Historic Riverfront Mansion Gutted by Fire

A historic mansion on the Chattahoochee River in Columbus has been severely damaged by fire.

Authorities said the Sunday blaze gutted the home known as the Mott House, built by the second mayor of Columbus and later owned by some of the city’s pioneering businessmen.

During the American Civil War, it was the headquarters of Union Gen. James H. Wilson and was spared from damage when Union forces torched many other riverfront structures in the city on the Georgia-Alabama line.

The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports that the house was the last remaining Chattahoochee riverfront mansion between Columbus and the Gulf of Mexico.

It was acquired by Columbus-based electronic payment processing firm TSYS in 1997.

Columbus Fire Department Battalion Chief Bobby Dutton said the fire’s cause was not immediately known.