Guild-Verner House

There is not much information available about Guild's background, but what is known is that he was born in Tennessee around 1800. As a young man, he earned his medical degree from Transylvania University, which is located in Lexington, Kentucky, and then settled in Tuscaloosa. Over his long career, he ran a successful medical practice, which was located in the house. He earned an excellent reputation and became a prominent figure in the community and throughout Alabama. In 1833, he was elected to the Alabama Senate and to the House of Representatives in 1845. Guild was a trustee at the University of Alabama and the Alabama Insane Hospital (now called Bryce Hospital). As noted above, he was also an excellent surgeon, often performing difficult but successful surgeries.

Guild's son, Lafayette, became a doctor as well and served as chief medical officer for Confederate General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War. In 1881, three years before he passed away, Guild sold the house to Henry Snow (one source says John Snow), who later sold it to his brother Dr. Charles Snow. The brothers were first cousins of President John Quincy Adams. It appears the Snow family owned the house until 1911 when they sold it to C.B. Verner, who was a lawyer and a solicitor of the Circuit Court. In addition to serving in the state house of Representatives, he was a Land Commissioner for the University of Alabama, president of the Merchant Bank and Trust Company, and a member of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education. His most prominent role was serving as U.S. Assistant Attorney General.

It is not clear how long the Verners occupied the house but it seems that they were the last to use it a private residence. It was then occupied by an insurance company, funeral home, and restaurant. By the 1977, it was in need of repairs and was restored. Two organizations moved in once the work was completed: the Home Builders Association of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa Board of Realtors. In recent years, the house was occupied by a local construction company.

Floyd, W. Warner. "Guild-Verner House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. December 4, 1973. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/edf361ee-6195-4ef1-a269-4f11d6247e5b.

"Guild-Verner House, 1904 University Boulevard, Circa 1978." Tuscaloosa Virtual Museum. Accessed December 21, 2020. https://tavm.omeka.net/items/show/277.

"The Guild-Verner House c1822, 1901 University Blvd." Tuscaloosa Historical Places [Facebook Page]. January 5, 2015. https://www.facebook.com/TCLHistorialPlaces/posts/the-guild-verner-house-c1822-1901-university-blvdin-1822-dr-james-guild-a-medica/1104073269608340.