A Brief History of Bulloch Hall


Photography by Josh Meister
The elegant Bulloch Hall was built in Roswell, Georgia in 1839 for Major James Stephens Bulloch, one of Roswell’s first settlers and grandson of Governor Archibald Bulloch, and his wife Martha Stewart Elliott Bulloch, daughter of General Daniel Stewart. The historic house, built with slave labor under the guidance of Willis Ball, a skilled builder from Connecticut, is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The construction of Bulloch Hall was completed in late 1839.

The dining room of Bulloch Hall was the setting on December 22, 1853, of the wedding of their youngest daughter, Mittie Bulloch, to Theodore Roosevelt Sr. The new Mr. and Mrs. Roosevelt were entertained at homes in Roswell for several days after the wedding. The couple lived in New York City where they raised their family of four children Anna, Corinne, Theodore, and Elliott.

Their son Theodore became the twenty-sixth President of the United States. In October 1905, he traveled through the southern states and came to Roswell specifically to visit his mother’s childhood home. Mittie and Thee’s other son, Elliott, was the father of Eleanor Roosevelt, who married Franklin D. Roosevelt and became our nation’s First Lady. Eleanor visited Bulloch Hall while at Warm Springs.