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.
I made this photograph in 2015, not long before this house was torn down or moved. Though it was sided with asbestos, I believe it was an older house. It was located near the intersection of Milefield Road and US Highway 301, at the site of the new roundabout. I had a snapshot photo of better quality but have been unable to locate it, so please overlook the grainy quality of this one. I mainly wanted to share it in hopes that someone might be able to help with an identification.
The History of Twiggs County, Georgia by J. Lanette O’Neal Faulk and Billy Walker Jones (Major General John Twiggs Chapter, D.A.R., Jeffersonville, 1960) notes: “This house was built by Dr. Beniah Carswell at Jeffersonville, Georgia about 1850. The original structure had five rooms and a hall downstairs with two rooms and a hall upstairs. The house was later owned by Nelson Carswell, a grandson of Dr. Carswell. In 1948 Mr. and Mrs. James Edward Beck bought the house from Nelson Carswell which they later remodeled, the timbers used in the renovation having come from Todd Hall”, later known as the Wall Place in Wilkinson County.”
A 2006 historic resources survey conducted by the state of Georgia adds that the house was remodeled circa 1948. Renovations included the replacement of the south end chimney, addition of new piers and asbestos siding, and the addition of a one-story wing on the north side of the house.
Dr. Beniah S. Carswell (1830-1895) was a native of Telfair County, the son of Alexander Carswell and Elizabeth W. Ashley Carswell. He served in Co. A, 22nd Batallion State Guard Cavalry during the Civil War. His first wife and the mother of his children was Caroline Julia Matilda “Carrie” Sears. He later married Mattie R. Harrell (1851-1914).
Note: This replaces and expands a post originally published on 31 March 2018.
This appears to be an early I-House (also known as Plantation Plain, though for lack of a better identification this house is more I-house than Plantation Plain) but the chimney is obviously not original. The small second floor windows along the front facade are not unique, but I’ve only seen a few similar examples.
The height of the house suggests it may have originated as a central hallway cottage with a small second story added later. The shed rooms at the back are also an addition. I hope to learn more.
According to the National Register of Historic Places, the Jarrett-Hayes House “was built by Robert Jarrett using hand-made bricks and slave labor...it also has an original ell on the rear… The house reflects the construction methods of the period with the on-premise, hand-made bricks, pegged interior woodwork, and turned balusters...The property was at one time a thriving 800 acre plantation producing corn, wheat, cotton, peas, and beans. In 1950, it was purchased by Elizabeth Turnbull Hayes, great granddaughter of Robert Jarrett. The land was used for farming until the creation of Lake Hartwell in 1958-1960.”
It is well maintained and remains an important symbol of the area’s early history.
National Register of Historic Places
Traveler’s Rest was built upon land granted to Major Jesse Walton in 1785 for his service in the Revolutionary War. Walton was killed by indigenous people near this site in 1789. The Walton family sold the land to Gen. James Rutherford Wyly (1782-1855), who built the original section of the house between 1816-1825. The property was purchased by Devereaux Jarrett (1785-1852) in 1838. Jarrett expanded the original structure to ten rooms. He opened it to the public as an inn, trading post, and post office, to meet the needs of a growing population made possible by the Unicoi Turnpike, an early public road in the area. Among its early guests was G. W. Featherstonehaugh, and English scientist who served as the first geologist for the U. S. government and a surveyor of the Louisiana Purchase.
It was known as Jarrett Manor during that family’s ownership. Notably, the last owner, Mary Jarrett White (1870-1957), was the first woman in Georgia to vote. The site is open, with limited hours, as a state historic site today.
National Historic Landmark
The Asa Chandler House is one of the most historically important and endangered houses in Elberton, and an unusual resource to be so intact within an urban setting.
Though tax digests and historic resource surveys date the house to circa 1849, it likely originated earlier as a simpler form, perhaps a dogtrot, and possibly as early as the 1820s or 1830s.
Asa Chandler (1806-1874) bought the 36-acre property in 1849. He was a preacher and yeoman farmer who may have owned several slaves. After the Civil War, Rev. Chandler continued to operate the farm while serving numerous congregations in northeast Georgia. He was known to have a peach orchard at one time. Southern Anthology, a genealogical compendium of “families on the frontier of the Old South” notes: “Rev. Asa Chandler was born on the 22d of August, 1808, in Franklin County, Georgia. He made a public profession of faith in Christ in his 14th year, and joined the Poplar Spring church, in his native county. He was ordained in his 21st year, and in 1834 accepted the pastorate of the Van’s Creek church, in Elbert county, and moved to Ruckersville. He served that church as pastor for the long period of thirty-seven years, and was its pastor when he died. Other churches also enjoyed the benefit of his ministerial services, especially the Falling Creek church, of which he was pastor for more than twenty years.“
In 1917, the home was purchased by postmaster and mail carrier Walter C. Jones, who added the garage and other modern barns to the property. Mr. Jones was also a small-scale farmer, who may have planted the pecan orchard behind the house.
The property is amazingly intact but its location on the main north-south highway in Elberton makes it vulnerable to development.
It’s important for its antebellum origins, but also for its transition into a modern farm.
I don’t know its present status but I hope it will be preserved.
National Register of Historic Places
The home of Josiah Freeman Auld is one of the most conspicuous landmarks in downtown Elberton and its origins are likely earlier than the generally given dates of 1860 and 1860 in real estate listings and tax digests. As the view from the sidewalk on McIntosh Street (above) illustrates, the house is set on a steep promontory above the surrounding neighborhood, so as not to be missed. As is evident from the photographs, the home was originally a simple Plantation Plain or I-House, with a wing, added later no doubt. The Victorian porch and its details are later additions, perhaps closer to the 1869 date, or a bit later.
A 1975 survey noted that Mrs. Fred Auld was still living in the home and had painted it red to cheer it up a bit. The surveyor wondered if the chimneys had all fallen, since none were present. He also noted: “the house has the “Elberton Doorway” (trabeated with narrow sidelights) found on some of the houses of the 1850s and perhaps later, such as the Adams, James-Kay, and Swift-Oliver Houses.”
The home is named for and associated with Josiah Freeman Auld (1832-1895) and Rachel Amanda McFall Auld (1836-1922), though many resources mistakenly identify him as Joshua Freeman Auld. Auld was a prominent citizen of Elberton and owned a successful blacksmith and carriage shop, adjacent to this house at the corner of McIntosh and Church Streets, where the old Norman Garage stands today. The area was known as Auld’s Corner in its day. I believe the home remained in the Auld family well into the 20th century.
Elberton Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
I certainly hope to learn more about this extraordinary vernacular house, which has a Federal-Plantation Plain form, enhanced by a portico that would be considered somewhat uncommon in this context. 9 over 9 windows are potential hints of an early construction date, perhaps antebellum. I think the double doors are early, as well. It’s such a delightful house, from its setting to its architecture, and is obviously well-loved and cared for by its owners.
Update: Thanks to Eric Korn, I’ve learned that this was relocated here in 1947, at which time the portico, which originally ran along the entire front of the house, was reduced to its present configuration. It was originally used as a stagecoach layover/boarding house in its early days. It’s also referred to as the Shank-Strain House.
I can’t locate any historical background on this house, but surveys have dated it to circa 1830, making it likely one of the oldest houses in present-day Marion County. It’s a very well-proportioned example of the Plantation Plain style and appears to have been recently restored. Jodi Hancock shares that it was the home of Daniel James II (1804-1888).
The Draneville community had a post office from 1882-1907, but the area was a population center much earlier than those dates would indicate. In her History of Marion County, published in 1931, Nettie Powell wrote: Draneville is a growing village and has two good stores, a post office and a blacksmith shop. The farmers in this community are progressive and take a great pride in their commodious homes. This district has two nice churches, Mt. Carmel and Union. Professor Morgan Stevens teaches the school which is in a flourishing condition. Dr Samuel Hart is the physician in that section. This district was first known as the Cut Off and was changed to Jacksonville and during this period when the post office was established it was named Draneville. At the beginning of this decade this district had the largest population in the county, but when the railroad was finished to Buena Vista that section increased in inhabitants very rapidly.
Jodi Hancock writes: This is my grandparents house, on my father’s side. The family raised chickens and farmed many acres for years and the house was sold in 2020, and is currently listed for sale. My great aunt, Loxi Wells Jones, did extensive research on the Union United Methodist Church, in Draneville. The church was built in 1830 at the fork of Georgia Highway 41 South and Georgia Highway 30, 1/4 mile from the current church location. The church was rebuilt in its current location in 1888, on land donated by Daniel James, on September 9, 1857. Daniel James, II caused the church to be built so that he could see the front door of the church from the front door of his home and receive blessings. Daniel James then lived in the big, white two-story home that faces the Union Church. It is now known as the Joe Hancock home, in which his daughter, Jane Hancock Dunmon and her husband Ted, lived.
