NOTE: This historic home was destroyed by fire on November 14, 2017.
This Greek Revival house was built circa 1850 by Thomas Helm Lee, master builder and owner of early Selma lumber yard. Born in Kentucky, he was the son of Miller Lee of Buckingham County, Virginia and married Mary Jane Blanks of Cahaba in 1839. He died in 1857 and is buried in Live Oak Cemetery. Other buildings credited to him are Sturdivant Hall, circa 1855, and the 1857 Church Street Methodist Church which no longer stands. The Lee-Bender-Butler house was acquired by the Bender family in 1866 and was willed by a Bender descendant to members of the Butler family in 1947. It was restored in 1982 by Roger and Dolly Butler.
This house is a contributing property to Selma’s “Old Town Historic District” that was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1978. It is located at the intersection of Church Street and Parkman Avenue in Selma, Alabama (GPS coordinates 32.410448,-87.024231).
This is a private residence – drive by only.
Source: “Lee-Bender-Butler House” Historical Marker (located in front of the home.)
The video below shows the Selma Fire Department working the fire at the Lee-Bender-Butler House (shared 11/14/2017 by facebook.com/SelmaTimesJournal/)