This Greek Revival style home was built circa 1852 for Colonel James Madison Lee, who was born 1820 in Louisa County, Virginia. The house was constructed with hand-hewn timbers. Colonel Lee served in the War with Mexico. He helped to build the Southern Railway from Selma to Meridian and named the station on his property Lee’s Station.
This house has a 2-story main block approximately 48′ x 33′ plus a one-story semidetached central rear wing approximately 70′ long. The main block has a 1-story shed across the rear and 4 exterior end chimneys. Other features of the house include a central distyle pedimented portico and an unusually large glazed double-leaf doorway with a balcony above. Early 20th century alterations include renovation of the rear wing with enclosure of open passage between the wing and main block.
Lee Haven was photographed and documented in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1935. This house is located in Sumter County between Livingston and Bellamy on CR 21 approximately 2.4 miles north of the intersection of CR 21 and Highway 80 (32°29’44.2″N 88°07’13.6″W – Google Maps).
This is a private residence – drive by only.
Sources: 1) The Alabama Catalog, A Guide to the Early Architecture of the State, by Robert Gamble; 2) HABS “Lee Haven” Descriptive Data (no. ALA-290); 3) Sumter County Historical Society.