Tag Archives: Georgia Federal Architecture

Terrell-Stone House, Circa 1822, Sparta

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Built in the early 1820s for Dr. William Terrell (1778-1855), this remarkable Federal house displays a strong Palladian influence. A front porch extending the width of the house was removed during renovations but was likely not original to the structure.

A stone-sided kitchen survives on the property, as does an office said to originally have been a billiard house [below]. Obviously, it was built in the Victorian era and the side room is a later addition.

Dr. Terrell was a leading citizen in early-19th-century Sparta, serving in the Georgia legislature and later as a member of the U. S. House of Representatives. He was the founder and first president of the Sparta Planters Club, an agricultural and social consortium of prominent landowners which aimed to improve farming practices. He endowed the first serious chair of agriculture in the United States at the University of Georgia. Terrell County in Southwest Georgia is named for him.

Sparta Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Eagle Tavern, Circa 1801, Watkinsville

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When the Eagle Tavern was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, it was thought that it was constructed sometime around 1820, but subsequent research has set the date around 1801, possibly earlier. The location of present-day Watkinsville was still a part of the Cherokee and Creek territories when the tavern was built and the seat of the original Clarke County before Athens existed. It’s one of just a few stagecoach, pre-railroad era public structures surviving in Georgia. In 1836 Richard C. Richardson bought the tavern and made numerous additions over the years. In 1934, the tavern was saved from destruction by Lanier Richardson Billups, who deeded it to the state of Georgia in 1956. Under the direction of architect G. Thomas Little, Richardson’s additions were removed, revealing the Plantation Plain original section we see today. It is now home to the Eagle Tavern Museum.

Dr. William Parker House, 1809, Savannah

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A two-story yellow house, built by Dr William Parker of Savannah, with black shutters, featuring a front porch and a chimney. Palm trees and greenery are visible nearby, while cars are parked on the street.

This Federal gem on Warren Square was built by enslaved craftsmen between 1806-1809 for Dr. William Parker (1766-1838), who acquired the property through his 1804 marriage to the widow Louisa Guerard McAlister. Dr. Parker, whose grandparents arrived in Savannah with General Oglethorpe in 1733, was a founding member of the Georgia Medical Society.

Savannah Historic District, National Historic Landmark

John David Mongin House, 1797, Savannah

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John David Mongin House in Savannah, Georgia's National Historic Landmark District.

One of just a handful of 18th-century houses remaining in Savannah, the Mongin House (known for a time as the Capital Dwelling House and now known as the Mongin-Carswell House) was relocated here from another lot on Warren Square and remodeled to its present condition in 1964. John David Mongin (1763-1833) set about building it, with the labor of enslaved individuals, as soon as he arrived in Savannah from Daufuskie Island SC. He was a successful merchant but records of his industry in Savannah are quite sparse.

The house also served as a hospital during the 1876 yellow fever outbreak and a rectory for Christ Church.

Savannah Historic District, National Historic Landmark

Eppinger-Lane House, 1823, Savannah

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The Eppinger-Lane House in Savannah, Georgia.

Built by James Eppinger (1790-1871) with the forced labor of enslaved craftsmen between 1821-23, this Federal style home was moved to its present location on Warren Square from West Perry Street and retains its original appearance, except for the replacement of a curved brick entry stairway. Eppinger later left Savannah for Pike County, in west central Georgia, and served as an attorney, Georgia legislator, and judge. He was the son of John P. Eppinger (1765-1823) and, per Carol Todd, the grandson of John Eppinger (1730-1776), a brickmaker and bricklayer who built what may have been the first brick house in Savannah (a public house at 110 Oglethorpe Avenue built before 1764).

Peter Meldrim (1848-1933), who later became a judge, lived in this house as a youth during the Civil War. Judge Meldrim was later the owner of the iconic Green-Meldrim House, which served as General Sherman’s Savannah headquarters.

Savannah Historic District, National Historic Landmark

 

Francis M. Stone House, Circa 1821, Savannah

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The historic Francis M. Stone House, a two-story white townhouse with green shutters and a front porch, surrounded by trees and a sidewalk.

Considered one of the finest examples of Federal style architecture in Savannah, the restored Stone House is also located on idyllic Columbia Square.

Francis M. Stone (1789-1864) was Captain of the Savannah Guard and Watch (predecessor to today’s police department), an alderman, and trustee of the Methodist Episcopal Church. According to the Beehive Foundation, “Stone was an arms dealer (specializing in muskets) and frequently hired out enslaved laborers to the city for municipal work on streets and lanes. He also served as the legal guardian for Cornelia Cleghorn, the wife of William J. Cleghorn, a prominent and freed Black caterer in 1850s Savannah society.“

Savannah Historic District, National Historic Landmark

Isaiah Davenport House, 1820, Savannah

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The iconic Isaiah Davenport House, one of Savannah's best known landmarks.

Cited as the catalyst for Savannah’s nationally recognized preservation movement, the Isaiah Davenport House was spared from destruction for a funeral home parking lot in 1955 and has been painstakingly renovated over the years to its due place as one of Georgia’s architectural gems.

Savannah's Isaiah Davenport House, a landmark of national architectural importance.

Isaiah Davenport (1784-1827), was a native of Little Compton, Rhode Island. He trained as a carpenter’s apprentice in New Bedford, Massachusetts, before migrating to Savannah circa 1808. Operating in the transitional era between colonial traditions and the early national period, Davenport quickly became a prominent entrepreneur in his adopted city. His home is celebrated as one of the finest American examples of Federal-style domestic architecture, and it was built with the the forced labor of enslaved workers. As many as 13 enslaved craftsmen and laborers performed the heavy carpentry and construction that made his projects possible.

National Register of Historic Places

John Gay House, 1840s, Newborn

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I haven’t been able to locate much information about John Gay, but I believe he served in the Confederate army. Also, I’m unable to validate an exact date of construction. The National Register nomination form lists both 1840 and 1850 but the house is such a great example of a late Federal style that I believe it’s likely a good bit earlier.

Newborn Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Tompkins Inn, Circa 1812, Putnam County

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George Bird purchased this land for $300 in 1810. In 1812, it was purchased by Giles Tompkins (1766-1841), an original settler of Putnam County, for $2000. Due to the increase in value of the land, it’s believed that Bird may have actually built the Inn, but since its history is irrevocably linked to the Tompkins family, it is known as the Tompkins Inn. After Giles died, his widow, Sarah, operated the Inn until the 1850s, when it passed to a granddaughter, also named Sarah. The inn passed to Sarah’s husband, Josias Boswell in 1856. Debt forced the sale of the Inn to A. R. Zachary in 1862. In 1874, Boswell’s second wife, Emmeline, purchased the Inn. Upon Emmeline Boswell’s death in 1910, it was willed to Mary Anderson.

The historical importance of the property was noted as early as 1924, as evidenced by this granite slab, placed by the Samuel Reid Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution during that year. Apparently, the marker was buried in red clay for many years and was uncovered during renovation.

The Federal Land Bank of Columbia (South Carolina) assumed ownership of the site in 1927 and it was purchased, along with many large tracts of land, in 1936. It was then rented as private residence until 1970. In that year, Mrs. T. H. Resseau traded a parcel of land for the Inn and 3 acres and deeded it to the Town & Country Garden Club in Eatonton. Jene Welch notes that it’s now owned by the Eatonton Putnam Historical Society.

It is presently being stabilized. It’s located near Eatonton on US 441.

As of 2021, the inn has been restored.

Federal Revival House, 1840, Columbus

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This house is quite similar in style to the Milledgeville Federal houses which can be found in the old capital city. This style is not common and is quite interesting to see in Columbus. Architectural historians may call it Federal-inspired or Federal Revival, but I was immediately aware of the aesthetic connection to the Milledgeville houses.

Columbus Historic District, National Register of Historic Places