James Greer Bankhead House, Historic residence in Sulligent, Alabama.
The James Greer Bankhead House is a two-story structure with a gabled roof, single-story side wings, and a front porch with six columns spanning its width. Its enclosed dogtrot design reflects a traditional Southern architectural approach common to residences of that era.
The Bankhead family settled in Lamar County in 1818, and James Greer Bankhead, a Mexican–American War veteran, built this house around 1850. His son John H. Bankhead was born on the plantation on September 13, 1842, before the house existed, and later served 33 years in Congress. John's sons William B. and John H. Bankhead II were born in the house and also served in Congress.
The Bankhead family, which produced two U.S. Congressmen and actress Tallulah Bankhead, built their roots here across three generations and shaped local prominence through this residence.
The structure currently faces preservation challenges, including damage from vandalism and deteriorating original windows that need careful attention. When visiting, be prepared to see a historic home that requires restoration work and may have limited access to certain areas.
The house began as a dogtrot, with an open central breezeway on the ground floor that was later enclosed, turning it into an I-house. A 1933 tornado knocked over a chimney on the south side of the rear shed roof and destroyed the kitchen and dining wing.
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