====== Sturdivant Hall ======

Sturdivant Hall, also known as the Watts-Parkman-Gillman House, is a historic Greek Revival mansion and house museum located in Selma, Alabama. Completed in 1856, this architectural gem is noted for its grandeur and historical significance. It is also reputed to be haunted by the ghost of its second owner, John McGee Parkman.

==== Historical Background ====

Sturdivant Hall was constructed between 1852 and 1856, designed by architect Thomas Helm Lee for Colonel Edward T. Watts. Watts and his family resided in the mansion until 1864, when they moved to Texas and sold the house. On February 12, 1864, John McGee Parkman, a prominent local banker, purchased the house for $65,000.

Parkman, who became president of the First National Bank of Selma, was involved in cotton speculation, which led to significant financial losses. During the Reconstruction era, military governor Wager Swayne and his authorities took over the bank, leading to Parkman’s arrest. Parkman was imprisoned at Cahaba County Jail. On May 23, 1867, he attempted to escape and was killed in the process.

After Parkman’s death, the house was sold at auction in January 1870 to Emile Gillman, a merchant. The Gillman family owned Sturdivant Hall until 1957 when it was purchased by the City of Selma for $75,000. A portion of this money came from a bequest by Robert Daniel Sturdivant, with instructions to establish a museum. The mansion was converted into a house museum and continues to be maintained by the City of Selma, Dallas County, and the Sturdivant Museum Association.

==== Architecture ====

Sturdivant Hall is an exemplary example of Greek Revival architecture. The mansion features:

  * **Exterior:** A two-story brick structure stuccoed to resemble ashlar stone. The front facade is dominated by a monumental hexastyle portico with 30-foot-tall Corinthian columns. A cantilevered balcony provides access to the second floor, with elaborate Greek Revival door surrounds.
  * **Side Elevations:** Include a cantilevered balcony and a wide first-floor porch with decorative cast-iron elements.
  * **Rear Elevation:** Features a monumental distyle in antis portico with Doric columns. The rear includes a semi-enclosed courtyard with ancillary structures like a kitchen, smokehouse, and servants' quarters.
  * **Interior:** The first floor has elaborate plasterwork and millwork, including a cantilevered staircase, drawing room, ladies parlor, dining room, gentleman's parlor, and warming room. The second floor houses a T-shaped hall and four bedrooms, with a spiral stair leading to an attic-level cupola.

Edward Vason Jones, an architect known for his work on the White House, praised Sturdivant Hall as one of the finest Greek Revival antebellum mansions in the Southeast.

==== Folklore ====

Sturdivant Hall is associated with a ghost story involving its second owner, John McGee Parkman. According to local legend, Parkman’s ghost haunts the mansion following his tragic death. The tale is recounted in Kathryn Tucker Windham's short story, "The Return of the Ruined Banker," from her book *13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey*.

In the story, Parkman's spirit is said to return to Sturdivant Hall, reflecting his unrest and unfinished business. This folklore adds a layer of intrigue to the mansion's already rich history and architectural significance.

==== See Also ====

  * Old Town Historic District (Selma, Alabama) — contributing property.
  * National Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, Alabama
  * Reportedly haunted locations in Alabama

==== References ====

  * "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  * Gamble, Robert (1990). *Historic Architecture in Alabama: A Guide to Styles and Types, 1810-1930*. University of Alabama Press.
  * "Sturdivant Hall: History and Architecture". Sturdivant Museum Association Places. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  * "The Selma Bank Robbery - Suicide of the President, John M. Parkman," Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, June 3, 1867.
  * Hammond, Ralph (1951). *Ante-Bellum Mansions of Alabama*. Architectural Book Publishers.
  * Windham, Kathryn Tucker; Figh, Margaret Gillis (1969). *13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey*. Strode Publishers.

==== External Links ====

  * [Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. AL-700, "Watts-Parkman-Gillman House"](https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/al0501/) — 10 photos
  * [Alabama Ghost Trail: Sturdivant Hall](http://www.alabamaghosttrail.com/sturdivant-hall) — YouTube video including interior and exterior views of the house.