The I-House, or Plantation Plain, was a widely popular house type in Georgia before the Civil War, evolving from, and sometimes confused with, the Federal style. Even with utilitarian roots, the type is associated with prosperous farmers and plantation owners. The oldest surviving example of this type in Georgia, Glen Echo, is less than 20 miles from this location and dates to the 1770s. This later example is evidence of the continuing popularity of the style after the Civil War.
This house has a long one-story wing at the rear. Vinyl siding has been added, as well as new chimneys, a new door and sidelights, and a porch. A 1990 Georgia Historic Resources survey noted: Believed to be the Shearouse* Homestead. The Shearouses were among the first Salzburger families to settle in the Zion Community.
*-The survey spells the name “Shearhouse” but I believe that to be a transcription error, as I only locate the “Shearouse” spelling in a quick check of local genealogical sources.
Brian, you are correct. Shearouse is the spelling. I will try to give a pronunciation:
shur’rouse. The two syllables are rolled together in the pronunciation.
My ancestors settled in the original Effingham County when it was a parish under British rule. I am the first generation since then to be born outside of Georgia.
Sometime, I will share my father’s photos of Goshen church–taken every year for decades. Please take lots of photos!
Ashley Simpson