Roswell's Bulloch Hall is "perfectly presidential"
Published: Jul 14, 2009
Like a grand matriarch, historic Bulloch Hall in Roswell sits regally among the oak trees while tales of her former glory are retold to touring visitors daily. In places like this, you're reminded that antebellum homes are made not just of wood and mortar, but also of the dreams of legendary men and women.
The two-story, classic-Greek revival mansion seems to know its place in history and sits proudly atop one of the highest points in Roswell's historic district.
James Stephens Bulloch, a descendant of Archibald Bulloch, who was instrumental in Georgia's signing of the Declaration of Independence, and his wife, Martha, came to the new Roswell settlement in 1838 and built their home in 1839.
Their daughter, Mittie, grew up to marry one Theodore Roosevelt in the Hall's dining room in 1853. She went on to have a son, Theodore Roosevelt II, who would later become America's 26th president. Years later, she became a grandmother to a little girl named Eleanor, who would later marry distant cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, the nation's 32nd president.
The Bulloch mansion, located just off the town square, is considered extravagant even by today's standards. The mansion grounds feature the main home; summer house; reconstructed slave-quarters; and a variety of gardens and wells. The impressive homestead is considered one of the South's finest examples of Greek temple-form architecture and was even said to have been one of the inspirations for Margaret Mitchell's fictional "Gone With the Wind" plantation, Tara.
The daily tours allow visitors to see the entire home, which is decorated as it would have been in the nineteenth century. Visitors also tour the slave quarters, summer house and gardens. A variety of annual events are also hosted at Bulloch Hall.
Closed on federal holidays, the Hall offers group rates and special tours by arrangement. Call (770) 992-1731 ext. 221, or e-mail info@bullochhall.org if you are interested in touring the facility.
www.southerntrilogy.com
- by Christine Foster, Atlanta Reporter for HelloMetro
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