Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz (1800–1856) was an American novelist and author, most noted for her opposition to the abolitionist movement and her widely-read rebuttal to the popular anti-slavery book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. She was a major literary figure in her day, and helped advance women's fiction.In 1824, Caroline Whiting married Nicholas Marcellus Hentz. After marrying they moved to now Florence, Alabama and started an all-girl school called Locust Dell Academy. Some years later, Locust Dell Academy burned down and in its place Willingham Hall was built. This hall can be found on the campus of the University of North Alabama. Hentz wrote of her love for the area in a poem called La Fayette.During the early 1830s, Hentz and her husband, along with their three children, moved to North Carolina.Hentz resided towards the end of her life in Marianna, Florida. She is buried there in the cemetery of St. Luke's Church.
