Civil War History

Downtown Montgomery has stood witness to some of the most pivotal moments in American history. When the Civil War began with shots fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, it was a telegraph from the Southern Telegraph Company, then housed in the Winter Building, that relayed the order from President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis. 

During the time that Montgomery served as the capital of the confederacy, the Davis family lived on Washington Avenue in an 1834 Italianized home that came to be known as the first White House of the Confederacy. Self-guided tours of the home are available weekdays and feature furnishings reflecting the 1850’s style.