Auburn Women's Club clubhouse

The Auburn Women's Club clubhouse (also called the Lane House) is an antebellum home located on Sanders Street in Auburn and used by the Women's Club of Auburn as their club house.

The house was originally constructed in 1853 on a section of land claimed by Creek Indian Sundilla, who homesteaded in land ceded to the United States after the Creek Indian War. Then owned by the Dillard family, the home was purchased by General James Lane in 1884. Lane divided the property and ceded a section to his son-in-law, George Petrie. As the town grew around it, the house was located on College Street between Thach Avenue and Roosevelt Drive.

After Lane's death in 1907, ownership of the house passed to his four daughters. The last resident was Kate Meade Lane, who never married. The house was left vacant for a number of years and the property was purchased by Auburn University for construction of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library. On June 23, 1960 the university accepted a sealed bid of $300 from Thad Webster for the structure and he, in turn, sold it for $301 to the Women's Club of Auburn. The club paid $2,500 to relocate the house to a lot it bought two years earlier on Sanders Street. Architect Frank Orr was engaged to prepare renovation plans and the home opened to the club in early 1963. A second renovation and new landscaping was carried out between 1999 and 2004.

The house was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1991 and a historical marker approved by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission was dedicated on October 8, 1992. The club is preparing an application to have the house listed in the National Register of Historic Places, a petition that has been hampered by the fact that it no longer sits on its original site.

Text of marker

The Lane House, built in 1853 at the corner of Thach and College Street, was home to several Auburn University notables. E. T. Glenn, Treasurer, leased it in 1873. General James H. Lane, Aide to General Stonewall Jackson and Head of Engineering, purchased the house in 1884. Daughter Mary married Dean George Petrie, author of the Auburn Creed. Daughter Kate Meade Lane was the last resident. Mollie Hollifield Jones purchased the house in 1960 for the Woman’s Club. The house was moved to its present location in 1962. It was placed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1991.

Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the Women’s Club of Auburn, 1992.

References

• Kochak, Jacque (July 23, 2009) "Local institution seeks historic recognition." Auburn Villager