Historic Sites - Alex Haley Home and Museum
6 Alex Haley Home and Museum
- The boyhood home of Pulitzer Prize winner Alex Haley, author of Roots.
Originally known as the Palmer House, this 10-room, turn-of-the-century, bungalow home was built in 1919 by Will E. Palmer, the maternal grandfather of Alex Haley (1921-92). From 1921 to 1929, and during some subsequent summers, Haley lived here with his grandparents.
It was on the porch of this house that Haley heard from his grandmother the family stories that inspired him to write Roots, retelling tales of his African ancestors who were brought to America as slaves. The work won him the 1976 Pulitzer Prize, and the book was presented in an eight-part television adaptation in 1977. Roots has been translated into over thirty languages, and has inspired millions to search for their own roots. Haley’s boyhood home is the first state-owned historical site devoted to African Americans in Tennessee.
On December 14, 1978, the Alex Haley House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It has attracted scholars and other visitors from around the world. Haley is buried on the grounds. Haley died in 1992.
Alex Haley Home and Museum
200 South Church Street,
Henning, TN 38041
(731) 738-2240
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tu. - Sat., 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sun. and closed Mon.
