Grogan House and Store, 3912 Doc Sams Road, Cumming

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2448. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Grogan House and Store is located at Doc Sams Road in Forsyth County, Georgia. The resource sits on the east side of Doc Sams Road and is bounded to the south by Cumming Highway/State Route 20. The resource is located at latitude: longitude: This point was taken from the center of the Grogan Store. It was obtained on May 13, using Google Earth There is no restriction on its release to the public.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2448. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The store building of the Grogan House and Store stands as an example of an early twentieth-century community store, a relatively rare building type in Georgia.

The store is representative of the growth trends within Forsyth and neighboring Cherokee county as a result of continued improvements of SR 20 during the mid-twentieth century.1 Historian(s): Marvin Brown, M.A., Senior Architectural Historian, AECOM Sarah Potere, Architectural Historian, AECOM Report Completed October The Grogan House and Store (Resource was evaluated for eligibility for listing in the National Register using the National Register Criteria for Evaluation as outlined in 36 CFR Part There are no known associations with individuals whose specific contributions to history can be identified and documented with this property.

No associations were indicated or suggested as a result of background research on the project area, deed research on the property, in any response to the Department's early consultation correspondence received from consulting parties, or in an interview with the current owners of the property. Therefore, there was no basis for evaluating the property under Criterion B. Also, there are no indications that the property is likely to yield information on important research questions in history or prehistory. This property does not appear to have the potential to be the principal source of important information. Therefore, there was no basis for evaluating the property under Criterion D.

The Grogan House and Store (Resource was evaluated under Criterion A and does not appear to possess significance in the area of commerce. The store building is one of only two commercial buildings outside the Cumming city limits that represents a commercial building type determined significant in Georgia s architectural history and, though now vacant, the building remained in commercial use for the majority of its existence. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the store provided a unique service to the community or facilitated further commercial development in the surrounding community. As such, it does not appear to be associated with a specific event or pattern of events significant to the local history of the area.

Therefore, the Grogan House and Store (Resource is considered not eligible for inclusion in the National Register under Criterion A in the area of commerce. The Grogan House and Store (Resource was also evaluated under Criterion C and the house does not appear to possess significance in the area of architecture. The property represents a house type not identified in Georgia's Living Places: Historic Houses in Their Landscaped Settings and does not appear to represent a significant trend in Georgia's architectural history. There have also been significant exterior alterations, additions, and a loss of original building materials that have diminished the integrity of the house and prevent it from conveying significance in the area of architecture.

In addition, neither of the two associated outbuildings on the property convey any notable architectural significance. Therefore, House 407A is not considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register. 23 Edwards-Pitman, Historic Resources Survey Report, The report also includes a history, description, and photographs of the Property. GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 16) The associated store, however, was evaluated under Criterion C and appears to possess a local level of significance in the area of architecture.

According to the Georgia SHPO s guidance on commercial buildings entitled Commercial Types in Georgia available on their website at Store represents a commercial building type that has been determined to represent a significant trend in Georgia s architectural history. The property owner was reluctant to provide information regarding the history of the property; therefore, it is unknown whether or not the exterior cladding is historic or a non-historic alteration. Regardless of the age of the siding, this resource represents an intact example of a relatively rare building type, retains integrity in the areas of design, materials, workmanship, and feeling and is able to convey significance in the area of architecture.

Therefore, Store is considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register under Criterion C in the area of architecture. Integrity: The Grogan House and Store (Resource has been determined to possess integrity in the areas of location and setting. The resource is located in its original site of construction. Even though there is some non-historic residential and institutional development within the resource s setting, the overall character of its historic setting is still sufficiently evident due to the small scale and low density of the development. House 407A has been determined to not retain integrity in the areas of design, materials, and workmanship.

Due to the expansion of the front porch and porch foundation, the replacement of a number of original windows, and the large shed-roofed rear addition, House 407A has lost integrity in the area of design, materials and workmanship. Structure Garage and Store have been determined to retain integrity in the areas of design, materials, and workmanship. There have been no significant exterior alterations, additions, or loss of original building materials that have diminished the integrity of the structures in the areas of design, materials, and workmanship.

Because the resource as a whole retains integrity in the area of setting and the majority of the structures retain integrity in the areas of design, materials, and workmanship, the resource as a whole retains integrity in the areas of feeling and association.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2448. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is implementing plans to widen SR 20 from two to six lanes between Scott Road (near Canton) and North Corners Parkway (near Cumming). The project corridor spans approximately miles and falls within Cherokee and Forsyth Counties. As a result of this roadway expansion, all or part of the Grogan House and Store will be 1 Edwards-Pitman, Inc., Historic Resources Survey Report: GDOT Projects and Cherokee and Forsyth Counties (P.I. Nos. HP No. HP No. (Prepared for Georgia Department of Transportation, GDOT, copy on file at GDOT Office of Environmental Services, Atlanta, GA. The Determination of Eligibility (DOE) for the Lathemtown Historic District, which is contained within the aforementioned document excerpt, is included in the Supplemental Materials.

see also the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office s guidance on commercial buildings "Commercial Types in Georgia at GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 2) demolished. Mitigation efforts were explored and a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was devised between the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and the Georgia State Historic Preservation Officer. This Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) documentation (historical narrative report and large format photography) was prepared in accordance with the stipulations of the aforementioned MOA. Part I: Historical Information A. Physical History 1. Date of erection: The Grogan House and Store parcel is comprised of four buildings.

The principal and oldest is the store, which was erected ca. The house was next built, ca. The garage and utility building behind (west of) the house were built between ca. and 2. Architect: Not known. 3. Original and subsequent owners, occupants, uses: The original owners of the Grogan House and Store were Roscoe W. Evans, Sr. and his wife, Maud Estelle Tribble Evans Both were raised about six farms distant from each other in Forsyth County s Settendown District near Ducktown on the Canton Road, current SR 20.

By they had married and were rearing two children on a farm in the Ducktown district, located immediately to the west of Settendown.3 The federal census placed the family and the farm they owned in Ducktown on the Canton Road.4 In the Evanses were living on Cuba Road East of Ducktown on a farm that they owned. By then they had seven children.5 In Roscoe Evans purchased a three-acre farm from H.A. Fowler and O.L. Key for Based on its description in the deed and subsequent legal descriptions, this included the one-acre parcel upon which the current house and store stand. The tax-record date of 2 Forsyth County Board of Tax Assessors, Property Record Search for Doc Sams Road ; Edwards-Pitman, 3 Post Office Department, Map of Forsyth County, Ga.

Showing Rural Delivery Service, County Maps, Surveyor General, RG Georgia Archives, US Census Bureau (Maude E. Tribble) and (Rosco Evans); World War I Draft Registration Card of Roscoe W. Evans. 4 US Census Bureau (Roscoe W. Evans). 5 US Census Bureau (Roscoe W. Evans). GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 3) construction of the store matches the purchase date, indicating that Evans built it in In the Evanses lived with the youngest five of their eight children and engaged in general farming.7 According to tax records, the Evanses did not build the current house until ca. Where they lived prior to that date is not known, although they did own other property in the area that Roscoe purchased from G.A.

Ledbetter in separate transactions in and In Roscoe Evans, by then a widower, transferred the three-acre farm, including the house and store, to daughter Annelle Elizabeth Evans Grogan and her husband, Stephen (Steve) Clay Grogan By then, in addition to the store and house, one or both of the outbuildings the garage and the garage/utility building were likely erected. The deed notes that by that date, the Grogans were already residing on the property. It was filed and recorded in late July and, in early January Roscoe Evans died. After his death, the Grogans continued to own and live on the property.10 During the years that Roscoe Evans operated the store, it was reportedly known as the Little Evans Grocery.

It is believed that the Grogans continued to operate it following his death.11 Annelle Evans Grogan was a Forsyth County native who lived, for much of her life, in the house her parents built. Steve Grogan was raised on a farm in Paulding County, Georgia. By April according to the federal census, he was living in a lodging house in Cartersville, in Bartow County, and working as a collector. In May Annelle was still living on the family farm 40 miles to the east. By the time Steve registered for the draft, in October he was employed by the Southland Ice Company in Cartersville and he and Annelle were married.12 Sometime between and Annelle and Steve made a few modifications to the house.

These included erecting the house s northernmost bay and front shed-roof porch and adding the rear shed-roofed block. 6 Forsyth County Deed Book 16/Page 29 7 US Census Bureau (Roscoe W. Evans). 8 Forsyth County Deed Book 5/Page 2 Forsyth County Deed Book 7/Page 292 and Forsyth County Deed Book 10/Page 468 9 Findagrave.com includes photographs of the Grogans in their youth and old age (see 10 Evans, Maude Estelle, Atlanta Constitution, October 18, Forsyth County Deed Book 28/Page 575 11 Edwards-Pitman, 43. 12 US Census Bureau (Steve Grogan and Annelle Evans); World War II Draft Cards Young Men, (Stephen Clay Grogan). According to Forsyth Heritage Book Committee, Forsyth County, Georgia Heritage, the couple were married October 15, GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No.

GA-2448 (Page 4) In two years after Steve Grogan s death, Annelle Grogan transferred the property to their three sons Tommy, Benny, and Jerry. It continues to be owned by Benny Grogan.13 4. Builder: Not known. 5. Original plans and construction: No original plans, descriptions, or construction documents were identified for the Grogan House and Store. 6. Alterations and additions: The property s primary resource, the Grogan Store, appears to retain its mid twentieth-century footprint. The building has seen numerous material alterations over the second half of the twentieth century, which include new windows, a new door, new siding, and a replacement porch.

Exact dates for these changes are unknown, but given the nature of the materials employed, it is clear they were implemented well after Roscoe Evans death. B. Historical Context The community of Ducktown was established in the at the crossing of Franklin Goldmine Road and Heardsville Road, in western Forsyth County. The crossroads stands about one-half mile north of the current SR 20 and one-mile northwest of the Grogan House and Store. In Lewis Thomas Ledbetter, Sr. and his wife, Loma Howard Ledbetter, moved to the crossroads. Ledbetter established a store there, which held a post office from until He is credited with naming the post office and community.

In he opened a large store with Jones Mercantile Company, that became the community s hub.14 Georgia s General Assembly incorporated Ducktown in with boundaries including an area extending one-fourth ( ) of a mile in every direction from the cross-roads near the store now occupied by Ledbetter.

Ducktown lost its incorporation in Ducktown thrived in the It declined beginning in the however, due to three principal events: the Great Depression, the burning of its cotton gin in and the increasing importance of the Canton Road to its south.16 In residents of Hall, Forsyth, Cherokee, Bartow, and Floyd counties who lived along the route known as the Cherokee Trail petitioned Georgia s state highway board to add the trail a 13 Forsyth County Deed Book 580/Page 468 14 Linda Ledbetter, Growing Up In Ducktown, Kenneth Krakow, Georgia Place-Names (Macon, GA: Winship Press, 65.

An early-1900s photograph of the large store, with numerous wagons out front holding bales of cotton, is included in Forsyth Heritage Book Committee, Forsyth County, Georgia Heritage, 15 State of Georgia, Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly, Krakow, 65. 16 Ledbetter, 85. GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 5) predecessor of the Canton Road and SR 20 to the state highway system. The petition pointed out that this will make a cross-section road, running east and west, north of Atlanta and that there is now no such road north of Atlanta. The proposed route was to extend from Gainesville on the east, to Rome on the west, through Oscarville (now beneath the waters of Lake Lanier), Cumming, Ducktown, Canton, and Cartersville.

Within the next two decades, the road became part of the state system and passed through all these communities. It did not, however, run through the Ducktown crossroads.17 In late the road indeed the principal east-west route through the center of Forsyth County was scraped, leveled, and paved.18 A number of the businesses destroyed in a cotton-gin fire opened anew on the paved highway. By the SR 20 was a trailer truck route so busy that children basically could not walk to each other s homes. 19 There is no evidence that the Evanses operated a store at the Ducktown crossroads before opening their business at the intersection of Doc Sams Road and the Canton Road ca. They were among the enterprises that chose to locate at a well-traveled location, though.

Due to relocations and new openings, the Ducktown community expanded out from its original crossroads in the to encompass a stretch of SR 20, including the site of the Grogan House and Store.20 Part II. Architectural Information A. General Statement 1. Architectural character: The Grogan House and Store is a small, mid-twentieth-century, rural complex comprised of a ca. store, a ca. single-family residence, and a mid- twentieth-century garage and utility building. The Grogan Store stands one-story tall and is of frame construction. It displays a rectangular plan and is plain in its architectural detailing. Due to the store s prominent placement fronting SR 20 and its determination of National Register of Historic Places eligibility, it is addressed as the complex s primary resource.

Its associated single-story frame house and outbuildings are oriented toward the secondary Doc Sams Road and are likewise unornamented and modest in their design. 17 Cherokee Trail Road Residents Petition to Join States System, Atlanta Constitution, November 14, 18 Forsyth Heritage Book Committee, Forsyth County, Georgia Heritage, (Walsworth Publishing Company, 19 Ledbetter, 33, 85. 20 Ducktown Feathers Its Nest: Birds Gone in Forsyth County Hamlet, but Business is Taking Off, Atlanta Constitution, May 27, Ducktown: City Dwellers Start to Look More Toward Forsyth County, Atlanta Constitution, December 18, Bramblett, in her Forsyth County Twentieth-Century Changes publication, has a section that covers the Matt and Ducktown communities.

At page 14 within that section is an image of a small frame store with a Grogan s Grocery sign in its gable. This is not the store under consideration in this document, but rather one that was located in Matt, about eight miles to the northeast. No connection between the stores was identified. GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 6) 2. Condition of fabric: The Grogan Store stands in good condition. The building appears to be structurally sound and is in good repair, despite its loss of historic material. B. Description of Exterior 1. Overall dimensions: The main block of the Grogan Store is approximately 24 x 20 and the porch is approximately 7 x 20 . 2. Foundations: The main massing of the Grogan Store rests on concrete block piers partially covered by horizontal vinyl siding.

The porch rests on a continuous concrete block foundation, which is completely exposed. 3. Walls: The exterior of the Grogan Store is clad in vertical siding, which likely covers original weatherboards. 6. Chimneys: The Grogan Store does not have any chimneys. 7. Openings a. Doorways and doors: The Grogan Store s single doorway is centrally located on the front facade and sheltered by the porch. It is surrounded by a simple wooden surround that is likely a replacement. The opening holds a solid metal door with no embellishments. A mail slot is located parallel to the door s simple metal doorknob. A metal kick plate spans the door s bottom edge. The door is a replacement. b.

Windows and shutters: Two original, or early, four-over-four, double-hung, wood-sash windows flank the building s primary entrance. The windows are framed with modern vinyl shutters and their original surrounds have either been removed or are concealed behind modern storm windows. A third window of the same type is found near the building s northeast corner on the eastern facade. 8. Roof a. Shape, covering: The Store is topped by a front-gabled roof clad in asphalt shingles. b. Cornice, eaves: The Grogan Store has no cornice and its unadorned eaves are shallow. GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 7) c. Dormers, cupolas, towers: A frame parapet wall rises from the roof juncture of the building s porch and main mass. The wall is clad in siding and edged with plain wood molding.

A modern sign for Forsyth Roofing projects forward from the parapet wall and is held up by a wood support. C. Description of Interior Interior access to the resource was not made available. D. Site 1. Historic landscape design: The Grogan Store, historically known as the Little Evans Grocery, was one of many rural community stores located along the SR 20 corridor. Construction of the modest commercial enterprise was completed ca. In ca. the Grogan House was constructed to the rear (north) of the Store and was oriented toward Doc Sams Road. A aerial photograph depicts Store and House accompanied by a number of small secondary buildings to the far north of the house. Due to tree coverage, it is unclear if the present standing Garage and Utility Building were constructed by this point.

Between and a ranch house was constructed on the resource s northern adjacent lot. Following the construction of this residence, presumably by the Grogan family, a driveway was cleared connecting this property to the Grogan House and Store.21 Aerial imagery shows this path following the same general footprint as the driveway present today. This pathway appears to retain the same footprint as the drive which meanders through the resource s parcel today. In a line of trees was planted at the northern property boundary to serve as a divide between the two residences. These landscape alterations have centered around the Grogan House, as opposed to the Store, which continues to stand alone at the intersection of SR 20 and Doc Sams Road, as it did when it was first constructed.

A small, informal, dirt parking lot is situated between the store and the road. The lot is accessible from SR 20 via a short dirt driveway. 2. Outbuildings: Grogan House: Placed at the center of its associated parcel, the one-story frame Grogan House was constructed ca. The building is rectangular in plan and rests on a continuous brick foundation. It stands four-bays-wide at its front (west) facade and is clad in German siding. The house is topped with a side-gabled roof clad in 21 Historic Aerials, aerials (images), and aerial image search of Canton Highway, Netronline, accessed November GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 8) standing-seam metal. A shouldered, exterior-end, brick chimney rises from the southern gable end.

Exposed rafter tails are visible at the southern end of the front facade. According to a aerial, the residence was only three-bays-wide at the time of its original construction; the northernmost bay was added between and This is evidenced by molding found on the facade which serves to hide the juncture of the two building blocks. Further support for this addition is visible at the building s front porch. The front-projecting gabled porch is seen centered on the facade in the aerial; however, by it is pictured as off-center. This reveals the shed-roof section of the porch sheltering the house s two northernmost bays as an addition. Both sections of the porch are topped with standing-seam metal and supported by scrolled metal posts.

A metal rail of the same style spans in between, broken only by the facade s two concrete stairs, which are sided by handrails of the same style. A wood-panel door is centered beneath the front-projecting porch roof. It retains original, simple, wood surrounds. Original, or early replacement, three-over-one, double-hung, wood-sash windows flank either side of the door and retain simple wood surrounds. A third window located on the northern end of the front facade is a one-over-one metal replacement. This window is surrounded by a large perimeter of wood paneling, suggesting an alteration to the opening. Two window openings on the building s northern side facade consist of a two-over-two vinyl replacement and a small six-over-six, double-hung, wood sash.

Two windows, of the same type as those to either side of the front entry, flank the chimney on the house s south side facade. Extending to the building s rear (east) is a three-bay shed-roof addition clad in German siding, which was added to the house between and The first and third bays of the addition are completely enclosed, creating additional interior space. The center bay remains open allowing for a recessed porch supported by a wood post. Set within the porch are two replacement windows. To the left of the windows is a modern door. Garage: The mid-twentieth-century garage stands about 25 to the northeast of the Grogan House. The front of the concrete block building faces west and is two bays wide. It is topped by a front-gabled roof clad in asphalt shingles.

German siding partially clads the building s front facade. Its secondary facades display fully exposed concrete block. Two replacement roller-track garage doors occupy the building s two 22 Netronline and aerials. GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 9) centrally spaced front facade bays. A one-over-one sash window placed off-center on the building s north side facade is the only other visible opening. The ghost of a former side-entry door, which has been filled in with concrete block, is found on the building s south side facade. Utility Building: Located to the southeast of the Grogan House and northeast of the Grogan Store, the single-story concrete block utility building mimics the garage in both size and form.

Also facing west, the building is similarly topped with a front- gable roof with asphalt shingles. Its front gable is clad in German siding. The remainder of the front facade largely consists of exposed concrete block, with some vinyl siding flanking the single garage door that occupies the first bay of the facade. Exposed concrete block is visible on the north and south facades. The building s front fa ade is divisible into three bays. The northernmost bay is a historic roller-track garage door. Its door is composed of square wood panels with four large, fixed windows near the top. The middle bay is occupied by a small, single-entry, raised-panel, wood door. A large ghost-doorway filled with concrete block occupies the third and final bay.

Projecting from the front facade is a three-bay, standing-seam-metal, shed-roof porch supported by turned wooden posts. The porch rests on a poured concrete foundation. The building is otherwise unornamented. A single one-over-one, double-hung, sash window is centered on the southern facade. The northern facade features the ghost of an identically placed window that has been filled in with concrete block. GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 10) Part III. Sources of Information A. Selected Sources Bramblett, Annette. Forsyth County, Twentieth-Century Changes. Historical Society of Forsyth County, Inc. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, Cherokee Trail Road Residents Petition To Join State System.

Atlanta Constitution, November 24, Ducktown: City Dwellers Start To Look More Toward Forsyth County. Atlanta Constitution, December 18, Ducktown Feathers Its Nest: Birds Gone in Forsyth County Hamlet, But Business is Taking Off. Atlanta Constitution, May 27, Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. Historic Resources Survey Report: GDOT Projects and Cherokee and Forsyth Counties (P.I. Nos. HP No. Prepared for Georgia Department of Transportation. Copy on file at GDOT Office of Environmental Services, Atlanta, Evans, Maude Estelle. Atlanta Constitution, October 18, https://www.newspapers.com/ Findagrave.com. Steve Clay Grogan. Electronic resource accessed January at Forsyth County Board of Tax Assessors. Property Records Search for Doc Sams Road.

Accessed January at Forsyth County Heritage Book Committee and County Heritage, Inc. Forsyth County, Georgia Heritage, Walsworth Publishing Company, Georgia s Living Places: Historic Houses in Their Landscaped Settings. Atlanta: Historic Preservation Section, Division of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Sites, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 11) Krakow, Kenneth. Georgia Place-Names. Macon: Winship Press, Ledbetter, Linda. Growing Up In Ducktown. Self-published, no date. Netronline. Historic Aerials: Forsyth County. Electronic resource accessed January at Post Office Department. Map of Forsyth County, Ga. Showing Rural Delivery Service. County Maps, Surveyor General, RG Georgia Archives, State of Georgia.

Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly. Atlanta: Chas. P. State Printer, US Census Bureau. Twelfth Census of the United States, Accessed January at https://www.ancestry.com/. Thirteenth Census of the United States, Accessed January at https://www.ancestry.com/. Fourteenth Census of the United States, Accessed January at https://www.ancestry.com/. Fifteenth Census of the United States, Accessed January at https://www.ancestry.com/. Sixteenth Census of the United States, Accessed January at https://www.ancestry.com/. World War I Draft Registration Cards, Georgia, Card of Roscoe W. Evans. Accessed January at https://www.ancestry.com/. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, Card of Stephen Clay Grogan. Accessed January at https://www.ancestry.com/. GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No.

GA-2448 (Page 12) Part IV. Supplemental Material Figure 1: Grogan House and Store Location Map. GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 13) Figure 2: Grogan House and Store Site Map. GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 14) Figure 3: The Grogan Store, south front facade, without scale. View looking north. (Photography by Rob Tucher, September GROGAN HOUSE AND STORE HABS No. GA-2448 (Page 15) Recommendation and Assessment of Eligibility23 National Register Recommendation: The property is considered Eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. National Register Criteria and Level of