Fort Benning Main Post, Riverside, 100 Vibbert Avenue, Fort Benning Military Reservation

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2429. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

100 Vibbert Avenue, Fort Benning, Georgia; bounded by Vibbert Avenue on the north, Lumpkin Road on the east, Eames Road on the south, and Kries Street to the west. USGS photorevised Fort Benning, Georgia-Alabama 7.5 topographic quadrangle, Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinates: 692028E NAD83. Present Owner/ Occupant: United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Military Reservation, Georgia.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2429. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Riverside is a complex comprised of Quarters No. 1 (Building No. 1), the Commanding General s residence; an associated garage (Building No. and the surrounding landscape. As stated in its National Register nomination (Baldwin Riverside, a neo-classical revival style home and its historic setting is individually significant for conservation and military importance. In a more contemporary interpretation, Riverside is individually eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A, for its association with broad patterns of history in both farming/agriculture during the Bussey era; Criterion B, for its association with Bussey; and Criterion C for architecture. Riverside (Building No. 1) was listed on the in Riverside, its associated garage (Building No.

and its landscape (an identified historic open space) are contributing elements to Fort Benning s Main Post Historic District. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION: A. Physical History: 1. Date of construction: In Arthur Bussey purchased acres from Martha Hatcher (wife of Benjamin Hatcher) (Columbus Daily Enquirer 26 January Shortly thereafter, he moved, on log rollers pulled by mules, a former meetinghouse to the present site to serve as the beginnings of his country residence. Bussey s new summerhouse, known as Riverside Plantation, played a central role to his cattle and dairy farm operations. At the time Bussey left Riverside in October the plantation home boasted nineteen rooms with amenities of electricity, running water, and phone service.

A freestanding garage, FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 2) located just west of the home, was erected by Riverside s landscape setting remains intact from the Bussey era with its informally planned groupings of flowerbeds, shrubbery, and now historic trees. Immediately adjacent to the house and yards were Bussey s cattle and dairy barns, cultivated fields, a creamery, a ginnery, and a store. Though Bussey s farm buildings no longer stand, Riverside Plantation continues to command the landscape and its adjacent neighborhoods of historic housing. 2. Architect: Not known. 3. Original and subsequent owners: Arthur Bussey (1909-October and the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Military Reservation, Georgia (November 1918-present). 4.

Original and subsequent occupants: Arthur Bussey and family and the residing Commanding General and family (1918-present). 5. Builder: Not known. 6. Original plans and construction: No original plans exist. Historic photographs, primary sources from the Camp Benning era and secondary sources from the Bussey era reveal the earliest known information regarding the appearance and layout of Riverside Plantation. Measured drawings and landscape plans prepared by Fort Benning engineers are on file at Plans and Support, Master Planning Office, Directorate of Public Works, Building No. 6, Fort Benning Military Reservation, Georgia. Refer to HABS No. GA-2429-A and HABS No. GA-2429- B for detailed information on Buildings No. 1 and 7.

Alterations and Additions: Physically, little has changed at Riverside Plantation since Arthur Bussey left his country residence in October Historic photographs dating between and the present depict the landscape setting and nearby buildings from both Bussey s era and during the establishment of Camp Benning. After 101 years, Riverside Plantation s now historic landscape remains intact with only minor alterations. The changes to the landscape include the addition and removal of a fishpond, addition of concrete and brick walkways, reconfiguration of the north driveway off Vibbert Avenue, paving of both driveways, and the addition of the Follow Me patio. Two additions to Building No. 1 detract little from the home s original appearance (see HABS No. GA- 2429-A).

Nor does the wing addition to Building No. (see HABS No. GA- detract from the building itself or the complex. B. Historical Context: 1. Riverside Plantation private residence (1909-October FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 3) Arthur H. Bussey was born March 5, in Cusseta, Georgia to COL Hezekiah Bussey and Francesca (Fannie) Caroline Stokes. Hezekiah served in the Civil War and made a living as a lawyer, primitive Baptist church preacher at Mt.

Olive Baptist Church, and dry goods merchant (Rogers At the age of ten, Arthur Bussey moved to Columbus with his family from nearby Cusseta (United States Government Census Bureau At the age of 16, Arthur went into business with his father in a cotton warehouse (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 26 November After attending the state university in Atlanta, Georgia, he and his father started the Home Mixture Guano Company while continuing to operate the first creamery in Columbus known as Riverside Dairy (located on Street and 3rd Avenue) and a cotton gin. Home Mixture Guano Company primarily manufactured guano and commercial fertilizers. Bussey and his father, along with the other partners of Home Mixture, filed for a charter in to broaden the company s production to Lumpkin, Georgia.

The expansion planned to include a cotton gin and the production of agricultural tools and implements thereby enhancing the industrial life of Lumpkin. The company was purchased by International Agricultural Corporation in and Arthur Bussey remained general manager until retiring in (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 16 July Home Mixture would prove to be the first of Arthur s many business ventures that were equal in number to his civic commitments.

Some of his accomplishments include sitting as a board or committee member for the Merchants and Mechanics Bank; the Georgia- Alabama Fair; the Columbus Georgia Hotel Company that was responsible for the Ralston Hotel (still a Columbus landmark); the Columbus Northern Railway Company established for the purpose of operating a railroad extending between Columbus and West Point/LaGrange, Georgia; and also owner of Riverside Dairy (Columbus Daily Enquirer 19 March, 11 April, and 10 May In Arthur married Starlight (Stella) Respess with whom he had five children: Sara Bussey Neil Bickerstaff), Eleanor Bussey Charles Woolfolk), and John Wycliffe Bussey (United States Government Census Bureau and Two of their children died young in life; Ruth in from poisonous milk and Arthur Jr.

in from leukemia. The Busseys are buried in Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia. Always interested in farming, Arthur Bussey purchased 1,782-acres of land from Martha Hatcher, wife of Benjamin T. Hatcher in naming it Riverside Plantation. The property was originally part of the acres owned by John Woolfolk accumulated from the land lottery and additional property purchased in (Rogers The Woolfolk family sold the acres to the Hatchers in who in turn sold the same acreage to Arthur Bussey. Land record research reveals that the parcel of acres remained intact (never being sub-divided) throughout its ownership between Woolfolk family members, Hatcher, and Bussey. FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 4) Mr.

Bussey purchased the Hatcher Plantation for cash (Columbus Daily Enquirer 26 January The Hatchers never lived on the property, but had a manager and tenants on site. A farm loan application filed in by Martha J. Hatcher describes in detail the lands and buildings most likely standing when Bussey purchased the property one year later. The application, a questionnaire of sorts recorded the following information: acres; 0 acres fenced; 200 acres of bottomland of which 200 acres are in cultivation; acres of uplands of which acres are in cultivation; acres are in crops with 300 of those in corn, 150 in oats, 100 in hay, and 850 in cotton; 8 acres in peach orchards and 3 acres in mulberry grove. Animals included horned cattle, 3 horses, hogs, and 18 mules.

Buildings on said premises included eleven 1- room, sixteen 2-room, one 3-room, one 4-room, and one 5-room houses; one 2-story storehouse with 5-rooms overhead, two barns, a cow barn, five cribs, a wagon shelter, a buggy house, a blacksmith shop, and two gin houses; all frame buildings said to be erected between five to twenty years prior and in first class order. Cash value was recorded at for the lands and improvements and the buildings were worth Only the manager and tenants lived on the property. Hatcher purchased the property in (it was recorded in for from the Woolfolk family and made all improvements on the place since purchase clearing most of the lands and all of the bottomland including ditching it.

The Hatchers also owned acres known as Oswichee Bend on the Chattahoochee River in Alabama (Hatcher At the time of the loan application, a bank initiated inspection of the property reported: 160 acres in cultivated bottom lands; 700 acres in cultivated level uplands; 100 acres cultivated undulating and rolling uplands; 100 acres of lying out uplands; 600 acres first growth mixed timber uplands; 122 acres first and second growth uplands; as well as no residence, and 17 tenant houses and other buildings.

In total, 960 acres in cultivation acres of corn, 500 acres of cotton, 60 acres of oats, 30 acres of peas, 50 acres in meadow), 100 acres resting, and 722 acres in timber (Hatcher The location and legal description of the lands Bussey purchased and subsequently sold to the Government included all those certain tracts, lots and parcels of land, to- wit; Lots 108-102-103-100-each containing 202 acres, also parts of lots 107-containing 11 acres in the north east corner, part of lot 83 containing 200 acres, part of lot 78 containing 40 acres south of Upatoie Creek, part of lot 109 containing 42 acres west of Lumpkin public road, part of lot 101 containing 94 acres it being northern part of said lot; also fractional lots 79 containing 10 acres on sou.

of Upatoie creek, also lot 82 containing acres also fractional lot 81 containing acres, also fractional lot 104 containing acres, also part of lot 84 containing 161 acres, it being all of said lot except 41 acres in the northeast corner of said lot, all of said lands lying and being in the 7th district of Chattahoochee County and aggregating in one body acres more or less, being all the lands owned by the undersigned Arthur Bussey in the Fort Benning Reservation (United States of America FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 5) Nine miles from Bussey s primary residence on 3rd Avenue in Columbus, Riverside was known as the family s country or summer home.

The local newspaper s social column often mentioned the Bussey family s move to the country and return to the city in early summer and fall.

This effort was no small feat as not one inch of paved road existed between Columbus and Riverside prior to the establishment of Camp Benning (Columbus Daily Enquirer 15 October Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 27 July and 20 October During research, several sources stated or inferred that Riverside was Cusseta Plantation, John Woolfolk s home, that was known to be located within the same 1,782-acre tract that the Woolfolk family sold to the Hatchers in who then sold the same parcel to Bussey in The sources state that possibly, the Riverside residence was the same structure or that the meetinghouse moved by Bussey was an addition to the existing Woolfolk home.

However, two sources indicate otherwise: Sara Bussey Bickerstaff s article where she reminiscences on the beginnings of the construction of Riverside [that is presented below] and an Chattahoochee County map that places the Woolfolk plantation in the southwest corner of Land Lot 100 at the intersection of Lumpkin Road and The Federal Road (County Maps Bussey s Riverside residence is located in Land Lot 83. Many accounts regarding the residence indicates the house was built around the nucleus of an old meetinghouse that was moved on log rollers pulled by mules from Lumpkin Road to Vibbert Avenue, originally located where Building No.

7 (Patch School) now stands (Baldwin and The Bayonet 15 June Jean Harron, a local resident recounted that the kitchen portion of the Riverside Plantation is the oldest part of the house as it had been a meetinghouse built by COL William Woolfolk a soldier of the American Revolution (Harron Other remembrances regarding the meetinghouse date the structure to the early but no primary sources were located to support the date. One such account by Charles Woolfolk stated the history of the homesite dates back to the early when the nucleus of the present house on Vibbert Ave. was on Lumpkin Road the back part of the house, which had been built on Lumpkin Road, was moved to its present location on Vibbert Ave.

to be the basis of the new home the house was rolled on logs pulled by mules without damaging a single tree (Woolfolk Woolfolk goes on to describe the house stating that From the large high ceilinged rooms several doors and windows opened onto spacious porches. The walls were made of tongue and groove woodwork and the ceilings were reinforced by heavy crossed beams. Large brick fireplaces at opposite sides of the house provided the only heat for the open rooms, though a 3rd fireplace connected the two kitchens. The floors were made of polished pine boards. FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 6) Black chandeliers fed with carbide gas piped into the house provided what at the time was considered adequate light.

A rarity in the early s was the house s running water system. From a pond at the foot of a hill about a mile away [Russ Pond], that water was pumped to the water tower and then piped into the house. The upstairs contained 7 large and airy bedrooms that opened onto the veranda which surrounded almost all the second floor. The master bedroom extended the width of the house. The Riverside house of the early s had a half bath downstairs and a large bathroom the size of an ordinary room today upstairs. By modifications through the years, the house now has five comfortable bedrooms on the second floor and three modern baths.

It is centrally heated by steam radiators throughout the house (Woolfolk Bussey developed the plantation into a self-sustaining farm with a working nursery, dairy, ginnery, and creamery. He cultivated cotton, corn, sugarcane (producing maple sugar), and various vegetables as well as raising cows, hogs, and goats. Regionally known, it was often repeated that Riverside Plantation was one of the last great self- supporting agricultural projects of the plantation system in this area (Baldwin An article written by Arthur s daughter, Sara Bussey Bickerstaff, in reveals numerous facts about the chronology, layout, and workings of Riverside Plantation. He [Arthur Bussey] began construction on the Big House and we lived at Torch Hill, owned by Mr. John T.

Davis where we rented a large house from him. This is now what is called the Sand Hill Area. Our real house was at 3rd Avenue in Columbus Mother and Father had five children born there Father first had to dig out a pond to supply drinking water, etc. for the house and plantation. Two more ponds were to follow, the first one fed from a spring, icy cold and clear as Crystal, even on a hot day. We grew Water Cress, Mountain Laurel and Rhododendrons around the sides of the pond...The water was pumped by a ram to a large tall water tower at the top of the hill back of the house Mother loved to raise chickens and also garden flowers.

We raised pigs, goats, cows, ducks, geese, chickens, guineas, peacocks, Belgian hair rabbits and squabs...We had plenty of milk, cream, vegetables, meat and fruit in season from the large fruit orchard on the north side of the house. Mother grew raspberries we climbed a scuppernong arbor We had a lot of trouble with the bridge, at the bottom of the hill, first it burned and then it flooded. When fire destroyed the wooden bridge that spanned Upatoie Creek near the present bridge leading to the post, all traffic halted from the plantation to Columbus. For a time there was no way for us children to cross the creek to attend school until we rowed across the creek in a bateau to hitch a ride. Father had the Riverside Trading Post where Patch School is now located. Mr.

and Johnson and [their] daughter lived in the back of the store. It was a general store from soda water, in those days to horse collars, cotton material, candy, plows, etc. We always had to pay cash which we did not understand but later as we matured we knew FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 7) The gin was close by, all the small farmers brought their cotton there to remove the seed and to be made into baled cotton. We, too, made our own syrup, it was cooked in a large copper cauldron. A mule pulled a long rod like thing. We squeezed the skimmings out of the stalks and then placed them in cauldrons to cook We had a large herd of Holsteins we had a large silo in which we put fodder for winter feed for the cows.

We had a huge woodburning cast iron tractor with wide iron wheels, a pulley was attached to a conveyor belt to raise the fodder up into the silo where it was watered down. We also baled hay for the cows use. Our house on 3rd Avenue had been rented from September to September and we had no place to live and we were evicted in so until we rented a bungalow on Wildwood Avenue (Bickerstaff and United States Army Infantry Center Other personal accounts reiterate that Riverside Trading Post was located at the original site of the old meetinghouse on Lumpkin Road and was adjacent to his cotton gin.

As well, a note on the back of a photograph states that Bussey s tenant houses were located in the ravine behind the installation s old hospital (Building The plantation s water was pumped from a nearby holding pond, known today as Russ Pond, by a ram then to a water tank/tower (originally located behind the creamery, Building No. 5) and into the house (Harron and The Bayonet 15 June Ms. Harron s recounting of the water system noted two hand pumps, one at the house and the other at the creamery.

Moving products from farm to market, Bussey s creamery became one of the best in the area providing Columbus with milk, cream, and ice cream (United States Congress, House of Representatives, Committee on War Claims In Arthur Bussey joined forces with other dairy farmers and experts in the region to create a centralized distribution center for milk at his Riverside Dairy located at Street and 3rd Avenue.

The creamery became the main center where all milk was sent for processing and distribution to Columbus and neighboring cities (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 3 March That same year, a newspaper article reported that he purchased electric national cash registers for the creamery in order to increase efficiency and accuracy for customer purchases (Columbus Daily Enquirer 17 March In or about in Mr. Bussey decided to move his creamery in Columbus to his Riverside Plantation and constructed a new, modern building of common brick for this purpose (Unknown Recognized as a modern farmer, Bussey utilized the most current farming methods to date.

As such, Bussey was one of the first to maintain an up-to-date and sanitary creamery with screened stables and the use of modern machinery including mechanical milkers that allowed the milk to go from cow to the consumer without being touched by human hands (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 26 November and Unknown In the fall of the U.S. Army, under the authority of the Secretary of War, initiated the process of acquiring Bussey s 1,782-acre plantation as part of the total acres needed for the establishment of Camp Benning. Bussey s initial asking price of submitted to the Army s appointed land acquisition officer, MAJ John Paul FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No.

GA-2429 (Page 8) Jones, was found unsatisfactory and contract negotiations began in October On November 1, before both parties had come to a purchase agreement, COL Henry E. Eames and MAJ Jones entered and took possession of Riverside Plantation evicting Bussey from the residence thus ending the Bussey era at Riverside Plantation. Seven and one-half months later, the Army and Riverside s owner finally came to an agreement of purchase on June 18, for the sum of Restitution for the taking of his personal property and livestock lingered in the courts until settled under the authority of the U.S. Congress in (USCWC Details of the actions leading up to the sacrifice lawsuit against the government are presented in the next section.

Not one to slow down, after leaving Riverside the planter/entrepreneur started several local businesses. One of his first endeavors was the Dixie Ice Cream Company located on 6th Avenue near the jail as told by Columbus resident, Jean Harron (Harron Bussey also opened Dixie Brick Company in with John Waster Minter and Bickerstaff for the manufacturing of bricks and hollow-ware. He remained president of the company until (Brick and Clay Record). John Minter designed the Dixieland, Alabama plant installing the Minter system of kilns created by his brother, Minter. The Dixie Brick Company has passed down through the Bickerstaff family, into which Sara Bussey married.

In November after a lengthy illness, Arthur Bussey died at Claymore Plantation, the farm he purchased in located in Russell County, Alabama (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 26 November Local papers remembered him as a businessperson and active member of the Columbus community. 2. Riverside Plantation Quarters 1 (November 1918-present): The U.S. Army for many years had schools located throughout the country dedicated to the various skills and training needed by an infantry soldier. By World War I, the most important school for such training was the Infantry School of Arms at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

As it became evident that greater marksmanship skills were essential to winning a war, the United States Army opened a school for machine gun training at Fort Hancock near Augusta, Georgia, and a training school for marksmanship instructors at Camp Perry, Ohio. Toward the end of World War I, the United States Army recognized the need to change the way it was training the infantry so that they would be better prepared for future military actions. An extensive national search by several United States Army committees was undertaken for a new more spacious location for the Infantry School of Arms from which a site in Columbus, Georgia was chosen.

The terrain and climate made the location superior for the year round training the Army required (Kane and Keeton Named for the Confederate General Henry Benning, a Columbus businessperson of note, Camp Benning was established in as a temporary wartime encampment and became home to the Infantry School of Arms. Camp Benning was established during World War I. The camp s original location was in the Wynnton section of Columbus, Georgia about three miles from downtown Columbus. FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 9) It quickly became apparent this area was not big enough and subsequently, Camp Benning moved to its present location, an area about nine miles from the city dominated by Arthur Bussey s 1,782-acre plantation, Riverside.

Upon selection of the location to establish an infantry school of firing, MAJ John Paul Jones was named land acquisition officer and construction quartermaster to which all operations regarding the establishment of Camp Benning fell to his supervision. MAJ Jones was assisted by COL Henry E. Eames, the Infantry School Commander, whose orders were to locate the lines of the reservation and secure the necessary ground for the school of fire then in the process of formation (

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Eames chose Riverside at which to begin construction reasoning that Bussey s plantation, in addition to its complete equipment of dwelling houses, waterworks, etc, constituted practically the only land in that section appropriate for the erection of an A range, an essential part of a layout of a school of fire (USCWC Thus began the initial construction phase of Camp Benning in the fields adjacent to Building No. 1 and the military use of Bussey s home and agricultural buildings. Immediately upon acquisition of Riverside Plantation by the Army, Camp headquarters was moved into the building formerly used by the constructing quartermaster [Building No. 5, Bussey s creamery].

The former Bussey home had become quarters for the commandant, and a smaller house to the west of it, which also belonged to the plantation group, was assigned to the assistant commandant. The two remaining houses of this group were assigned to members of the staff. Major General Charles S. Farnsworth was the first commandant who occupied the Bussey plantation house. He became Commandant 23 April and moved into the plantation house after the Army took possession (War Department Bussey s lands were part of Civil Action Case No. 42, The United States vs. acres of land (United States District Court It was not until June 18, that Bussey agreed to sell his lands to the United States and the title transfer was recorded by the Atlanta Title Guarantee Company.

Bussey was awarded for his lands located about 9 miles, in a Sou. direction from the City of Columbus, Georgia, known as Riverside place (United States of America The residence is within Land Lot 83. Schedule A of the title transfer provides a description of the Bussey property sold to the United States of America in two tracts and provides a list of Bussey s land-owning neighbors: Tract Number One. All that tract or parcel of land situate, lying and being in the Seventh District of Chattahoochee County, Georgia, containing seventeen hundred eighty- two and one-half acres, more or less, and being bounded on the West by the Chattahoochee River and lands of Bradley, on the North by Upatoie Creek and lands of E.G.

Woolfolk and lands of Gus Gaines Estate, on the East by lands of Gus Gaines Estate, C.E. McBride, Abbie Lee McBride, Layfield, and T.E. Farr, and on the South by lands of C.E. McBride, Allie C. Griffith, T.E. Farr, McElvey estate and Bradley; said lands being in Land Lots Eighty-one One Hundred Four Seventy-nine Eighty-two One Hundred Three One Hundred Seven Seventy-eight Eighty-three One Hundred Two One Hundred Eight Eighty-four One Hundred One One Hundred Nine and FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 10) One Hundred said lands being commonly known as Riverside Plantation; and being the same lands conveyed to Arthur Bussey by two warranty deeds, one from Martha J. Hatcher, dated January 20, recorded January 22, in Deed Book H, page and the other from C.E.

McBride, dated September 23, recorded November 3, in Deed Book I, page 35. Tract Number 2. All that tract or parcel of land situate, lying and being in the Seventh District of Chattahoochee County, Georgia, containing fourteen acres, more or less, and being eight (8) acres in the Northeast corner of Lot Eighty-four and six (6) acres in the Southeast corner of Land Lot Seventy-seven and being bounded on the North by Upatoie Creek, and the South by lands of Arthur Bussey, on the West by lands of E.G.

Woolfolk, and on the East by the original Land Lot line of said Lots Numbers Eighty-four and Seventy-seven (United States of America In the United States House of Representative s Committee on War Claims published a report detailing a lawsuit filed by Bussey against the United States Army regarding damages and loss of property during the acquisition and his eviction from Riverside Plantation in October The report details in depth the Army s confrontations with Bussey and their subsequent actions in taking possession of his personal property, real property, and livestock resulting in its use or selling of property at auction prior to the purchase agreement.

In the lawsuit, Bussey asked for reparation totaling with an interest of 6% per year beginning June 18, for loss of personal property and having no place to house his cattle during the condemnation period. Auction announcements in the newspaper document Bussey selling his entire herd at the local fair (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 17 November After reviewing the case, the court judged in favor of Mr. Bussey awarding him (USCWC Providing a unique opportunity, the Committee of War Claims report documenting the lawsuit provides a glimpse of Bussey s working plantation and its built environment. In several accounts throughout the document, it reports that He [Bussey] operated on this farm a dairy, a creamery, a ginnery, and a nursery.

The property was well kept, well developed, and had on it all necessary tools and equipment. It was fully equipped with all necessary dwellings for subordinates and tenant farmers, with stables, shed, storehouses, and a valuable plant with all necessary machinery and equipment. He had installed for use in all of these activities waterworks, sewage, irrigation, electric light, and telephone service. His equipment consisted of tractors, wagons, motors, and all necessary equipment, tools, and supplies for the operation of his undertakings. His stock consisted of 139 Guernsey, Holstein, and Jersey cattle, 98 hogs, 40 goats, and 28 horses and mules.

He had under cultivation 318 acres of cotton, 60 acres of corn, 180 acres of velvet beans, 53 acres of cowpeas, 1 acre of sweetpotatoes, and stalks of sugarcane. Again, the plantation s buildings and infrastructure are buried in the detail of the legal proceedings revealed in the committee s report as further accounts of the confrontations between Bussey and the Army relay that on FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 11) October 16, the plaintiff submitted a figure of as the selling price [for real and personal property] On November 1, prior to any agreement to the purchase price and prior to any condemnation proceedings, the defendant, acting through and by COL Henry E.

Eames, commandant, and MAJ John Paul Jones, land acquisition officer and construction quartermaster, entered and took formal possession of plaintiff s plantation for and on behalf of the United States and directed the plaintiff to vacate the same On November 2, the United States filed a proceeding in the United States District Court of the condemnation of acres of land which included that of the plaintiff.

One of the reasons for taking the plaintiff s plantation was the existence of a sufficient number of buildings adequate for housing a working force at the outset of construction, thus avoiding the delay to be experienced by erection of accommodations for the construction force (USCWC On October 28, the Government awarded the contract for construction of the cantonment to Selden-Breck Construction Company.

Upon possession of the property, the Army immediately reconfigured the creamery, stables, barns, and other buildings as A small organization was brought upon the property in question and operations were begun November 2, The large dairy barn was converted into bunkhouses and a kitchen for the initial working force and was finished and in use by November 10; preparations were pushed forward for the ultimate accommodation of approximately employees and a standard mess hall was erected for officers and civilian officials (USCWC The first Officers Mess, made from a barn on the Bussey plantation, was a fine homey place.

Officers and their wives white-washed the walls, made furniture and provided draperies (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 22 July Bussey was verbally informed by COL Eames and MAJ Jones on November 4, to remove all personal property and effects, including livestock, from the plantation by November 10, in order that possession of your land and buildings may be taken (USCWC Upon the taking of possession of the property by the defendant s [U.S. Army], plaintiff [Bussey] was notified that there was immediate need for the use of the cow barn and the mule barn, that the cows must be removed and not returned, and that the mule barn must be emptied of its contents. In compliance with these instructions, the plaintiff s cows were driven into the fields.

The defendant s employees immediately entered, removed all of the stanchions, stalls, milking machines, and other equipment and supplies without regard to the damage caused, and set upon all the ground outside. the same procedure was resorted to in connection with all other buildings on the premises; as and when a house was needed in connection with construction work, defendant s representatives would enter and cause its contents to be removed and subsequently utilize such portion as was desired for their own purposes in their operations or leave it open without much, if any protection from the elements and urging him [Bussey] to impress upon those living on your premises near the camp construction work, that they make effort to move immediately. FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No.

GA-2429 (Page 12) On 2 October a written notice was given to the plaintiff to vacate the gin house and the store on or by October 2 and October 10, respectively machinery, the engines, boilers, and equipment, was, taken over and used by the defendant s officials and employees, some was dismantled, and the remainder was left standing on the grounds unprotected livestock emptied from the barns and turned out into the fields the creamery, mill, store, storehouse, and ginnery were equipped with machinery and supplies were removed by defendant s employees; some portion was used in connection with the construction of the cantonment and the remainder left exposed (USCWC Ordered to vacate and empty the buildings of personal property, Bussey met resistance from the quartermaster employees at every turn.

Bussey was denied access to the buildings, being hindered and prevented in the removal of his personal property by said employees and was not free to enter or leave the premises without a pass, which did not prevent his foreman from being arrested and incarcerated overnight in an attempt to remove personal property (USCWC Under the order to empty the mule barn, between November and January Bussey removed over 400 wagonloads of goods including cottonseed and corn, after which time the defendant confiscated his wagons and mules for use in the construction of the cantonment (payment was later made for the rental of said wagons and mules). The same treatment also occurred at the residence as furniture was parceled out for use.

Of interest, for little is known about Bussey s nursery operations, was the inventory of framework and glass for four greenhouses, 18 -0 x 100 -0, feet of wrought- and cast-iron pipe, and all necessary valves. These were destroyed or otherwise used by the defendant s employees and agents in connection with construction of the cantonment (USCWC It is through the lawsuit accounts and personal recollections that the workings and partial physical layout of Riverside Plantation is portrayed. Progressive in his farming methods, Bussey is recognized for his use of modern agricultural methods and technology as he demonstrated during his ownership of Riverside Plantation.

Now serving as military housing, the Army continues to steward this historic property in protecting its physical integrity and interpreting Riverside s two histories as a residence. Surrounded by adjoining neighborhoods of historic housing dating from the and the complex, inclusive of both buildings and 18 acres of grounds continues to portray a residence equal to its occupant be it wealthy farmer or Army General. 3. Riverside Plantation s Historic Landscape to the present): The United States Army acquired Riverside Plantation from Arthur Bussey in The house, since then continues to serve as the home for the installation s Commanding General with the grounds immediately surrounding the residence maintained as part of the complex.

During Bussey s day, the grounds surrounding the house were a point of pride. Research notes that Bussey kept a man on for several years whose sole job was to FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 13) repair and preserve the beautiful trees that still dot the landscape and that peacocks roamed the grounds (Baldwin Per a historic tree survey, one of the earliest identified trees at Riverside dates from See Part V for a map of the tree survey. Today, Riverside s landscape continues to provide space for all types of events (ceremonies and planned community gatherings). Identified as a historic open space (Fisher and Johnson and Nolte Riverside Plantation s landscape is also a contributing element to the Main Post Historic District.

A Phase I archaeological testing of the grounds (Site 9CE2080) was completed in for both compliance and an attempt to address a local legend that the northeastern corner of the building (Quarters 1) covered the grave of COL John Tate, who was buried there in while on a military expedition. Results of the archaeological testing reported that the site was delineated by 14 positive and 28 negative shovel tests Artifacts were recovered from a maximum depth of 45 cm below ground surface and included: handmade brick, window glass, bottle glass, modern bottle glass, wire and cut nails, 1 aboriginal pottery sherd, and 3 chert debitage.

Phase II testing is recommended, however, for the areas immediately surrounding and beneath the main house, if any substantial ground disturbing activities are planned. Site 9CE2080 is deemed potentially eligible for listing in the (Elliott et. al. 4. Riverside Plantation Listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Riverside Plantation was nominated by members of the Historic Columbus Foundation with the help of Fort Benning staff and was formally listed in the on May 27, significant for conservation and military contexts (Baldwin An official dedication ceremony was held at Riverside on October 6, The ceremony included music by the Army Band; a welcome by MG Thomas Tarpley, Commander, U.S.

Army Infantry Center; an invocation by the Chaplain; recognition of special guests and remarks preparatory to dedication and playing of the National Anthem by the Band; and the dedication and the unveiling of Riverside s historic marker. Afterwards, refreshments were served inside that consisted of sausage pinwheels, tea sandwiches, petite tarts, ice cream punch, hot tea, and bar (Riverside Dedication Arthur Bussey s children, Sara Bussey Bickerstaff, Eleanor Bussey Woolfolk, and John Wycliffe Bussey were in attendance. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION: A. General Statement: FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 14) Since November 1, Riverside Plantation has served as the residence of the Commanding General.

Many General s have called Riverside home as the usual stay for a Commanding General is two years. Riverside s preservation and maintenance is coordinated between EMPB s Cultural Resource Office and Clark Reality Capital, LLC who maintains all of the historic homes on post after the installation s historic housing was privatized in Dominating its historic landscape, Riverside has maintained its original neoclassical- revival features after serving the military for over ninety years. Known also as the Bussey Plantation, Quarters 1, or Building No. 1, Riverside continues to represent both its original intent as the private home of a wealthy planter and its current mission as home to the installation s Commanding Generals.

Riverside maintains a high level of integrity through its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Refer to HABS No. *$ -A and HABS No. *$ -B for architectural and graphic documentation regarding Buildings No. 1and PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION: A. Installation Maps: Fort Benning Environmental Management Programs Branch (EMPB) Aerial photographs of the Installation. On file at the Environmental Management Division, Directorate of Public Works, Fort Benning, Georgia. Current Installation Maps of Fort Benning Military Reservation, EMPB, Fort Benning, Georgia. B. Historic Photographs: National Infantry Museum (NIM) Riverside folders in the historic photograph collection. On file at the National present Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Georgia. C.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2429. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Baldwin, R.O., Architect Riverside: Quarters No. 1, Fort Benning, Georgia National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. On file at the Environmental Management Programs Branch, Cultural Resources Office, Building No. 6, Fort Benning, Georgia. The Bayonet Riverside, The Bayonet, Columbus, Georgia, June 15, FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 15) Bickerstaff, Sara Bussey Childhood Memories from In the Muscogian, vol. 6, nos. 3 and 4, pages Brick and Clay Record Dixie Brick Co-A High Type Plant, in the Brick and Clay Record, vol. 61, no. 8, October 17, Columbus Daily Enquirer Petition for Charter, April 11, Local Laconics, January 26, In Social Realms, October 15, Mr.

Arthur Bussey Buys Two Electric National Cash Registers, March 17, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer Columbus Will Have New Dairy Enterprise, March 3, Society, July 27, Crawford Clapp Now Home Guano Head, July 16, Auction Sale. November 17, Arthur Bussey Dies Monday, November 26, Post Changes Are Amazing, July 22, Old Booklets Evoke Benning s Beginnings, October 20, County Maps, Surveyor General Map of Chattahoochee County, Georgia: Frobel, Superintendent of Public Works. Record Group Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia. Electonic document Cultural Site Research and Management, Inc. Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan, Fort Benning, Georgia. Baltimore, Maryland. District Court of the United States for the Northern District of Georgia, Western Division United States of America vs.

Acres of Land, More or Less, in the Counties of Chattahoochee and Muscogee, Georgia, M.A. Anthony, et. al., No. 42 at Law, Proceedings to Condemn Land, December 18, Elliott, Daniel T., Grace F. Keith, George D. Price, Rita F. Elliott, Tracy M. Dean, Debra J. Wells, Robbie F. Ethridge, and David S. Leigh A Cultural Resources Survey of The Main Post Fort Benning Military Reservation Chattahoochee and Muscogee Counties, Georgia. Prepared by Southern Research, Elerslie, Georgia. FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 16) Fisher, Robinson and Christine Johnson Historic Building Survey, Fort Benning, Georgia. Prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Savannah, Georgia under Contract to the U.S.

Army Infantry Center, Fort Benning, Georgia by Robinson Fisher Associates, Inc. Athens, Georgia and Southeastern Archaeological Services, inc., Athens, Georgia. Griffin, Stacey L. Historic Housing Property Cards Data Base, Project No. Prepared for Cultural Resources Office, Environmental Programs Management Branch, Directorate of Public Works, Fort Benning, Georgia by Panamerican Consultants, Inc., Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Harron, Jean Dixie Ice Cream Company. Electronic document. Accessed April 29, Hatcher, Martha J. Farm Loan Application, December 24, On file at the National Infantry Museum archives, Riverside folder, Fort Benning, Georgia. The Jaeger Company and Southern Research Historic Preservation Consultants, Inc. Fort Benning Historic Resource Survey Update Volume I and II.

Prepared for the U.S. Army Infantry Center, Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Division, Fort Benning, Georgia by The Jaeger Company, Gainsville, Georgia and Southern Research Historic Preservation Consultants, Inc., Elerslie, Georgia. Kane, Sharyn and Richard Keeton Fort Benning: The Land and the People. U.S. Army Infantry Center, Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Management Division, Fort Benning, Georgia. Loechl, Suzanne Keith, Samuel A. Batzli, and Susan I. Enscore Guidelines for Documenting and Evaluating Historic Military Landscapes: An Integrated Landscape Approach. AN AEC Technical Guideline prepared by U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Illinois. Nolte, Kelly Main Post Historic District National Register Nomination.

Real Property Cards Buildings No. 1 and Fort Benning Real Property Cards, Master Planning Division, Directorate of Public Works, Fort Benning, Georgia. FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 17) Riverside Dedication Riverside Dedication folder, on file at the National Infantry Museum archives. Rogers, History of Chattahoochee County, Georgia. Columbus Office Supply Co., Columbus, Georgia. United States Army Infantry Center News Release. On file at Donovan Library, Fort Benning Military Reservation, Georgia, document file U423.M2. United States District Court The United States vs. acres of land, more or less, in Chattahoochee and Muscogee Counties, Georgia, and M.A. Anthony, et al, Civil Action Case No. 42 Proceedings to Condemn Land.

Record Group 21, Box 9 at Southeast Regional National Archives, Morrow, Georgia. United States Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Benning, Georgia-Alabama Quadrangle USGS 7.5 topographic map. United States Government Census Bureau Census of Muscogee County, Georgia. Electronic database Ancestry.com. Accessed April Census of Muscogee County, Georgia. Electronic database Ancestry.com. Accessed April Census of Muscogee County, Georgia. Electronic database Ancestry.com. Accessed April Census of Muscogee County, Georgia. Electronic database Ancestry.com. Accessed April Census of Muscogee County, Georgia. Electronic database Ancestry.com. Accessed April Census of Muscogee County, Georgia. Electronic database Ancestry.com.

Accessed April United States Congress, House of Representatives, Committee on War Claims (USCWC) An Act for the Relief of Arthur Bussey: Report from the House of Representatives, Committee on War Claims, 11 May Electronic document, 00.11CEB95DC9EED8C0/. Accessed November 17, United States of America Agreement to Sell Land to United States of America. Part of title transfer no. June Document on file at the Savannah District of the Unites FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 18) States Corps of Engineers, Fort Benning land acquisition records, Savannah, Georgia. Unknown The History of Building 5 and the Land Thereon. Paper on file at the National Infantry Museum archives, Riverside folder, Fort Benning, Georgia.

War Department Statement of Action taken in the War Department and Army on the Camp Benning Project. Paper on file in the vertical files at Donovan Technical Library, Fort Benning, Georgia. Woolfolk, Elizabeth Carrow Pioneers, Patriots, and Planters. Wynnton Publishing, Houston, Texas. PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION: Due to the proposed alteration of replacing all of the home s original windows, Fort Benning s EPMB, Cultural Resources division instigated a Level II HABS documentation to mitigate the adverse effect of such an action on the historic property. Documentation was completed over several years, taking into account the privatization of all of the historic housing on post, rehabilitation schedule, and scheduling access to the Commanding General s private quarters.

The final documentation was prepared by Senior Architectural Historian and Principal Investigator, Stacey L. Griffin, M.A.; research assistant, Emily Cutsinger; Rachel Kyker, Editor; and Mark Drumlevitch, Large Format Photographer; all of Panamerican Consultants, Inc., Paul W. Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa, Alabama FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 19) PART V. GRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION: A. Aerial View Aerial view of Riverside complex, Fort Benning, Georgia (USGS photorevised Fort Benning, Georgia-Alabama Quadrangle 7.5 topo map). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 20) B. Location Maps Location of Riverside complex, Fort Benning, Georgia (USGS photo revised Fort Benning, Georgia-Alabama Quadrangle 7.5 topo map). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No.

GA-2429 (Page 21) Site plan for Riverside complex. Electronic database drawing available at Plans and Support, Master Planning Office, Directorate of Public Works, Building No. 6, Fort Benning, Georgia. FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 22) The heavy outline depicts the land holdings of Arthur Bussey (Tract One) as conveyed to the United States of America for the establishment of Camp Benning, Riverside (Quarters No. 1) is located in southeast corner of Land Lot 83. FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 23) Chattahoochee County, Georgia, (County Maps FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No.

GA-2429 (Page 24) Inset of previous map showing the location of the Woolfolk Plantation in Land Lot at the intersection of Lumpkin Road and The Federal Road (County Maps FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 25) C. Historic Photographs Bussey Plantation, The Bussey s still lived here at the time but were surrounded by the Army s new buildings. Note: a secondary structure can be seen through the trees where the present day garage is located. Building No. 5 (formerly Bussey s creamery) (photograph located at Riverside, Quarters 1, Fort Benning, Georgia). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No.

GA-2429 (Page 26) Aerial view of Bussey Plantation buildings in the field across Vibbert A venue from Riverside, looking northwest (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). Note Russ Pond in upper center of photograph between the tree line and road bed . ... - ... Riverside and Russ Pool (lower right corner), ca.1919 (Russ Pond altered for Army recreational purposes, looking southeast (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 27) Former Bussey Plantation tenant houses located in the ravine below Miller Loop (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No.

GA-2429 (Page 28) Riverside Plantation (Quarters 1) when first occupied by the Army, (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNlNG MAlN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 29) Camp Benning Graduation Ceremony on the lawn of Riverside, (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). '.. Camp Benning Graduation Ceremony on the lawn of Riverside, (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). .. . FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 30) Camp Benning Graduation Ceremony on the lawn of Riverside, (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). Riverside complex, (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No.

GA-2429 (Page 31) Riverside, south yard, (photograph on file at NARA II, College Park, Maryland). Riverside, View of east yard from Lumpkin Road (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 32) Riverside, ca. (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). Riverside, North and west yards, view from corner of Vibbert Avenue and Kries Street (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 33) Riverside, South and east elevations, view from southeast yard (Form 173A, on file at NARA II, College Park, Maryland). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No.

GA-2429 (Page 34) Aerial view of Riverside, (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 35) Riverside, ca. (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 36) Dedication ceremony of Riverside s listing in the National Register of Historic Places, June (article on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 37) Riverside, View from Austin Loop (photograph by Stacey L. Griffin, Panamerican Consultants, Inc.). Riverside, View of west drive from Kreis Street looking east (photograph by Stacey L. Griffin, Panamerican Consultants, Inc.). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No.

GA-2429 (Page 38) Marker located on the east porch column at front entrance (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). State Historic Marker located on northeast lawn at Vibbert A venue (photograph by Stacey L. Griffin, Panamerican Consultants, Inc.). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE HABS No. GA-2429 (Page 39) Postcard images of Quarters 1, Fort Benning, Georgia (postcards in personal collection of author, originals in color).