Situated atop a high bluff overlooking Lake Eufaula are the ruins of the Moulthrop family home and the Shorter Cemetery. The bluff was home to the early settlers of Eufaula in the 1830s and 1840s. General Reuben Shorter and his wife Mary Butler Gill Shorter settled on this property in 1837 which at the time consisted of approximately 100 acres. General Shorter owned thousands of acres of rich cotton land on both sides of the Chattahoochee River between Eufaula and Columbus, Georgia. After years of neglect, the cemetery has been restored and maintained.
By the 1850s the settlers on the bluff discovered that water-borne diseases – typhoid, yellow fever, diphtheria – were killing off many of the people that lived close to the river. This resulted in a migration of the settlers to what would later become downtown Eufaula. However, even after the death of General Shorter in 1853, the Shorters stayed on the property which was inherited by one of his sons, Eli Sims Shorter, Sr. who was a U.S. Congressman. After the death of Congressman Shorter in 1879, his son Eli Sims Shorter, Jr. inherited the property and moved to downtown Eufaula after building Shorter Mansion. Eli Shorter, Jr. sold the surrounding property to Robert H. Moulthrop in 1884 but retained ownership of the five acres where the family cemetery is located.
Constructed in 1899, the Moulthrop family home was designed by John Adams and constructed by Alabama State Senator Robert H. Moulthrop. The house is believed to be a mixture of Imperial revival since it has a tower and Queen Anne. There are four bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs. The first floor had a dining room, living room, and large covered porch. Also on the land was Doc’s House, home of the caretaker, a grist mill, a storage house with two rooms, and a shed built to work on Ford Model T’s.
State Senator Robert H. Moulthrop wrote the Equal Education Bill in Alabama. He fancied visiting Italy every year. He was born in a small cottage in Quitman County, Georgia. He was a brick manufacturer from 1899 to 1902. He served as an alderman of the city of Eufaula from 1894 to 1900. He was a member of the city board of education for many years. He was a Democrat and a member of the city’s executive committee, a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, a mason, and a Knights Templar. Fannie Dale was the Moulthrop home’s early nanny. She was a daughter of slaves and worked for $3 a week as a nanny. Quite a few children and family members were born in the Moulthrop home.
In June 2020, the land surrounding the house was cleared. The home and 25 acres were re-purchased by an LLC group with family ties. The group plans to restore the house to its prominence. There are several plans, including a venue for weddings or other events, and building cottages on the property for guests. The group is optimistic, hoping to have it ready by Thanksgiving 2021 for family members to gather.
The Moulthrop House and ten other locations are featured in my latest book, Abandoned Alabama: Exploring the Heart of Dixie.
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Abandoned Southeast 
Looks like quite a spot. Nice photos.
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Very sad
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Most interesting story! I always like to hear the background of these old and lovely places! I have had an interest in historical homes all my life. So sad it is in such disrepair. I wish I could get some of those bricks! Thanks for sharing!
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Hi, I would like to introduce our GrandMother Elizabeth Gardner “Bo Bo” Moulthrop who was married to our GrandFather Mathew Moss Moulthrop. She was sadly but necessarily removed from her home (above) in 1985 when our Grandfather passed. Her remaining years were spent in Deland, Fl. where she was greatly cared for and loved by Frances K.(her daughter) and Hugh Gordon and their 5 children in Deland, Fl. She was and will always be one of the most loved and cherished people my heart has ever had the opportunity to experience love with. Her story will be told by many in the years to come and her picture will hang “again” within those brick walls of the Moulthrop house above. This place will be restored in some acceptable capacity and serve the citizens of Eufaula, Veterans, and folks from nearby and distant lands.
“ELIZABETH GARDNER “BO BO” MOULTHROP, 92, Hazen Road, DeLand, died Saturday, May 7, (1994). Mrs. Moulthrop was a homemaker. Born in Decatur, Ga., she moved to Central Florida in 1985. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church of DeLand. Survivors: sons, Robert M., Annandale, Va., Charles W., Dothan, Ala.; daughters, Betty Broadfield, Clearwater, Susanne Stanbury, Cuthbert, Ga., Frances Gordon, DeLand, Martha Moshides, Annandale; sister, Frances Welton, Black Mountain, N.C.; 17 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren. Allen-Summerhill Funeral Home, DeLand.”
Many years have gone by since those painful memories of the family deciding to sell the property. I have always had faith in the belief that “if it is meant to be the doors will open”. So, I want to share some good news with ya’ll. As of last month, this property has been re-acquired by several members of the Moulthrop family….more to follow.
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I would love to follow your family’s story! Thank you so much ❤️
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My husband and I had the pleasure of owning and living in the Cato house from 2005 until 2007 there in Eufaula. While there, I was immersed in the incredible history of Eufaula, which of course included being involved with the Pilgrimage, and learning all about the Shorters and the Moulthrops. We walked through the cemetery and admired the beautiful monuments as well as the spectacular view of the of the water from the bluff. The house was fenced off so we were spared the sadness of viewing what a sad sated the grand old place was in.
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Thank you so much for the update on the property. I am a distant relative of the Shorters and I have always wondered about the house. I am glad it is back in the Moulthrop family and I wish them all the best in restoring it. It will be amazing! Thanks for the information.
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Restoring this house looks to be a huge undertaking. Good luck with this project. I would love to see it when completed.
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I just Googled it and could find no update. Was it restored?
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It was set to undergo a renovation prior to COVID. I have no idea on the current status.
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Hi. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. Many of the Moulthrop Clan gathered with Family and friends at the property. It was an incredible experience and just the beginning great gatherings to come. Thanks to Ellen and Casey Albert (Daughter and Son-in-law to the late Bob and Mary Moulthrop), it was a beautiful Thanksgiving experience. Their dedication and commitment to making this happen on the property is a very powerful testament of much greater things planned. Renovation on the house is set to begin this month.
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That’s great news. Thank you for sharing.
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During a Pilgrimage Tour, my friends and I were driving around getting acquainted with the city of Eufaula. We could see an old house down a driveway. There were no signs or roadblocks, so, we drove down the driveway. The grounds were overgrown; however, that did not deter us from exploring. This would have been in the late ‘90’s. We went inside the house and the 3 of us chose our bedroom. I felt a closeness to whomever lived there in the past. My bedroom looked out over what was one time a glorious driveway view. We also explored the grounds and could hear the water flowing in the Lake Eufaula. We drove down the road to the cemetery. We were surprised to find it was indeed an old family cemetery. There were also what we believed to be graves of slaves. Of course the grave of Gov. Shorter was of interest to us. At that time, I didn’t know anything about the Moulthrop Family. I have several pictures taken at the house and cemetery. I love old historic houses. This Pilgrimage is one I’ll never forget. It makes me happy to read that it’s in the hands of family again.
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I’d love to see the photos you took back then.
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