Built about 1830 for merchant Joseph Trotter, the house was purchased in 1838 by John J. McMahon, a Virginia-born cotton factor who divided his time between Courtland and New Orleans. It remained the home of McMahon's descendants for nearly 150 years. McMahon's wife, Harriet, was the daughter of Dr. Jack Shackelford, who in 1836 organized the Courtland Red Rovers to fight for Texas independence. Donated by the family to the Alabama Historical Commission in 1987, the house was privately restored under protective covenant. It is a notable example of Federal-period architecture brought to this area by early settlers from the Atlantic seaboard.