The descendants of William Norris & Anna Singleton Jordan have nicely restored their family’s historic homestead.
A well house and historic barn have been nicely restored, in addition to the main house, which is a very typical form for small farms in Georgia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
This is a great example of how a little attention can go a long way in preserving local history.
This I-House (also known as Plantation Plain) is being preserved, but I can’t locate any history other than the approximate date of construction. There two doors on the second floor indicate a porch once ran the length of the front facade and are a highly unusual feature for this form.
This landmark farmhouse and barn were recently exposed after a clear-cut on the old River Road. My father brought them to my attention after traveling to Eastman to a baseball game recently. I later realized it was the Bowen-Studstill House, which I had admired throughout my life traveling to Dodge County with my great-grandmother and grandmother.
It’s a typical unadorned example of one of the most common forms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but a very nice home for its time.
I’ve observed over the years that when properties are cleared, remaining abandoned structures are often quickly demolished to make way for changing land uses. I’m unsure what the future holds for this place but I hope it will be saved.
The log barn appears to be a corn crib or other storage structure. It is already collapsing but I’m honored to be able to document it.
Having last photographed this local landmark in 2009 [see the history of the house and a vintage photograph here], I was determined to get some photos before it is lost forever. I understand that the most recent owners began restoration efforts in the 1990s and were unable to complete the project. I believe the house could, and should, be saved, even in its present state. [I have included the date of 1894 after consulting two sources; it may have been built slightly earlier and I’ll update if I learn more].
A gazebo, which is likely of later construction, remains on the property.
The most interesting dependency, however, is this unique structure just to the left of the house. It is believed to have been Mr. Bedgood’s home office.
This structure is located across the highway from the house in the previous post. I would have included it with that post, but I’m not sure if it’s part of the same farm. I’ve preliminarily identified it as a commissary, since it has windows, but I can’t confirm. It’s a great little building, whatever its past purpose.
This beautiful home commands a nice view of the surrounding farmland from its promontory along a busy highway north of Sandersville. Records I’ve located date it to 1910, but I think it’s probably an earlier central hallway form, later updated with the Queen Anne dormers and the exposed rafters. Several historic barns are well-maintained on the property, as well.
This farmhouse is located on a section of 1000 acres originally granted to Samuel Neidlinger, who built a hand-hewn log house on the property in 1788. Neidlinger was a settler of New Ebenezer but left that community after the Revolutionary War. Another house on the property, built by Samuel Neidlinger’s son, Emanuel, was burned by Union troops while Emanuel was away in service. The pioneer Neidlinger’s great-grandson, Lenorian, built the present house in 1904. Lenorian was a Georgia state senator in the early 20th century.
The house is a Georgian cottage, though locally, the style is known as the Salzburger Plan.
Though identified here as a general store for the purposes of the historical park adjacent to the Euharlee Creek Covered Bridge, this structure was one of the original dependencies of the Lowry Farm, perhaps a smokehouse or storage barn. It dates to the latter half of the 19th century. The window is not original to the structure.
The vernacular Greek Revival main house of the William S. Simmons Plantation, along with the adjacent Vann cookhouse, are two of the oldest extant brick structures in Floyd County. I was invited to photograph them earlier this year by owner Kristi Reed and am so glad I finally got to experience the charms of this important property, which continues to be a working farm. Kristi is very passionate about the Simmons Plantation and much of the following history is taken from her research. [PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS PRIVATE PROPERTY AND IT IS CLOSELY MONITORED FOR TRESPASSING]
Hidden in plain sight at the edge of downtown Cave Spring, the circa 1845-1847 landmark is built of handmade brick [18″ exterior walls/14″interior walls] and contains nine rooms, some of which retain hand-painted frescoes original to the house. It has also been known as the Montgomery Farm or Montgomery House, for subsequent owners.
As historically important as the main house, the double-pen brick cookhouse behind it was likely built no later than the mid-1820s by David Vann. Its initial use is not known, but considering that Vann was a wealthy planter who owned as many as 13 slaves, it is possible that it served as a slave dwelling before being relegated to use as a kitchen upon construction of the Simmons House. Vann, who was born at Cave Spring [Vann’s Valley] in 1800, was a member of one of the most prominent families of the Cherokee Nation and had a plantation house here preceding the Simmons house. [An interesting aside: Vann was the great-uncle of American humorist Will Rogers].
David Vann was a Cherokee sub-chief and after forced removal/relocation to the Indian Terriotry [present-day Oklahoma] on the Trail of Tears, later served as Treasurer of the Cherokee Nation. He was murdered by a group of “Pin Indians” at Salina, Indian Territory, on 23 December 1863 and was buried at Haner Cemetery in Murphy. According to the Encylopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture, the derogatory term “Pin Indians” was applied by Treaty Party Cherokees to hostile, pro-Union Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole during the Civil War. The Pins were identified by cross pins worn on their coat lapels or calico shirts. They were disproportionately full bloods, wore turbans, adhered to the long-house culture, and were politically opposed to the frock-coated mixed-bloods who adhered to Southern white cultural norms and belonged to the Knights of the Golden Circle.
National Register of Historic Places
A Georgia Centennial Farm