The Forks of Cypress
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UnclaimedThe Forks of Cypress was a major antebellum cotton plantation and Greek Revival residence near Florence, Alabama, now preserved as a historic archaeological and architectural site.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Forks of Cypress was a large cotton plantation and Greek Revival plantation house near Florence in Lauderdale County, Alabama. The estate was established by James Jackson, an Irish-born Alabama politician, landowner, horse breeder, and enslaver, together with his wife, Sally Moore Jackson. The main residence was designed by architect William Nichols and completed in 1830. Its name referred to the convergence of Big Cypress Creek and Little Cypress Creek near the plantation site. The house was distinguished by an unusually ambitious architectural design. It was the only known Greek Revival residence in Alabama to have a two-story colonnade extending around the entire house. The colonnade consisted of 24 Ionic columns and made the building one of the most visually prominent plantation houses in the state. The estate also included an earlier log house, agricultural and domestic outbuildings, a family cemetery, and land used for cotton production and other plantation activities dependent on enslaved labor. James Jackson was active in Alabama politics after moving to the state from Nashville in 1818. He served in both chambers of the Alabama Legislature and became president of the Alabama Senate in 1830. He was also a prominent importer and breeder of English thoroughbred horses. Among the imported horses associated with his breeding program were Leviathan, Gallopade, and Glencoe. His work contributed to the development of American thoroughbred bloodlines, although the plantation's wealth and operations were rooted in an enslaved-labor agricultural system. The historical significance of the Forks includes its connection to the history of slavery, the Civil War, regional politics, plantation agriculture, and the American thoroughbred industry. Members of Alex Haley's family were enslaved by the Jackson family, and the plantation forms part of the family history discussed in Haley's book Queen: The Story of an American Family. During the Civil War, Union forces used the plantation grounds as a base camp while operating in the area. After Jackson's death in 1840, his widow administered his estate. The plantation later changed ownership. Hugh Scott owned the property in 1935, and the Dowdy family acquired it by the 1940s. Rufus B. Dowdy undertook restoration work on the house and grounds. On June 6, 1966, lightning struck the main house, which burned to the ground. The residence was not reconstructed, but the Dowdy family retained the surviving brick columns, the log house, outbuildings, and family cemetery. By 2017, 23 of the original 24 brick columns were reported to remain. The site was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1992 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. It is owned by the State of Alabama and overseen locally. The original plantation is therefore no longer an operating commercial brand or intact residence; it is a state-owned historic site and ruin. Two later replicas exist: one built in downtown Florence in 1983 and used as a Regions Bank branch, and another constructed near the Natchez Trace Parkway in 2005 as a private residence. Neither replica is the original historic structure.
History
James Jackson was born in Ballybay, County Monaghan, Ireland, on October 25, 1782. He moved to Alabama from Nashville, Tennessee, in 1818 and became involved in state politics during the following decade. He served in both houses of the Alabama Legislature and was selected as president of the Alabama Senate in 1830, the same year construction of the Forks of Cypress residence was completed. Jackson developed the plantation as an agricultural estate using enslaved labor. Its location near the junction of Big Cypress Creek and Little Cypress Creek gave the property its distinctive name. William Nichols designed the principal residence in the Greek Revival style. Completed in 1830, it featured a two-story Ionic colonnade around all sides of the house, an arrangement that made it exceptional among Alabama's Greek Revival houses. The estate also contained a log house, supporting buildings, cultivated land, and the Jackson family cemetery. Jackson was an enthusiastic horseman and imported more than a dozen English thoroughbreds during the 1820s and 1830s. Leviathan, imported in 1830, Gallopade, imported in 1835, and Glencoe, imported in 1836, became especially important to his breeding program. Later turf historian John Hervey regarded Jackson as one of the most successful importers in the history of the American thoroughbred. Jackson died on August 17, 1840, and was buried near the plantation house. His widow, Sarah or Sally Moore Jackson, administered his estate. Jackson's will placed the horse-breeding assets under a trust managed by his nephew Thomas Kirkman; the horses were gradually sold, with the disposal of Glencoe completed in 1848. The plantation's history is inseparable from slavery. Jackson and his family enslaved people on the estate, including ancestors of Alex Haley. This connection helped make the plantation a setting in the family history recounted in Haley's Queen: The Story of an American Family. During the Civil War, Union forces occupied the property and used it as a base camp. Ownership changed after the Jackson period. Hugh Scott was associated with the property in 1935. By the 1940s, Rufus B. Dowdy had acquired it and restored the house and grounds. The main residence was destroyed on June 6, 1966, when it was struck by lightning and burned. No replacement was built at the original site. Instead, the remaining architectural elements were preserved, including the brick columns, the log house, outbuildings, and the family cemetery. In later documentation, all but one of the 24 columns were still standing. Recognition followed the loss of the house. The Forks of Cypress was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on April 14, 1992, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 10, 1997. The property is owned by the State of Alabama, with oversight assigned to a local board. A replica of the plantation house was completed in Florence in 1983 at 321 North Seminary Street, approximately five miles from the original site; it operates as a Regions Bank branch. A second replica was constructed in 2005 west of Florence near the Historic Natchez Trace Parkway and is privately occupied. These replicas are commemorative structures, not surviving portions of the original plantation house.
- 2005
Second replica constructed
[1]A second replica was built west of Florence near the Historic Natchez Trace Parkway as a private residence.
- 1997
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
[1]The Forks of Cypress was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 10.
- 1992
Added to Alabama heritage register
[1]The site was placed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on April 14.
- 1983
Florence replica completed
[1]A near-replica of the plantation house was built in downtown Florence and later used as a Regions Bank branch.
- 1966
Main house destroyed by lightning fire
[1]Lightning struck the plantation house on June 6, causing a fire that destroyed the main residence.
- 1940
Dowdy ownership and restoration
[1]By the 1940s, Rufus B. Dowdy had acquired the plantation and undertook restoration of the house and grounds.
- 1935
Hugh Scott recorded as owner
[1]Hugh Scott was identified as the owner of the Forks of Cypress property.
- 1848
Jackson horse estate fully liquidated
[1]Thomas Kirkman completed the gradual sale of Jackson's racehorses, including the final sale associated with Glencoe.
- 1840
Death of James Jackson
[1]James Jackson died on August 17 and was buried in the family cemetery near the plantation house. His widow administered the estate.
- 1830
Main Greek Revival house completed
[1]William Nichols's Greek Revival plantation house was completed for James and Sally Moore Jackson, with a two-story colonnade of 24 Ionic columns surrounding the building.
Products and positioning
A historic Alabama plantation and architectural landmark interpreted through its Greek Revival design, surviving ruins, association with slavery and the Civil War, and role in regional horse-breeding history.
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