Rebel's Rest; a university guest house commemorating George Rainsford Fairbanks
Item
- Legacies Classification
- Memorial Type
- Memorial Context
- Memorialized Subject
- Title
- Background and Context
- Physical Description
- Creator/Participating Person(s)
- Date created, installed or dedicated
- Date Modified
- Historical Period
- Learn More About this Subject
- Tags
-
Memorial Place
-
Academic Facility
-
Rebel's Rest; a university guest house commemorating George Rainsford Fairbanks
-
Severely damaged by an accidental fire in 2014, Rebel's Rest (1866) was the historic home of the George Rainsford Fairbanks, a founder of the University of the South, planter and attorney in pre-Civil War Florida, and an officer in the Confederate army. So named to recall Fairbanks's weariness after his military service, Rebel's Rest was a private residence until 1966, when the University purchased it and, in 1968, opened an expanded facility to serve as its official guesthouse for visiting dignitaries and prospective members of the faculty. The building was historically important as the site of the first meeting of the University's trustees after the Civil War. After the 2014 fire, the origins of which were traced to renovations to the building then underway, Rebel's Rest was so badly damaged that the University elected to demolish the remaining structure instead of restoring it. Rumors and conspiracy theories surrounded this decision, with some persons claiming, with no evidence, that University administrators had deliberately destroyed it because of its association with the Confederacy.
-
A large log and timber structure, with nine guest rooms and expansive public spaces for events and receptions, including a commodious rear patio.
-
1866
-
2014
Position: 1765 (45 views)