Richards DAR House Museum

Riverboat captain Charles G. Richards, from Maine, and his wife Caroline built this Italianate brick house on North Joachim Street in 1860, in what is now the De Tonti Square district. It is known for the ironwork across its front, cast with the four seasons, and for its Carrara marble mantels and original Cornelius chandeliers. The family lived there until 1946, and four Mobile chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution now run it as a museum, staffed by volunteers and open most days. The stories staff tell centre on the Richards family. At weddings and receptions, they describe a small group of oddly dressed elderly women standing to one side, apparently enjoying themselves. A docent arriving one morning saw a woman standing in an upstairs window. In one second-floor bedroom, marbles left out on the bed are said to be found in a different arrangement each morning.