This house began as a Plantation Plain but was made more formal with the addition of the vernacular Greek Revival portico. A substantial rear wing was also added at some point. It is located in the forgotten community of Altamaha, Georgia. John P. Rabun, Jr., writes: …the Pearson House was built by John Pearson ca. 1847. John Pearson, a native of Screven County, was one of the two builders of the fine 1857 Greek Revival Courthouse in Reidsville, which was replaced by the 1902 structure still standing but much altered. John Pearson died in 1863. There is another Pearson house built by John’s brother, Lawrence Pearson, still standing not far from this house. One of the Pearson ladies of a later generation married David Tod, a native of Scotland, and the house became known as the Tod House or the Pearson-Tod House. Unlike the Todd family living in Tattnall County when he arrived from Scotland, he spelled his name with only one “d”, saying – irreverently – that if one “d” was good enough for God it was good enough for Tod.
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Brian, the Pearson House was built by John Pearson ca. 1847. John Pearson, a native of Screven County, was one of the two builders of the fine 1857 Greek Revival Courthouse in Reidsville, which was replaced by the 1902 structure still standing but much altered. John Pearson died in 1863. There is another Pearson house built by John’s brother, Lawrence Pearson, still standing not far from this house.
One of the Pearson ladies of a later generation married David Tod, a native of Scotland, and the house became known as the Tod House or the Pearson-Tod House. Unlike the Todd family living in Tattnall County when he arrived from Scotland, he spelled his name with only one “d”, saying – irreverently – that if one “d” was good enough for God it was good enough for Tod. I think that the two ladies whom Bobby Akins remembers were Mr. Tod’s daughters.
John Rabun
Atlanta
Thanks to Brian and his photograpy of Tatnall and Toombs Cos., we located the grave of my husband’s 4th great grand parents, John Pearson and Elizabeth Richardson, in Toombs Co. The county line
changed some time back.
Thank you for sharing this good news Sandy! It really makes me feel like what I do is worthwhile when I hear stories like yours. So glad you found your husband’s ancestors.
Brian, when I worked for my Daddy, Willie James Akins, Sr., at W. J. Akins 0and Son’s we cut the right-of-way for power lines for Altamaha EMC. He worked here on many occasions, we called it “The Todd Sister’s”, who lived there during the time I visited it. It was, and probably still is a meeting place for crews to get together to do a job. My Daddy would always ask them if we could park our equipment there when we were in the area. He would cut any limbs or underbrush that they needed and they were very kind to my family and our crew. We would eat dinner near the bridge down the dirt road to the left. They told us that would be the coolest place, but to please not bother their gators, which they fed every day. My Daddy told them how much I like old homes and history and they asked if I’d like to see the inside. I had been on the outside many times and I jumped at the chance to go inside. There was a hall down the center of the house, with two sets of stairs, one to the front of the house and the other to the kitchen, and servant’s quarters in the rear. The kitchen had the well inside the room; in the corner was this well with a wooden cover that was used as a work area when on. In the bedroom on the bottom floor the ladies showed me a stake that had been driven into the exposed beam. They explained that their Grandmother was an invalid and a peace of leather was tied to the stake and that is how she pulled herself up in the bed. They said no one had been able to pull it out no matter how hard they tried. It was a real working house not just pretty and to look at. They were very quiet and shy ladies, it was not easy to gain their trust, kind of curious, as we say in the South, but when they had time to get to know you, you could not find two better people in the world. They were very kind to me and my family for many years, I am glad I had the chance to get to know them, they reminded me of the Baldwin Sisters on the TV show “The Walton’s”.
So Brian, I just thought I’d tell you this, hope you don’t mind, just stupid things I remember. They were great ladies.
An admirer of your work,
Bobby Thomas Akins
at. They were very quiet and shy ladies, it was not easy to gain their trust, kind of curious, as we say in the South, but when they had time to get to know you, you could not find two better people in the world. They were very kind to me and my family for many years, I am glad I had the chance to get to know them, they reminded me of the Baldwin Sisters on the TV show “The Walton’s”.
So Brian, I just thought I’d tell you this, hope you don’t mind, just stupid things I remember. They were great ladies.
An admirer of your work,
Bobby Thomas Akins
Great house, Brian! And what tiny windows upstairs for a Deep South house. Love this photo!
Beautiful old house. I don’t think I have been through Altamaha, before. By the way – the cute little church in Ware County – the Georgia Trust for Preservation replied to my email and sent an application to possibly place it within their “trust.” They wanted to know the history of the congregation, etc. Do you know any more about it? I will forward the form, but I can fill it out if you think that little church is worth preserving.