Tag Archives: Georgia Houses

Schley-Peabody-Warner House, Circa 1840, Columbus

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Greek Revival cottage built circa 1838-1840, showcasing brick exterior, decorative shutters, and a porch surrounded by greenery.

This Greek Revival cottage was built circa 1838-1840 for Philip Thomas Schley (1798-1862) at the site of the present First Presbyterian Church. Schley came to Columbus at the request of his brother, Georgia Governor William Schley, to command the Muscogee Blues, a militia company active in the Indian Wars. Circa 1855-1858, the house was moved and rebuilt at this location.

Front view of the Schley-Peabody-Warner House in Columbus, Ga., with brick exterior, featuring columns, a dark green door, and a small front porch, built around 1838-1840.

The family of Columbus merchant George Henry Peabody (1807-1880) briefly occupied the house during the Civil War. Their son, George Foster Peabody (1852-1938), became a prominent financier and philanthropist. He purchased the Warm Springs property that became famous for its association with Peabody’s friend, future president Franklin Delano Roosevelt and is also the namesake of the Peabody Award.

Front view of Schley-Peabody-Warner House in Columbus, Georgia

Later owners were descendants of James H. Warner (c. 1830-1866), who was the commander and superintendent of the Confederate States Naval Iron Works (aka the Columbus Iron Works).

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Alexander-McGehee-Woodall House, Circa 1845, Columbus

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Black and white photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston of a raised Greek Revival cottage featuring a front porch supported by columns, surrounded by manicured shrubs and trees.
Alexander-McGehee-Woodall House, photographed by Frances Benjamin Johnston, Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South, 1939. Courtesy Library of Congress. Public domain.

This raised Greek Revival cottage was built for Robert B. Alexander (1811?-1850) between 1843-1845 and sold a few years later to the McGehee family. Alexander was a native of Putnam County and a lawyer who served as a Superior Court judge of the Chattahoochee Circuit. The house was originally located a block south of its present location, on the site of the first Muscogee County court house, but was moved to save it from demolition. Col. Allen Clements McGehee (1826-1903) purchased the property from interim owner Laurence Rooney in 1872. After his death, his daughter, Virginia Ethel McGehee Woodall (1879-1949) resided in the home for the rest of her life. It is used as an office today.

Front view of a raised Greek Revival cottage, the Alexander-McGehee-Woodall House, featuring white columns, brick exterior, and landscaped steps, now used as an office.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Blackmar-Ellis House, 1884 + 1909, Columbus

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A front view of a grand house illuminated at night, featuring classical columns and a decorative pediment. The structure showcases a blend of Neoclassical Revival and Colonial Revival architectural styles, with elaborate details and a welcoming entrance.

This house was built for John Blackmar (1853-1931) in the Queen Anne style in 1884. It was redesigned in 1909 to its present appearance, a hybrid of two of the most popular styles of the era: Neoclassical Revival and Colonial Revival. The architect for the update was Henrietta Dozier, the first professional female architect in Georgia, and the first formally trained female architect in the South. She added the portico, porte cochere, solarium, and dormers on the roof.

A illuminated historic house showcasing Queen Anne, Neoclassical Revival, and Colonial Revival architectural styles, captured at night.

Susie Blackmar (1895-1981), one of Jack and Susie Wellborn Blackmar’s (1860-1941) five children, was married here to John Tyler “Jack” Ellis (1890-1958) in 1918 and resided here until her death in 1981. In the 1940s, while their son John D. Eisenhower was stationed at Fort Benning, General Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower, the future president and first lady, were guests of Mrs. Ellis. Since Mrs. Ellis’s death, the house has served as a residential care home, funeral home, antiques store, and presently, a pediatrician’s office.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

William Scarbrough House, 1819, Savannah

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Front view of the historic William Scarbrough House, featuring Greek Revival architecture, columns, and elegant landscaping.

Though it has been extensively modified, the William Scarbrough House is nonetheless a significant example of Greek Revival domestic architecture in Savannah. Built in 1819, it was designed by English architect William Jay, the most accomplished architect of his time in Savannah. Not long after its completion, the Scarbroughs hosted President James Monroe when he visited Savannah.

William Scarbrough (1776-1838) was a wealthy shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company. He was an investor in the SS Savannah, which, as the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, in 1819, was internationally famous and a source of great pride to its namesake city. Unfortunately, the Savannah‘s glory was short-lived and an initial lack of interest in this new mode of travel led to financial ruin for its investors, including Scarbrough. After being converted to a sailing vessel, the Savannah sunk off Long Island in 1821. William Scarbrough went into a deep depression around this time and was essentially bankrupt, though a wealthy relative who purchased his home allowed him to remain there. He worked with Upper Darien Steam Rice and Saw Mill in McIntosh County in the late 1820s and early 1830s, returning to Savannah in 1835. He died in New York City while visiting his son-in-law, Godfrey Barnsley, in 1838.

From 1873-1962, the Scarbrough House was owned by the City of Savannah. During this time, the West Broad Street Colored School was housed here.

The Scarbrough House is now home to the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum.

National Historic Landmark

Single-Pen Cottage, Gardi

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This is one of several important vernacular houses in Gardi. This example appears to have originated as a single-pen form, with an added small wing. The wing has the unusual convenience of its own door opening to the porch.

Fore House, Gardi

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This was the home of the Fore family who owned the beloved “Fancy Honey” building next door.

The core of this house is an outstanding example of what I believe to be a late-19th-century hall-and-parlor cottage. It has been expanded and modified as have other examples of vernacular houses in Gardi, but the original house is a representative example. It also includes a preacher room that appears to have been turned into a sleeping porch at some point.

Central Hallway Cottage, Gardi

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This expanded central hallway cottage features a vernacular Craftsman portico and shed garages on both sides.

Central Hallway Cottage, Long County

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I don’t recall the location of this house, but I found it in my Long County folders. I believe it was built in the late 1800s and is a great example of a central hallway cottage, expanded for a growing family.

Plantation Plain House, Manassas

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This house was a landmark in Manassas and looked to be in relatively good condition when I made this photograph in 2016. It is essentially a Plantation Plain, or I-House, and the porches are a later addition.

Gable Front Cottage, Tattnall County

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I believe this is the last of the gable front cottages from my Tattnall County archives, for now. These are such simple houses but were workhorses of rural housing and remain popular today.