This was one of the most common house styles in rural Georgia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It’s a central hallway cottage with a rear shed room and and a detached kitchen. Examples with the kitchen intact are increasingly rare today.
Dwight Oliff writes: This old tenant house is located on my family’s farm on the Bulloch-Evans County line. Best I can tell, it was built in late 1800’s or early 1900’s as a 1917 plat shows a homestead at this location. The homestead originally included a livestock barn, stockyard, and two storage barns across Settlement Road from the dwelling. These buildings were lost to arsonist in the 1970’s. I had a contractor inspect the building about five years ago in hopes of restoring it; however, we determined it was too dilapidated. This farm had three other tenant houses as recent as 40 years ago. However, all have been lost to fire and wind.
Did any of the Oliffs spell their name with 2 l’s? Olliff? I understand we had family in Georgia. Thank you
We’re you also any relashin to the Fordoms
or Shanalls? My family is from Savannah and
Also shared that name from a great grandmother!
This old tenant house is located on my family’s farm on the Bulloch-Evans County line. Best I can tell, it was built in late 1800’s or early 1900’s as a 1917 plat shows a homestead at this location. The homestead originally included a livestock barn, stockyard, and two storage barns across Settlement Road from the dwelling. These buildings were lost to arsonist in the 1970’s.
I had a contractor inspect the building about five years ago in hopes of restoring it; however, we determined it was too dilapidated.
This farm had three other tenant houses as recent as 40 years ago. However, all have been lost to fire and wind.
Thanks, Mr. Olliff. I appreciate you sharing this information. I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t salvageable, but it’s nice it’s still around for a while.
Brian this early farm house is a classic. Such houses were often constructed with the kitchen attached by a breeze-way to shield the main house from the cooking heat and to protect against fire. Some had their kitchens completely separated from the main house. These old unpainted houses seem out of place in our modern world, but in their time, they were the standard. For most yeomen farmers, paint was an unnecessary luxury..
If one could see photos of the old place that I grew up in , then you would think this is one and the same !