Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Santini-Stewart House

We just posted a picture over on the discussion board showing the location of what was the Santini-Stewart house. The pic can be found here.

Background: The last residence, and place of death, of Confederate Gen. Alexander P. Stewart. The Tennessee native and West Point graduate fought throughout the war and was wounded at Chickamauga and Ezra Church. After the war he returned to university teaching, and in 1886 was named commissioner of what is now Chickamauga-Chattanooga Military Park. He held that position (even learning to ride a bicycle when he was in his 70s!) until suffering a stroke in 1903. Although officially resident of St. Louis, he spent much of his time traveling to therapeutic springs and spas and eventually made a nearly full recovery. He was "taking the waters" in Biloxi when he died at the Santini house Aug. 30, 1908, of "organic heart disease and the infirmities of his age."

(Note: some of the sites we've been consulting for this story spell the property as "Santini-Steward House." Several also say that the property, now operated as a B&B, was for sale, with prices ranging from $750,000-$799,000.)