Seeing a house like this always makes me stop. But this house is a mystery. The main section is the I-house, and the building at the rear was probably a kitchen. There’s an enclosed breezeway which connects the main section to a newer section [barely visible, at right.]
The windows have all been changed, and since they’re a valuable clue, I’m at a loss on that means of dating the house. The boxed returns at the chimney could indicate an antebellum element but I’m more inclined to guess 1870s or 1880s.
When I was photographing the Mars Theatre before its restoration, about ten years ago, some of the nice folks with the City of Springfield suggested I photograph this property, as it’s considered the most historic farmstead in the county. I believe the referrer was a relative of the family. It’s not a public property but I was lucky to find the road to the farm open. As the sign says, this land was first surveyed in May 1800.
The land was first owned by David Reiser (1765-1836), a descendant of one of the early Salzburger families who came to Effingham County from Austria in 1736. Reiser received a grant of 450 acres from the State of Georgia in 1802. The farm, which grew into plantation with the addition of 150 acres, was inherited by David’s son, Christopher F. Reiser (1813-1884). Christopher and his wife had two sons and thirteen daughters.
One of Christopher’s sons, Virgil Herbert Reiser (1852-1918) purchased 100 acres of the family plantation in 1874 and developed his own farm, which became the present-day Reiser-Zoller Farm. After his marriage to Ella Gnann in 1879, they began living on the property. The small house behind the two-story house was their home originally, and all of their children were born here. The principal crop of the farm was corn but Virgil also raised cattle and hogs, which were floated on timber rafts and sold downriver in Savannah. As more crops were raised and timber cleared, the farm concurrently included a turpentine operation.
Tobacco Barn, Mid-20th century
In 1900, Virgil’s relative, Pierce Edwards, was hired to build the larger farmhouse, needed to accommodate his growing family and farm. Upon Virgil’s death, his son Herbert (1880-1970) inherited the property. He added pecan and grapes, as well as tobacco, and more livestock, to the operation. It continued to grow under his stewardship. Herbert never married, and a nephew, Walter Zoller, became the next owner, and the fifth generation of the family to own the land.
House built by Virgil Reiser in 1875
Such an intact historical farm is rare anywhere and the family’s commitment to its preservation is inspiring. It is of statewide importance as a landmark of agricultural heritage.
Exley is another railroad village in south Effingham County. Now part of Rincon, it had its own post office from 1895-1907, suggesting it was a busy shipping point at the time. I know of no commercial structures from that era which are extant, but this house, and the American Foursquare featured in the previous post, are examples of the area’s prosperity during that time.
Information on the community has been difficult to locate, but the Exley family has been in Effingham County for many years, with ancestors in the area dating to at least the 1790s. I realize that most people would consider this part of Rincon today, and it is technically, but I try to give a presence to these forgotten communities. I’m amazed when people reach out with comments like “I’ve lived in this county for years and didn’t even know that place existed.” I hope it makes more people curious about local history.
I got the identification for this house from a 1990 Georgia Historic Resources survey, but know nothing else about it. It’s a later example of the popular I-house form.
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.
This was the home of Dr. William Fisher Boddie (1884-1940) and his wife, Dr. Luetta T. Sams Boddie (1885-1965), an African-American couple who practiced medicine together in Forsyth from 1907-1922, counting both black and white citizens among their patients. The home was purchased from Atilla T. W. Lytle, a white Republican at a time when such affiliation was very unpopular, even dangerous, in the South.
Dr. W. F. Boddie left the practice in 1922 and joined the Citizens Trust Company of Atlanta as Executive Vice-Cashier. He also served on the boards of Morris Brown University and numerous charities. One of his brothers was a doctor in Milledgeville and another a dentist in Kentucky. Dr. Luetta Boddie continued the practice until 1943. These pioneering black physicians raised two sons who also became physicians. Dr. Arthur W. Boddie was a doctor in Detroit and Dr. Lewis F. Boddie was an obstetrician-gynecologist in Los Angeles.
The Maynard-Cheeves-Childs House is among the oldest in Monroe County. According to Jeunesse Millwood has been under resoration by the D. R. Millwood family since they purchased it in 1991. The wings were added in the 1920s, I believe. Jeunesse notes that her mother and late father have done a lot of research and meticulous restoration in what has turned into a long ongoing project. She says they have learned that the house either began or was completed in 1832. Originally by Thomas Maynard. His consort Sabrina died after giving birth to a daughter Susan and the baby a month later. Their graves remain on the property. Among other things it was used as a hospital during the Civil War as well as, we’ve been told, a hideout for escaping slaves. This would make sense as under the front foyer, there is a very large hole about 6ft x 6 ft. There was a trap door that once opened in the foyer but sadly, all the foyer flooring had to be replaced after the floods of 94 due to water damage. I believe the house eventually went to his son, Elijah, and then his daughter, Elizabeth Maynard Cheeves. Mrs. Flora or Florrie Childs, was a later owner. I’ll update when I learn more about the history.
This view from the west side is more akin to what the house would have originally looked like, even with the shed room at the back. With the Federal influence, there would not have been a porch of this configuration, either .
This well-maintained landmark was built by Confederate veteran Josiah Davis. Davis was a farmer who raised cotton and corn. Upon his death, his widow lived out the rest of her life here. The Peacock family purchased the home after Mrs. Davis’s death.
Knight-Dubberly House, 1906, Albumen print by Dolan of Waycross. Courtesy of the Perkins Collection, Glennville-Tattnall Museum
One of Tattnall County’s most important landmarks, the Knight-Dubberly House is an excellent example of the Plantation Plain style. Built by the Reverend Seth Knight (1795-1853) in what was then the village of Philadelphia, it is the oldest house in Glennville and among the oldest in Tattnall County. Reverend Knight served as Treasurer of Tattnall County and a justice of the inferior court. His plantation, anchored by this house, covered over 700 acres and Sea Island cotton and rice were its two chief crops.
Squire & Mary Ellen Dubberly. Likely 1880s. Albumen print. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of B. Daniel Dubberly, Jr.
It is unclear when William Dubberly (1827-1895) purchased the house but it was around the time of the Civil War. The war actually came to the doorstep of the Knight-Dubberly House. According to Dylan Edward Mulligan: On 14 December 1864, a band of Sherman’s army under Colonel Smith D. Atkins forced their way across the Canoochee River at Taylor’s Creek and invaded Liberty and Tattnall Counties. The Yankee invaders forded Beards Creek and marched into defenseless Philadelphia, where they camped in the front yard of the Knight – Dubberly House. On or about December 15, the troops awoke and awaited orders from Colonel Atkins. As they had already done much damage in other parts of the county, Philadelphia seemed fit for the torch. Before ordering the destruction of the plantation and the surrounding village, Colonel Atkins entered the deserted house, where he discovered a Masonic emblem displayed on the mantel. He had received orders from General Sherman not to lay a hand on any property belonging to Masons, as Sherman himself allegedly belonged to the brotherhood. Atkins begrudgingly ordered his troops to leave the village, claiming that there wasn’t much worth burning there anyway. Despite his orders, some renegade troops had already ransacked part of the property, doing no significant damage. And thus, the Knight – Dubberly House was the savior of the village.
William and his second wife Mary Ellen Smiley Curry Dubberly (1832-1902) were the leading citizens of the village of Philadelphia, which eventually became the city of Glennville. William had deep roots in Philadelphia. He was the son of two of the village’s original settlers, Joseph and Holland Anderson Dubberly, and the grandson of Tattnall County pioneer and Revolutionary War veteran John Dubberly. Dubberly served as Justice of the Peace in the years following the Civil War, earning him the honorific “Squire” or “Squire Bill”. The area around Philadelphia grew rapidly in the years following the war and Squire Dubberly lived to see it become the city of Glennville in 1894.
Knight-Dubberly House, late 20th century. Photo Courtesy of the Perkins Collection, Glennville-Tattnall Museum
I am most grateful to Dylan Edward Mulligan, one of Glennville’s finest historians and the great-great-great grandson of William Dubberly, for sharing all the history and all of the vintage images. This post would not have been possible without his assistance.
Dylan has a passion for the history of his home county that’s rarely seen these days. You may know him as The Georgia Sandman; he builds magnificent sandcastles along the Georgia and Florida coasts in the image of historical structures. If you haven’t seen his work, you really should pay him a visit on Facebook.
Please note the house is located on private property and is not accessible to the public.
Though its appearance has been altered by the addition of shed rooms and vinyl siding, this is among the oldest houses in Jeff Davis County. The date of construction is unclear but is thought to be just prior to or just after the Civil War.
Wyley J. Byrd Family, Circa 1890s, Courtesy Michael Ellis
Wyley J. Byrd (1825-1908) was a pioneer settler in the section of Coffee County that is now the Snipesville community of Jeff Davis County. He was the patriarch of a huge family [he had 20 children with two wives] who were very involved in the community, donating land for construction of the nearby Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in 1878.
Thanks to Michael Ellis for sharing the location and the vintage photograph of Mr. Byrd and some of his children. The photo probably dates to the 1890s and shows Victorian porch posts, a common “improvement” to Plantation Plain houses in that era. Mr. Ellis writes: ...this was “The Home Place” in my early childhood. My maternal grandparents lived there from sometime in the late 1930s until 1956-1957. I had a ball around there as a young child, until we relocated to Opa Locka, Florida.
