The Jonathan Bass House Museum was built in 1863. The house is an example of period middle-class housing. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 by the US National Park Service because it is a unique example of existing architecture. Jonathan and Ruteria Bass, who built the home, employed unusual decorative elements of wood graining in the front parlors and stenciling on the ceiling of the Great Hall. The painted ceiling design in the Men’s Parlor that depicts a billiard table is a rare feature in American architecture, unique for its time and place.
Leeds Historical Society purchased the Bass house in 2003 and began restoration efforts, making it a museum for permanent exhibits that include significant artifacts featuring more than 100 photographs and and a dozen displays depicting milestones in the life of the town and its residents. Permanent exhibits include those of Leeds’ three recipients of the Congressional Medal Honor, along with those of Olympian Charles Barkley, NBA Basketball Hall of Famer and Paige Phillips Parnell, who was selected as Miss Alabama in 1980 and as first runner-up in the Miss America pageant the same year at the age of 17.
OPEN year-round
1:00 – 4:00pm Sunday’s plus by appointment, 205-699-2721
Closed for Major Holidays
General Admission Fee: Donations Appreciated
http://www.leedshistoricalsociety.org/ | 1129 Montevallo Road, Leeds, AL, (205) 699-2721