Tag Archives: Georgia Greek Revival Architecture

Orna Villa, Circa 1820, Oxford

2 Replies

Christened “Orna Villa” in 1820 by Dr. Alexander Means, Jr. (1801-1883), this is the oldest house in Oxford, and if the log house from which it was expanded is considered, likely has origins in the 1790s.

In her highly-readable history of the house, current owner Lisa Dorward has done more research than anyone else, it seems. She writes: A Virginian by the name of Richard Keenon Dearing had come to Georgia in 1793 and purchased 2,000 acres of land on which he built a four-room plantation house of hand-hewn logs.  Dr. Means bought the house from Dearing around 1820 and set about expanding and remodeling it into the grand Greek Revival house it is today.  Among Dr. Means’s many interests was ornithology, so he named his home that stood among the trees, Orna Villa, meaning “Bird House.”

Alexander Means, Jr., was a renaissance man who, as the Oxford Historical Society notes, served as a physician, school teacher, scientist, college professor, poet, college president, statesman, and as the first state chemist in the United States. Born to an Irish immigrant father and Scots-Irish mother in Statesville, North Carolina, Means settled circa 1820 in what would eventually become the town of Oxford. He married Sarah A. E. Winston in 1827 and they had 11 children. He helped establish the Newton County Female Seminary, served as president of the Georgia Conference Manual Labor School, and taught natural sciences at the newly established Emory College, among other academic endeavors. He entertained President Millard Fillmore at Orna Villa, and delivered the funeral oration for President Zachary Taylor. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Georgia, where he taught during winter sessions. He retired from Emory in 1855, after briefly serving as president. Though he traveled and lectured in many locations, he remained at Orna Villa throughout his life.

As accomplished as he was and as varied his interests, Means, was also man of his time Research by Dr. Gary Hauk and Dr. Sally Wolff King suggests that between 20-28 men, women, and children were enslaved at Orna Villa. Ironically perhaps, Dr. Means was initially opposed to secession, but soon became a vocal supporter of the Confederacy.

Orna Villa stands today as one of the most tangible symbols of Oxford and Newton County’s early history. There are quite a few “ghost stories” related to the house, as well, especially those concerning Toby Means, but you’ll have to read Lisa Doward’s articles to learn more about them.


National Register of Historic Places

Taylor-Douglass-Coffin House, Circa 1840, Cuthbert

Leave a reply

This Greek Revival cottage was built circa 1840 for Henry Dudley Taylor, one of the first trustees of Andrew College. It was purchased by Marcellus Douglass (1820-1862) in 1860. According to the History of Butts County, Georgia, 1825-1976, Douglass, a native of Butts County, was an honor graduate and trustee of the University of Georgia who moved to Cuthbert to practice law. He also ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Whig. Douglass never spent much time in the home, however, as he died while serving as colonel in temporary command of Lawton’s Brigade at the Battle of Antietam at the age of 31. The family of Nelson Coffin (1901-1970), a mayor of Cuthbert in the 1950s, have owned it for many years.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Bailey-Heard-Dallis House, Circa 1828 + 1842, LaGrange

Leave a reply

Typical of Georgia’s grandest town homes, the Bailey-Heard-Dallis House evolved from a smaller and plainer space to a larger, more architecturally-inspired vision. It’s also an important survivor of gentrification, as the 1974 application for the National Register of Historic Places attests: “…the house is currently the only Greek Revival dwelling left in its block. Only a few years ago there were seven such homes on the block.“

Thought to be the oldest house in LaGrange, it was built circa 1828 by General Samuel A. Bailey, who used it as his headquarters during the Creek Indian War of 1836. It was originally a simple vernacular form, with four rooms downstairs and two up, separated by a central hallway. When George Heard bought the house in 1842, he added four rooms and the exceptional colonnade, with six fluted Doric columns on the front and two more on each side of the house.

The home was acquired by George Dallis in 1888 and has remained in his family ever since.

Broad Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Bellevue, 1855, LaGrange

Leave a reply
Benjamin Harvey Hill (detail), circa 1870-1880. Courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Bellevue is a grand Greek Revival mansion, originally the center of a 1200-acre plantation property, built by Benjamin Harvey Hill (1823-1882) for his wife Caroline Holt Hill (1825-1904). It’s surrounded today by one of LaGrange’s premier historic residential districts. It was donated to the LaGrange Woman’s Club by the Fuller E. Callaway Foundation in 1942 and they have been its guardians ever since.

Benjamin Hill, who was born at Hillsboro in Jasper County, has been called a political chameleon for his wavering views and various party alliances. He started his career as a Whig and then became a strong Fillmore-supporting Unionist. Ultimately, he was Southern partisan who voted in favor of secession and quickly voiced public support for Confederate President Jefferson Davis while serving in the Confederate senate. Davis was even a visitor to Bellevue. In response to Reconstruction and the governorship of Republican Rufus Bullock, Hill helped inaugurate the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia during a speech made on 23 July 1868 that supported violence against the governor and others in favor of the Reconstruction government. He was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives and to the U. S. Senate in 1877. He died in office in 1882. Ben Hill County is named for him.

National Register of Historic Places + National Historic Landmark

Dr. J. T. Reese House, Circa 1856, Newnan

4 Replies

This fine Greek Revival townhouse is one of the architectural highlights of Greenville Street, in one of the oldest residential historic districts in Newnan. It was built by Dr. J. T. Reese, an early druggist in the community. Newnan was known as a hospital town during the Civil War, and this was one of the houses where injured soldiers were taken for care.

The house is also associated with the Umberger family and known as the Reese-Umberger House. The colonnade was likely added in the early 1900s when the Neoclassical movement was in full swing.

Greenville Street-LaGrange Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Sardis Methodist Church, 1855, Stewart County

2 Replies
Sardis Church Cemetery

Located in rural Stewart County, Sardis Methodist Church was established in the 1840s. According to Mr. Joe Barge, who gave us a fascinating tour of the property, the church building dates to circa 1855. It was built by Joseph Sessions (1794-1856) and his nephew, Benjamin Franklin Barge (1810-1873).

Joe Barge

The Barge family has been a part of the congregation since its inception and much of the farm and timberland around the church has been in the family during that time. The area is known as Trotman, though appears on maps, incorrectly, as Troutman. If I recall correctly, Mr. Barge said that seven generations of his family are buried in the cemetery.

Church interior. The pews were divided down the middle. Men sat on one side and women on the other, in the early days of the church.

The church had fallen into serious disrepair by the 1970s. Restoration was the only option members felt was viable and the work was completed by 1982. One gets a sense of the pride that members have in their church, from the well maintained cemetery and churchyard to the interior. I believe the congregation meets just once a month now, but they’re still active and take excellent care of this special place.

The altar and light fixtures aren’t original, but fit within the historical context.

Country churches like Sardis are becoming much less common these days, as families disperse from rural areas, but they’re still among the great rural landmarks of Georgia. It’s inspiring to see congregations embracing and preserving their history, and Sardis does as good a job as any I’ve seen in my travels.

The vernacular Greek Revival exterior is largely unchanged from its circa 1855 appearance, with the exception of the added steeple, which wouldn’t have been an element of the original.

Greek Revival Cottage, Muscogee County

Leave a reply

Though I’ve been unable to locate any history related to this charming Greek Revival cottage in rural Muscogee County, I’m confident that it dates to the antebellum period, likely the 1840s or 1850s. It appears to be in largely original condition and is perfectly maintained. I believe it was once the center of a large working farm or plantation, as it still has quite a bit of acreage surrounding it. It’s one of the nicest residential structures in Muscogee County outside Columbus.

Greek Revival Farmhouse, Circa 1855, Twiggs County

Leave a reply

Ten years ago, this amazing house was hidden by saplings and one would have imagined its future to be uncertain. Luckily, someone has cleaned up the place and obviously appreciates its historical importance.

To me, it’s of a type house that I associate with the decade or so before the Civil War. In floor plan, it’s what is now called Georgian Cottage, but the Georgian Cottage is really just a “toned-down” evolution of the Greek Revival to me, and this house is certainly more Greek Revival than Georgian Cottage. In comparison to the Georgian Cottage I shared in the previous post, you’ll notice that this house is set on piers, has a much lower hipped roof, a wider layout, and not only a transom, but full-length sidelights, as well. The windows are six-over-six and there is a porch with square Doric columns.

As to farm house, it was certainly that. Considering the date, it was probably the center of a working plantation that was transformed into a tenant farm after the Civil War. And enslaved people would have surely been a part of the operation. Google Earth views from 2009 and 2013 show several outbuildings that have since been removed, likely due to poor condition.

It may have been associated with the Walker descendants or other area pioneers like the Griffins, Walkers, or Jordans. That’s just a guess and probably not even a good one. I’m just grateful someone cared enough to save it.

*- The 1855 date comes from real estate listings, and while such listings are often wildly inaccurate, I tend to think this one is correct.

Judge Alexander Speer House, Circa 1841, Forsyth

1 Reply

This home, one of the oldest in Forsyth, was built as a Greek Revival cottage by Judge Alexander Speer in 1841 [per 1990 Georgia Historic Resources Survey]. A.D. Hammond owned the house from 1857-1897. It was then sold to Judge H. L. Carson, who owned it until its purchase by Dr. John Oscar in 1906. It is believed that the Neoclassical porch and columns were added during Oscar’s ownership, circa 1910.

Virgil Powers House, Circa 1841, Macon

3 Replies

This fine home is a good illustration of the transition from the Greek Revival to the Italianate style that became fashionable in the 1840s. This was accomplished by the addition of features such as overhanging eaves and buttresses or brackets. A recent survey dates the house to circa 1841, while the Middle Georgia Historical Society [MGHS] dates it to 1869. I believe this was when the Italianate features were added. The Neoclassical-inspired porch posts were likely added around the turn-of-the-century, reflecting the popularity of that style at the time. The MGHS states that it is, architecturally, one of the most important houses in the High Street area.

The first known owner was Virgil Powers, superintendent of the Southwestern Railroad, surveyor for the Macon-to-Savannah rail line in 1834, a city alderman, member of the Board of Education, and the board of the Orphanage of Bibb County. Considering Powers’s early presence in Macon, its not a stretch to imagine that he built the house as a Greek Revival, around the 1841 date, and altered it to the Italianate appearance in 1869.

Macon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places