Grogan House, Northwest Side County Road, Middleton

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA,53-MIDTO,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Built in the early by the Reverend John Henry Grogan, an itinerant Methodist minister, this house was of mortise and tenon construction. Known as the Grogan Home Place and owned by the Grogan family until the house was originally the center of John H. Grogan's milling and church activities. The massive granite piers which supported the build- ing are one of the first known uses of quarried granite in the area. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: Between and Although there is no written record of John H. Grogan's acquisition of the tract on which the house stands, several sources in- dicated this period for the date of construction. Waller Grogan, grandson of John Henry Grogan, has written that family tradition holds that the house was built in George C.

Grogan, son of John Henry Grogan, wrote in the Elberton Star on September 11, that "in my father moved to Eureka...." The Middleton M. E. Church, or Eureka Church (now called the Middleton Methodist Church), was built on a two-acre tract donated by John Henry Grogan in The same mortise and tenon construction techniques were used in the house and the church, possibly indicating the same builder and similar construction dates. 2. Architect: None known. GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 2) 3. Original and subsequent owners: John H. Grogan's estate inventory described the home place as follows: "one tract known as the Home Place adjoining George C. Grogan, J. H. Grogan estate, mill tract and Beaverdam Creek on the north, W. Eugene Dye on the south and east, L.H.O.

Martin and estate of Sarah Rucker, deceased, on the west, on which is located the dwelling, outhouses, etc. containing 120 acres more or less" (Book 77, page . His will describes the tract as 135 acres (Will Book C, page There is no record of a purchase of land that would have been the Eureka home place in the Elbert County Deed Records before Grogan probably received the land through an unrecorded deed, a will, or an outright gift. Grogan did purchase a one-third interest in an 80-acre tract known as "the Rucker and Martin Mill Tract" on November 5, (Deed Book EE, page This became what was known as Grogan's Eureka Mills, adjacent to the Home Place tract. By the time of his death in John H. Grogan had amassed over acres of land (Elbert County Tax Digests, 190 District).

Although much of his property was sold off soon after his death, the Eureka House and home place remained in the family, as Grogan requested in his will (Will Book C, page "It is my will that the incumbrances on my proper- ty on the south side of Beaverdam Creek, the same being in Longstreet district including my house and one hundred and thirty-five acres of land, more or less, and five-sixths of the mill and ginning and all the appurtances on said land be paid off by my executors as rapidly as practicable except the mortgage to my daughter, Sarah P. Grogan, to whom I am now indebted, and I hereby request that she hold said mortgages as long as the property which it covers is security for the debt or until the death of my wife.

It is my will that all my property mentioned in this item be used and enjoyed by my wife during her life, but it must at all times be a home for my unmar- ried daughter provided she sees fit to occupy it." GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 3) J. H. Grogan's wife, Fannie, died on February 6, On November 1, Misses Sarah P. Grogan, Eliza Hall Grogan, Emma B. Grogan, daughters of J. H. Grogan and all of Washington, , purchased the Grogan Home Place from J. H. Grogan's executors for (Deed book page This deed states that the tract is 135 acres, more or less, as does the Grogan will. Accurate surveys of the tract now place the acreage of the tract at acres (Plat Book 8, page It is possible that when John H.

Grogan indicated the 135-acre tract in his will he meant both the Home Place tract and the Eureka Mill tract, or that the indication of the Grogan home place as 135 acres was a simple mistake carried down through the records. On November 10, Grogan, Grogan, and Emma B. Grogan deeded the Home Place tract acres) to Elmira Grogan, their niece, as a gift (Deed Book 54, page Elmira Grogan held the tract until her death in when it went to her brother, Waller Grogan, as her only heir (No Administration Book 1). Waller Grogan sold the Grogan tract to Micco Corpor- ation, Peyton S. Hawes, Alexander S. Hawes, and Mary Minor Brown on November 6, for plus 7% interest (Deed Book page Micco Corporation, Peyton S. Hawes, Alexander S.

Hawes, and Mary Minor Brown sold the land on which the house stood (but not the house) to the United States of America on March 29, (Real Estate Files, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). 4. Original plans and construction: The clapboarding of the symmetrical facade was painted white from the time of construction until the mid-twentieth century and the win- dows in the main block had green shutters. The paneled front door was surrounded by a transom window and side- lights of stained glass. The main part of the house had a wide central hallway separating the four downstairs rooms. The parlor, located in the southeast corner of the house, contained the best furniture. The other rooms in the main block were bedrooms.

The two bedrooms on the second floor were used for storage when not oc- cupied by a family member. A breezeway connected the dining room and kitchen with the main portion of the house. GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 4) 5. Alterations and additions: No major alterations are known to have been made to the house. Running water was never installed. The house was wired for electricity ca. In about the roof was reroofed with compo- sition shingles, placed over the original wooden shingles. B.

Historical Context: John Henry Grogan was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in He was ordained a minister in and traveled for over twenty-two years, preaching at churches of all denomina- tions (Memoirs of Georgia, In Grogan bought the Brewer Home Place in the Flatwoods section of Elbert County (Deed Book DD, p. In Grogan joined with some other members of the community to start the Flatwoods Academy, for which he served as trustee until his death Grogan, Elberton Star, September 11, Star, July 31, After building this house and moving here in the early the Grogans quickly became one of the prominent families of the Middleton area. Grogan was well enough off to hire a coachman, and the inventory of his estate includes a carriage, 3 buggy, and a two-horse wagon.

His wealth was probably derived from his investment in the Eureka Mill, located just northeast of the house on the Bea- verdam Creek. A mill was known to be on the site as early as (Deed Book V, p. 49) . Grogan carried a controlling interest in the mill from the until his death in During this time the millsite included a machinery storehouse, shoe shop, blacksmith shop, the mill, and a dwelling house (Deed Book F, p. The Elbert County Tax Digest lists the company of Grogan and Bruce, which undoubtedly was the formal name at the time for Eureka Mills. The company owned 425 acres of land, worth had worth of merchandise, and $25 worth of tools.

The value of the whole property owned by the company was After Sydney Bruce's widow sold his interest in the firm was known as Grogan and Thornton (Deed Book FF, p. Mallory J. Thornton lived at the house on the mill property and probably oversaw the running of the mills. The cotton gin was perhaps the biggest part of the operation. Grogan's estate inventory lists notes for several thou- sand pounds of cotton that were owed to him. GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 5) On January 7, J. H. Grogan purchased a one-third in- terest in the mill, bringing his interest to five-sixths of the mill property at his death in After Grogan's death, his daughter Leila Grogan Hobbs bought the entire mill (Deed Books RR, page and WW, p.

She planned an expan- sion, but it is unknown if this ever took place. The mill was washed away in the freshet of but may have closed down before then (Thornton interview). Grogan's other source of income was from farming. The Agriculture Census shows him producing worth of farm goods, probably only for the consumption of his large family. Grogan paid in wages, probably to farmworkers. The Tax Digest of lists Grogan employing thirty hands, owning acres, and having worth of crops held for sale. Most of the hands and probably all of the crops held for sale, however, were probably concerned with the mill. Grogan owned only $40 worth of livestock and $15 worth of plantation and mechanic tools. Grogan's main activity was preaching at Eureka Church.

Built in on two acres of land donated by Grogan, the wood-frame church became known as the Middleton Methodist Episcopal Church and today is called the Middleton Methodist Church. In July of Grogan was taken ill when returning home from a temperance meeting in Royston, Georgia. He died in Elberton (Star, July 31, After the death of his wife in Grogan's three daughters inherited the house. They lived in this house for some time, but also lived and worked in Washington, Their brother, William Manly Grogan had worked in the Records Office in Washington, as a young man.

He was seriously injured in the collapse of his office building, Ford's Theatre, on June 9, (Washing- ton Evening Star, June 25, He returned to Eureka and lived in this house with his family until After this time, the Grogan house was occupied by tenants. In the three Grogan sisters left the house to William's daughter, Elmira, who owned it until her death in Elmira, crip- pled in childhood by polio, was a writer. Elmira's brother, Waller, recalled: Over many years she tried to rent the home--that it would be occupied and two very good Negro families did and tried to keep it up--sometimes paying per month mostly none. Fire insurance was costly- last insurer cancelled not a good risk. (Waller Grogan, Jan. 30, GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO.

GA-33 (page 6) The "two very good Negro families" mentioned by Waller Grogan were the Aliens and the Bowmans. Essie and Gilbert Allen lived there from to about when they moved to the Bowman Highway, Elbert County, Georgia. Rose Allen White, one of their daughters who lived in the house during and while her husband was away in World War II, was able to relate the following information about her father's farming practices. Mr. Allen had one mule to work his land. He grew cotton, corn, sweet potatoes, strawberries, and had a vegetable garden. The only crop grown for sale was cotton, which was taken to a gin in Elberton. Chickens and hogs were raised for family use. The Aliens moved from the Grogan House in as Gilbert Allen had become too old to run the farm.

Ben Bowman and his wife, Elizabeth Jones Bowman, lived with seven children in the house from November until December Bowman's factory job began in the afternoon, so he used his mornings to farm. He grew a few acres of corn and cotton, and kept the rest of the land in pasture. He had two milk cows and a flock of chickens. The house is located within the town limits of Middleton, in- corporated in Middleton had a Post Office from until In the late nineteenth century, the area around the Grogan House was thought of as a separate community. A Post Office known as Eureka Mills was located there from until Postmasters were Sidney P. Bruce, Mallory J. Thornton, and John H. Grogan, each of whom had an interest in the mill at one time.

Prepared by: Marcie Robertson Assistant Historian HABS Summer PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: The one-and-a-half-story frame Grogan House is built on a traditional center-hall plan. 2. Condition of fabric: Deteriorated at time of recording, demolished since. GROGAK HOUSE (Eureka) ^ HABS NO. GA-33 (page 7) B. Description of Exterior: 1. Overall dimensions: T-shaped, one-and-a-half stories. The front section measures across the three-bay front by 38' -0" deep. The rest of the building, which consists of two rooms separated from the front section by a breezeway, measures deep and wide. 2.

Foundations: The structure is raised on granite piers except for the southwest corner and the south side of the rear ell, which appear to rest on the ground. 3. Walls: Frame construction covered by 4V weatherboard siding, with evidence of white paint. 4. Structural system, framing: The walls are frame con- struction of hewn 2" x 4" timbers approximately on center. All jointing of wood members is mortise and tenon. The sills, hewn 9V x have notching, evi- dence of dovetail jointing, and spikes which suggest that they came from another structure. They are lap-jointed, pegged and wedged. The first-floor joists are stripped pine logs hewn on one ^ side, averaging 6V in diameter and spanning north-south in three bays V on center.

The second-floor joists are hewn 5V x 6V and on center, spanning north-south over the central hall and rear ell and east- west over the main rooms. The roof rafters over the ell are logs hewn on one side, averaging 4" in diameter over the kitchen and 6" in diameter over the house. The house rafters are approxi- mately 26' long and the ell rafters are approximately 16' long, on center. Attached to the rafters are 1" x 6" to 12" boards, with the original shakes fastened to them. The second-floor wall studs are small logs hewn on one side and 3" to 4" in diameter. 5. Porches: The east front porch appears to be a later addi- tion, according to foundation and structural evidence. The gable roof is supported by four wood lattice posts with a high rail between them.

The rear ell has a wide porch on the north side running the length of the ell. The porch is covered by the roof of the ell, supported by wood posts with no evidence of rails. There is also a covered porch between the front section and the ' rear ell, wide. GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 8) 6. Chimneys: There are three interior chimneys, two in the front section and one in the ell. The front chimneys are granite to a height of above the first floor and brick to the cap, which is above the roof ridge. The kitchen chimney is granite to the ceiling, then brick through the roof to the cap. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The doorways at both ends of the center hall are identical. They are wood panel- ed doors measuring x and are hung with concealed hinges.

They are framed by three-over- three-light double-hung sash sidelights and a seven- light transom window. The doors in the rear ell are simple panel doors measuring x b. Windows: Although no glass remains, the windows had nine-over-nine-light double-hung sash. The first- floor windows measure x while the second-floor windows are V -3" x 5' There is evidence of shutters. 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: The gable roofs run north-south on the front section and east-west on the ell. Green asphalt shingles cover the original shakes. b. Cornice, eaves: The eaves have plain fascia boards and overhang returning on the gable ends c. Dormers: There are two gable dormers on the east front slope. They have six-over-six-light double- hung sash. C. Description of the Interior: 1.

Floor plan: In the front section, the central hall is flanked by four rooms, two on each side, each roughly 17' square. The rear ell has two rooms. The second floor has three rooms, one large one on the south and two rooms separated by the fireplace on the north side. 2. Flooring: The flooring consists of tongue and groove planking 6" wide on the first floor, spanning the joists east-west. The second-floor planking is A" wide, running north-south. GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 9) 3. Stairways: The straight-run stairway located in the center hall is lacking treads, balusters, and handrail. 4. Wall and ceiling finish: The walls of the central hall consist of horizontal boarding ranging from 6 to 9" wide and thick.

The walls of the rear ell are also hori- zontal boards, 5" to 11" wide and thick. The walls of the four first-floor rooms have plaster over wood lath. The second-floor rooms, walls and ceilings, are sheathed in cedar boards. These boards are 8" to wide and are knotty and roughly sawn. All of the ceilings on the first floor of the front section are boards, varying in width from 4" to 6" and to 1" thick. The ceilings of the rear ell rooms are heavy cardboard with batten strips. 5. Doorways and doors: All of the doors are plain four- panel wood doors hung with recessed hinges. 6. Decorative features: All of the fireplaces have granite hearths of the same carving. The mantels have been removed. The fireplaces and chimneys on the second floor are plastered.

Next to the fireplace in the kitchen are built-in shelves and cabinets. D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation: The house faces east on top of a hill in a pine woods area, situated among crepe myrtle, oak, cedar, magnolia and hickory trees. The road which passes by the house is not paved. Although now overgrown, a terraced walkway with English boxwood hedges led up from the road to the house. 2. Outbuildings: a. Earn: At one time a barn stood across a dirt path to the north of the house site. The barn, destroyed by a storm ca. dated back at least to the turn of the century. The central part of the barn was used to store corn, peas, etc. Sheds on either side were used to store the wagon and farm animals. GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 10) b.

Well: The well was dug about the time the house was built (ca. and connected to the kitchen by a covered porch. In the fall of before the house was demolished, all that remained of the well was a board-covered hole. c. Smokehouse: Located just behind the kitchen, the smokehouse was built when the house was constructed (ca. - The building was not in existence by d. Animal pen: Located to the northwest of the house towards the railroad tracks are the remains of a hog shed and pen. This pen was built by Gilbert Allen, who rented the house from to e. Privy: The privy, still standing in the fall of was located northwest of the house, just in front of the animal pen. Prepared by: Richard J. Cronenberger Project Supervisor HABS October PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A.

Early Views: Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, Elberton, Ga. air photo photo shot University of Georgia air photo files. 1. photo 41, Index sheet 2 of 10; (only index sheet on file) 2. photo Index sheet 4 of 4; (photo and index sheet on file) 3. photo Index sheet 1 of 3; (only index sheet on file) . B. Interviews Ben Bowman telephone interview, interviewed by Marcie Robert- son, August 8, Polly Colley interview, interviewed by Marcie Robertson, August 1, GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 11) Peyton S. Hawes, conversation, interviewed by Marcie Robertson, August 7, Grace Thornton telephone and personal interviews, interviewed by Marcie Robertson, July 23 and July 24, Rose Allen White telephone interview, interviewed by Marcie Robertson, August 12, C.

Bibliography 1. Primary and unpublished sources: The Church Register of the Eureka Methodist Episcopal Church, in the possession of Reginald Todd, Middleton, Elbert County, Ga. Elbert County Census of Agriculture, Georgia State Archives, Archives and Records Building, Atlanta, Ga. Elbert County Census of Population, Georgia State Archives, Archives and Records Building, Atlanta, Ga. Also at University of Georgia Library, Athens, Ga. Elbert County Deed Records, Clerk of Courts Office, Elbert County Courthouse, Elberton, Ga, Elbert County Probate Court Records, Office of the Judge of the Probate Court, Elbert County Courthouse, Elberton, Ga. (includes Marriage, Will, Estate Returns, and Inventory and Appraisal Records).

Elbert County Tax Digests, Georgia State Archives, Archives and Records Building, Atlanta, Ga. Georgia Laws, Book for the year page Georgia State Records, Archives and Records Building, Atlanta, Ga. Waller Grogan letters; to Sybil D. Hall, Savannah Dis- trict Corps of Engineers, Jan. 31, Jan. 30, June 13, to Marcie Robertson, August 13, Real Estate Files, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Real Estate Office, Elberton, Georgia GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 12) Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-September 30, Georgia, Decatur through Houston Cos., Micro copy No. Roll No. 23, National Archives. (On file at the University of Georgia Library, Athens, Ga. Records of A.P. Stevens, Elbert Co. Surveyor, meet- ing August 8, 2.

Secondary and published sources: Ellis, James M., National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, July 11, (This site was never placed on the National Register by the wish of the last owner before government acquisition) "George Calvin Grogan," History of Georgia, Biographical, Vol. Ill, p. 19. Grogan, George C, "An Old Deed, A Flatwoods Story," The Elberton Star, September 11, Harris, Corra, A Circuit Rider's Wife, Philadelphia: Henry Altemus Co., Harris, Emily J. and Hopkins, John L., O.A.H.P. inventory and project report for Richard B. Russell Dam Project Area, May 1, "He Was There When Ford Theatre Fell," Washington Evening Star, June 25, Mclntosh, John H., The Official History of Elbert Co. Atlanta: The Cherokee Pub. Co., "Rev. John H. Grogan", Memoirs of Georgia, Vol.

1, Elbert County Sketches, page The Southern Historical Associ- ation, Thornton, Grace, church historian, "Middleton. United Methodist Church," c. Wilcox, Irene, "Rev. J. H. Grogan Traveled Over Ga. Delivering Message," The Elberton Star, April 1, p. 4A. D. Likely Sources Not Yet Investigated: Building Conservation Technology, Nashville, Tn. , Report on Eureka Mill. BCT is presently conducting archeological research on mill sites in the Richard B. Russell Dam Project Area for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (August GROGAN HOUSE (Eureka) HABS NO. GA-33 (page 13) PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION The documentation of the historic resources within the Richard B.

Russell Dam project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey in cooperation with the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service's Interagency Archeological Services, Atlanta, and cosponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District Office in compliance with Executive Order as a mitigative effort in construction of the lake. The project was executed under the direction of John C. Poppeliers, Chief, and Kenneth L. Anderson, Principal Architect of HABS. The emergency recording was carried out during the fall of by the Historic American Buildings Survey, Washington, D. C. Office, project supervisor Richard J. Cronenberger; staff architects Reginald A. Berry (Howard University) and David T. Marsh, Jr. (Howard University); and staff landscape architect Paul D.

Dolinsky. The historical data was prepared in the summer of by LeAnne Baird, Project Historian, and Marcie Robertson, Assistant Historian. The written data was edited in the HABS office by Alison K. Hoagland in the spring of ADDENDUM TO: HABS GA-33 GROGAN HOUSE GA,53-MIDTO, 1- (Eureka) Richard B. Russell Dam Project Northwest Side County Road Middleton Elbert County Georgia

Field Records Historic American Buildings Survey

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