Turner Saunders

Who was Turner Saunders?

The Rev. Turner Saunders, a noted Methodist preacher, was born in Brunswick County, Virginia.

In 1830 he was elected President of the Board of Trustees of an academy for young women. This was LaGrange College, near Leighton, Alabama, which was burned during the Civil War. He served in that position until moving to Aberdeen, Mississippi, in 1844. Saunders lived in the mansion currently known as the Goode-Hall House, also known as Saunders' Hall, in Lawrence County, Alabama. It is an example of the kind of vernacular classicism that a talented amateur with access to some architectural books could produce for a local builder to follow. The house was sold to Freeman Goode on Feb 12, 1844. There is a room with a dirt floor that is called 'the dungeon' by locals. It has bars on the windows and chains on the wall. There is also a brick-floored kitchen in the basement where the slaves are said to have cooked the meals.