate the First White House of the Confederacy, a state-owned historical site that has been closed since repair work began in July.
Officials with the White House Association of Alabama, which is dedicated to preserving the property, expect it to reopen early next year in time for the February observance of Jefferson Davis' inauguration as president of the Confederacy.
The house, which Davis and his family used while Montgomery was the capital of the Confederacy in 1861, is having its heating and air conditioning system replaced. Contractors also are repairing the roof, painting, improving drainage and renovating interior plaster.
"This is the culmination of many, many, many years of trying to get the house renovated," Cameron Napier, regent with the association, told the Press-Register in a story Monday.
Deputy State Finance Director Andy Hornsby said the building had some serious problems. State funds for the renovation are being provided by the Finance Department, the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama Public Historical Sites and Parks Improvement Corporation. Hornsby said he did not know how much came from each source.
The house, built between 1832 and 1835, was moved and dedicated at its current site in 1921.
"It was a huge event in the whole South," Napier said. "There were thousands of people here."
The fully restored house was given to the state of Alabama, which owns and maintains the house and land. The state also pays utility bills and the merit-system employees who work at the tourist attraction.
The items in the house, which belong to the association, include many that belonged to the Davis family, including a longer-than-normal bed designed for him because of his height.
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Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister