Work last month on the McAfee house at its new home in Cherokee County, Ga. (Civil War Picket photo)
Concerns
about gas vapors and traffic once again led a suburban Atlanta planning commission
to vote against RaceTrac’s effort to build a 24/7 station and convenience store
on two acres that until last year contained
a home caught up in Civil War cavalry clashes.
The Cobb County Planning Commission voted 3-2 to back rezoning of the
property at Bells Ferry Road and Ernest Barrett Parkway, but stipulations would
not allow alcohol and fuel sales. The Robert and Eliza McAfee home, built 20
years before the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, had been empty for years.
Nearly 30 people in opposition attended Tuesday’s meeting, arguing the project should not be permitted so close to an elementary school and
day-care center.
The final say rests with the county’s top elected body.
“We do intend to move forward to the Board of Commissioners
at their May 19th Zoning Hearing and seek approval of the rezoning application,”
RaceTrac and property owner attorney Kevin Moore told the Picket in an email
shortly after the hearing. (Picket photo, left)
The home --
which briefly served as the headquarters for a Union general and was in the
middle of cavalry movements and clashes in summer 1864 – last spring was moved to adjoining
Cherokee County after a long effort to save it from destruction. It stood
at the corner of Bells Ferry Road and Ernest Barrett Parkway. (At left, a map showing troop positions in June-July 1864; note McAfee House, Library of Congress)
Because the
owner of the property never sought historic an historic designation or protection and Cobb County
declined to purchase the property, it’s inevitable some kind of commercial
development will come to the site. Neighbors suggest medical buildings or businesses that would generate less traffic than a gas station.
Planning
Commissioner Fred Beloin cited articles about the risks of vapors, including
benzene, a carcinogen. The distance between the RaceTrac property line and
Bells Ferry Elementary, across the street, would be less than 200 feet. While
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests 1,000 feet, and some Georgia
counties have rules for about a 500 to 600-foot buffer, officials said, Cobb
County does not have such requirements.
“It has been
pointed out that we don’t have a strict rule but we also don’t have a strict
rule that we are supposed to put stick our head in the sand and act like
ostriches,” said Beloin.
The McAfee site at left and elementary school across Bells Ferry Road (Picket photo)
Moore said
RaceTrac has agreed to add a right-turn lane and raised medians to address
worries about increased and unsafe traffic. And, the lawyer argued, RaceTrac
has systems that would limit vapors from the 16 pumps and fuel storage areas.
Businesses
around the site offer some of the same products RaceTrac would feature, he
said, arguing the station is compatible and a benefit for the area.
To deny the
property the same level of commercial use as others nearby “is rendering this
property the sacrificial buffer for this intersection. That does not comport
with the laws and rules of planning and zoning,” Moore told the planning panel.
Site was used in 1864 as cavalry HQ and hospital
The Planning Commission in October recommended rezoning
the property, but added conditions that would not allow gasoline
sales. (The planning staff had recommended approval of the project.)
The company last November withdrew its rezoning bid. But the Board of Commissioners voted to allow RaceTrac to reapply. RaceTrac’s bid has not changed substantially since that meeting.
The Robert and Eliza McAfee House before its move to Cherokee County (Cobb Landmarks)
Planning commissioner Sara Micheletto on Tuesday urged approval,
with several stipulations, but the majority voted to again reject the project. The real estate agent for the property owner had no comment Tuesday.
The McAfee dwelling dated to the 1840s, and the sprawling farm was a fixture in the Noonday
Creek area.
It served
a few weeks in June and early July 1864 as the headquarters for Brig.
Gen. Kenner Garrard (left) and his three brigades. After
the seizure of Big Shanty (Kennesaw) by Federal forces on June 9, Garrard’s
cavalry division was posted on the left flank during operations on the Kennesaw
Mountain front.
Federal
troopers clashed almost daily near Noonday Creek with Confederates led by Maj.
Gen. Joseph Wheeler. The McAfee
farm was believed to have been occupied by Confederates, too, during the action
around Kennesaw Mountain. The house is said to have been used as a field hospital.
The
nonprofit Cobb Landmarks, the Bells Ferry Civic Association -- which opposes the RaceTrac -- and the county’s historic preservation staff all recommend an archaeological
survey of the site if the rezoning is ultimately approved.
Work continues at home's new home in Ball Ground
Cobb Landmarks had worked to find someone to move the home, including
when a car wash was proposed.
Although
observers were pleased the McAfee House was not destroyed, many decried Cobb
County's loss of history with its move to an adjoining county
The sturdy home was cut into six pieces before its move in spring 2025 (Civil War Picket photo)
The couple
moved the sturdy residence to near their home in Ball Ground and have been
working since on its foundation. The couple says they expect the house to
either rented as a residence or an Airbnb-style arrangement.
The Civil War Picket
visited Ball Ground a couple weeks ago. Retaining walls have been added and a
protective material placed around bricks. Work inside has not yet begun as
crews work to complete the home's foundation and substructure.
The front of the McAfee home in Ball Ground in April 2026 (Picket photo)
Foundation work in Ball Ground, Ga. (Courtesy the Lusks), house before it was moved (Cobb Landmarks)
Putting back together
a Civil War home they sliced into six pieces and transported 25 miles has been
a challenge for an entrepreneurial couple in northwest Georgia, but they’re dedicated
to the project for the long haul.
For the past few
months, crews working for Lee and Brittani Lusk in Ball Ground have been
working to set the Robert and Eliza McAfee House on a firm foundation. They need to
get all the pieces properly aligned and stabilized before they can restore the
interior of the 1840s central
hallway cottage.
“It will all be fine, (it is) just difficult right now until
we get foundation done,” Brittani Lusk wrote in a recent text message. “Most
people don’t do things like this, so we have had to get creative.” The couple first ran into difficulty when they drilled the foundation.
The crew is finishing the piers for the foundation, and the
house will rest above a crawlspace, as it did at its longtime location in
neighboring Cobb County, said Lusk, adding the foundation work is nearing an end.
The main floor of the home will be higher at the new location, given the crawlspace is near ground level compared to it being dug into the earth at the old. (At left, Civil War Picket photo of sliced McAfee House in Cobb County shortly before it was moved.)
The sturdy home was moved to make room for commercial
development -- the Lusks bought the structure for $1 -- but the future use of the Cobb County two acres it sat on is uncertain.
The landowner and
RaceTrac had pursued rezoning that would allow for a 24/7 service station and
convenience store, but the project was withdrawn this month amid opposition
from neighborhoods near Bells Ferry Road and Ernest Barrett Parkway. RaceTrac
can apply again, should it decide to do so.
The McAfee House served a few weeks in June
and early July 1864 as the headquarters for Union Brig. Gen. Kenner Garrard and
his three cavalry brigades during the Atlanta Campaign
The support blocks will be eventually bricked up (Courtesy Lee and Brittani Lusk)
The Federal troopers clashed almost daily near
Noonday Creek with Confederates led by Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler. .
Cobb County, just northwest of Atlanta, was the scene of significant
combat action and troop movement as Confederates tried to stall Maj. Gen.
William T. Sherman’s relentless campaign on Atlanta, which began in May 1864 in
North Georgia.
The large McAfee farm was believed to have been
occupied by Confederates, too, during the action around Kennesaw Mountain.
The house had been empty for several years,
and preservationists worried it would fall to the wrecking ball, given it had
no historic protection. Eventually, the owner donated the house to the
nonprofit Cobb Landmarks so it could find someone to move it before a
development could be built at the busy intersection.
Stairs emerge from the crawlspace in the old location (Civil War Picket photo)
Cobb Landmarks earlier this year sold the
house to the Lusks, who moved the pieces in May to
adjoining Cherokee County. They have not announced the future use of the home,
which is close to their residence.
Cobb Landmarks said it would have liked for the home to stay in Cobb County, but the Lusks made the best proposal and have a history of fixing up old homes.
Many observers expressed their displeasure at it being moved and the property developed, but are happy the home is being saved rather than razed.
Brittani Lusk said the timbers that hold up the home are very solid.
Tony Stanley studies the remarkable timbers used to the build the home (Picket photo)
A fascinating side note is three 48-foot long beams that run the width of the house as floor joists. Tony Stanley, who moved the home, said he has never seen that before, but he marveled at the size of the pine trees that were needed: the wood is about 12 inches by 12 inches.
Among other Ball Ground properties, the couple own the 1906 Wheeler House, a popular wedding venue; The Elm, business suites situated in an old elementary
school (great pun); and an historic home they leased out to a restaurant that
has since closed.
The couple say they have done dozens of restorations
in the region.
Lee Lusk (top left), steel supports underneath, interior (Courtesy the Lusks) and Brig. Gen. Kenner Garrard
One property
at a time, go-getters Lee and Brittani Luskare championing historic preservation and entrepreneurship in Ball Ground,
a growing city of about 2,400 perched in the foothills of North Georgia.
Among other
properties, the couple own the 1906 Wheeler House, a popular wedding venue; The Elm, business suites situated in an old elementary school (great pun); and an
historic home they lease out for Lora Mae’s restaurant.
Now they are
working on a project ambitious by even their standards: the move of a house
that was caught in the middle of
Civil War cavalry clashes and briefly served as headquarters for a Union general
during the Atlanta Campaign.
The Lusks, who have performed dozens of restorations in the
region, bought the Robert and Eliza McAfee house for $1 from the nonprofit Cobb Landmarks. The 1840s dwelling must be moved by mid-May to make way for commercial
development.
The house -- built as solid as a rock-- will have to be
broken into six or eight pieces for the move from Cobb County to Ball Ground, a
Cherokee County town about 25 miles to the north.
“I think, in the beginning, they thought it could be done in
two to four” pieces, Brittani Lusk recently told the Picket.
The Lusks (left) are not deterred by the considerable expense and
effort, though Brittani joked she and Lee have had a couple “What were we
thinking?” moments.
The couple tends to think big in ideas and implementation.
They dismantled a chapel where Lee was “saved and baptized”
and plan to rebuild it as a wedding venue at the Wheeler House. In 2023, they
purchased a railroad depot in Old Fort, Tenn. They hope to reassemble it as a
restaurant in downtown Ball Ground, which used to be known as a railroad town.
(Ball Ground, incidentally, was named for stick ball games Cherokee tribes used
to play in the area. It also got some headlines in 2015 when Tom Cruise came to shoot a movie.)
The Lusks are moving the McAfee House
to a corner lot near their 1895 residence. It will take up to a year to
renovate the house, which has modern features added over the years. They are
not sure how it will be used – a rental residence, museum or something else.
The sumptuous Ball Ground Botanical Garden across the street from the Lusks
could tie into the house. The parcel the McAfee House will sit on is at Old
Canton and Byrd Hill roads.
“(We want it
to be) the most original it can
be. I would love to leave the wood walls and the original siding, to make it
appear to be a Civil War Home,” said Brittani, who manages the staff of the Wheeler
House.
Cobb Landmarks maintains the farm was reportedlyused as a field hospital following a skirmish near McAfee’s Crossroads on June 11, 1864.
Bloodstains are said to be visible on the floorboards in an upstairs
bedroom, although carpet conceals the spot today.
That’s
according to legend.
“We
are going to know in three to five months,” Lee Lusk said in March.
Cavalry skirmishes, bloodletting in Cobb County
While Cobb Landmarks had hoped the McAfee House would stay in
Cobb County, the proposal put forward by the Lusks was a clear choice for
a committee looking at nearly 40 proposals to relocate the empty dwelling.
“There were a couple (proposals) from Cobb (but) they were
not fleshed-out applications,” Cobb Landmarks executive director Trevor Beemon
told the Picket in February. “We needed to get to someone who already knows
what they are doing.”
The McAfee House served a few weeks in June and early July
1864 as the headquarters for Brig.
Gen. Kenner Garrard and his three brigades during the Atlanta Campaign
The
Federal troopers clashed almost daily near Noonday Creek with
Confederates led by Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler. .
Cobb County was the scene of significant combat action and
troop movement as Confederates tried to stall Union Maj. Gen. William T.
Sherman’s relentless campaign on Atlanta, which began in May 1864 in North
Georgia.
After the seizure of Big Shanty (Kennesaw) by Federal forces
on June 9, Garrard’s cavalry division was posted on the left flank during
operations on the Kennesaw Mountain front.While there were some small towns, including Marietta and Big
Shanty, most citizens lived on farms.
Click to enlarge map showing several Civil War clashes in Cobb County (ABPP)
The McAfee farm was believed to
have been occupied by Confederates, too, during the action around Kennesaw
Mountain.
The house has been empty for several years, and
preservationists worried it would fall to the wrecking ball. Eventually, the
owner donated the house to Cobb Landmarks so it could find someone to move it
before a new development is built.
Beemon predicted it could cost up to $150,000 to prep and move
the dwelling up Highway 5 and another $200,000-$250,000 for renovations.
The benefits, risks of being your own boss
Wheeler House wedding venue (Picket photo) and The Elm (Courtesy the Lusks
Lee Lusk, 40, a native of Canton in Cherokee County,
purchased and renovated his first home at age 18. He was asked in a 2018 interview how he came to be an
entrepreneur.
“I can’t take direction. I have to do things myself. I have several
family members who own their own business and I always knew that I would rather
lose trying to make it on my own rather than win working under someone else,”
he said.
“I’m also more of an idea guy, I can start projects but lose focus
when it gets closer to the end, but because I am my own boss and working on my
own projects I am able to do something new every day.”
Small depot in Old Fort, Tenn., before it was moved to Georgia (Courtesy the Lusks)
Lee and Brittani, 33 -- who have three small children – call themselves business people with a specialty.
“Not many people know how to do it," Lee told the Picket of
restoration work. “Not many are very good at it.”
The McAfee House attracted them with its heart pine, flooring, wood beams and
timbers. A plus was no obvious apparent water or termite damage. Lee likes to
keep original materials whenever feasible.
The
developer has a discerning eye for properties. “The setting attracts me the
most. The house second,” said Lee, who has an affinity for standout trees.
The
church chapel story is particularly close to his heart.
A crew dismantles the old Macedonia Baptist chapel near Canton (Courtesy the Lusks)
About five years ago, the Georgia Department of Transportation widened
Georgia 20, east of Canton. Macedonia Baptist Church’s chapel needed to be
moved and the Lusks performed the work. (They want to rebuild it for their Ball
Ground wedding venue).
Lee’s late father Joel helped build
the new sanctuary for Macedonia, which sits off East Cherokee Drive a few miles
south of Ball Ground.
“He loved the people of
Macedonia Church and devoted much of his life to selflessly serving others,”
his 2021 obituary reads. “His work there has left a beautiful and lasting
legacy.”
A 2023 comprehensive plan for Ball Ground says the community
is seeing continuous growth and change.
“Today,
the City is becoming a destination in its own right, and not simply a bedroom
community between Canton and Jasper.” (Left, the botanical garden, Picket photo)
While
promoting sustainable growth, the city says it is important to preserve and
enhance a sense of place and historic character. The Picket reached out to city
officials for comment on the Lusks’ contributions but has not yet heard back.
Stefanie
Joyner, executive director of History Cherokee and the Cherokee County
Historical Society, said of the couple:
“They have
saved numerous historic buildings and helped preserve the historic
character of Cherokee County. They are not afraid to tackle large
projects and by utilizing the historic preservation tax credits, the Lusks have
been able to leverage their passion into successful businesses. "We look forward
to working with them in the future and are excited to add the McAfee House to
Ball Ground.”
Shooting for an 1840s feel in 21st century
In late April, the Lusks were still prepping the McAfee House for the move and their crews have been on site. They are hiring a company that specializes in such ambitious moves.
The house is
on large iron beams and three trailers are in place to carry the pieces along
the route, which had not been finalized when I last was in touch.
Some really old walls at the McAfee House and something a bit more contemporary (Courtesy the Lusks)
The two-story
home is much bigger than it appears from the front on Bells Ferry Road at
Ernest Barrett Parkway. (The residence had no designated historic protection because the owner did not seek it, according to Cobb officials, and is not on the National Register of Historic Places.)
The move will
be right down to the mid-May deadline. And the logistics for that will be
significant. Cobb County law enforcement will escort the entourage to Cherokee
County, where deputies will finalize the drive to Ball Ground.
Lee Lusk said
asbestos testing is necessary. Fireplace bricks (right, photo courtesy the Lusks) have been removed and will be
used again. The couple has taken care of permitting for the Ball Ground
property, which is near a stream.
There’s a state marker outside the McAfee House -- which is northwest of Atlanta -- but
it will remain after the house moves. The Lusks would like to make a duplicate of some kind for Ball Ground.
Brittani says
they have encountered some writing on the walls of the house, perhaps written
by an Emma Good or Hood. They have a box of artifacts -- including medicine
bottles and plans for the land surrounding the residence -- they found
while on site in Cobb County.
The house is built of pine timbers joined with wooden pegs.
It has original heart pine floors (currently under carpet) and plank walls and
ceilings beneath modern additions. The residence features a central hallway.
“When you walk through it, the floorboards don’t creak,”
Beemon, with Cobb Landmarks, told me earlier this year. “The timbers are two
feet thick under this thing. It is sitting on stone piers. It is really a solid
structure.”
Brittani said she plans to get rid of the “ugly” exterior
awning and metal siding. The dwelling will likely need a new front door.
The idea is for a visitor to feel like they are in the 1840s
when they step inside.
“We want it be in the most original
state with historical integrity,” said Brittani.
The McAfee House will be placed in the lot to the right of a stream barrier (Picket photo)
The McAfee house was built around 1840, when Cobb County was mostly farms (Cobb Landmarks)
An Atlanta-area home that was caught in the middle of Civil War cavalry clashes
and briefly served as headquarters for a Union general has been sold for $1 and stipulations to a couple who will relocate the residence to a
neighboring county.
Lee and Brittani Lusk, who operate The Wheeler House wedding and events
venue, purchased the 1840s Robert McAfee House -- situated in a congested corridor -- for $1 from Cobb
Landmarks
The nonprofit group had long worked with the owner of the historic house and developers
to save it from the wrecking ball, but things did not work out until now.
While Cobb Landmarks had hoped the McAfee House would stay in Cobb
County, the proposal put forward by the Lusks -- who live in Ball Ground in Cherokee County --
was a clear choice for a committee looking at nearly 40 proposals to relocate the empty dwelling.
“There were a
couple (proposals) from Cobb (but) they were not fleshed-out applications,” Cobb Landmarks executive director Trevor Beemon told the Picket. “We needed to get to
someone who already knows what they are doing.” The house must be removed by May 15 to Ball Ground, about 25 miles to the north.
Click to enlarge map of several Civil War clashes in Cobb County (ABPP)
The Robert and Eliza McAfee House served a few weeks in June and early July
1864 as the
headquarters for Brig. Gen. Kenner Garrard and his three brigades during the
Atlanta Campaign. The Federal troopers clashed almost daily near Noonday Creek with Confederates led by Maj. Gen.
Joseph Wheeler. The house is said also to have been used as a field hospital.
Cobb County was the scene of
significant combat action and troop movement as the Confederates tried to stall
Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s relentless campaign on Atlanta, which
began in May 1864 in North Georgia.
After the seizure of Big
Shanty (Kennesaw) by Federal forces on June 9, Garrard’s cavalry division was
posted on the left flank during operations on the Kennesaw Mountain front.While there were some small towns, including
Marietta and Big Shanty, most citizens lived on farms. The farm was
believed to have been occupied by Confederates, too,
during the action around Kennesaw Mountain.
Buyers reportedly renovated many historic structures
The Wheeler
House website says CEO and owner Lee Lusk, a native of Canton in Cherokee
County, purchased and renovated his first home at age 18. “Since, he has
remodeled multiple historic homes in the North GA. He has also bought, sold and
developed land in Cobb and Cherokee counties.”
His wife Brittani Lusk
serves as operations and marketing director at The Wheeler House, which was built in 1906 by a local lumber businessman.
The Lusks told the Picket they will move the McAfee House to a lot near their home in Ball Ground. They had not decided whether it will be used as a house or museum for the community.
No one has lived in the home for more than a decade (Photos, Cobb Landmarks)
Lee Lusk said they expect to have the house out
by the end of April.
“They are anxious to get in there," Beemon said. “They are
excited about it.”
The couple have moved a couple properties in the past and have the knowledge and
wherewithal to make the deal happen, Beemon said. It could cost up to $150,000 to move the dwelling
up Highway 5 and another $200,000-$250,000 for renovations.
Lee Lusksaid in a 2021 interview he was 25 when he bought The Wheeler House. The couple built a barn for events a couple years later, in 2012. He recalls finding two old photos in a hidden compartment in the house.
This old house was well-built but needed protection
A deal to turn the McAfee House property at Bells Ferry Road and Barrett Parkway into a car wash (even if the house stayed) fell apart in 2023. Preservationists used the time to come up with something else with the property owner, who decided to donate the home to Cobb Landmarks so it could be moved and make way for a commercial venture.
The developer purchasing the land lived in the home as a child and is expected to build a multi-tenant development, Beemon said.
The home and outbuildings were vulnerable to development because the property owner did not seek
historic protection from Cobb County. Beemon said the Lusks will be required to
obtain a preservation easement and adhere to Department of the Interior standards
for the home exterior while they may renovate the interior as they please.
This state marker did not provide protection (Photo by Michael Cruce / HMdb.org)
The house is built of pine timbers joined with wooden pegs.
It has original heart pine floors (currently under carpet) and plank walls and
ceilings beneath modern additions. The residence features a central hallway. It
has not been occupied for many years, said Beemon.
“When you
walk through it the floorboards don’t creak. The timbers are two feet thick
under this thing. It is sitting on stone piers. It is really a solid
structure.”
The couple may have to separate the structure into two or
three pieces for the move.
“As serial restorers,
they are putting a lot of passion into these things,” said Beemon.
The home is the last remaining pre-Civil War structure in the busy
Town Center corridor of the county. Cobb Landmarks has worked for about five
years to save it. Previous plans and deals fell through, Beemon told the
Picket.
“I won’t
believe it until it is up on a trailer. It has been such a roller coaster over
the years," he said.
Carol Brown, co-founder of Canton Road
Neighbors, a nonprofit that keeps a close eye on zoning
issues in the area, told the Picket she had hoped the house would have
remained in Cobb County. “But I am glad the house will be preserved.”
“I wish that Cobb County could have recognized the value to
the community by acquiring the two-acre historic property and restoring the
house onsite," Brown said Thursday. “It presented a unique opportunity, now lost in an area
that becomes more impervious, less livable and less pedestrian friendly every
year.”
Beemon said the cost for the three acres in a highly
desirable area was likely too expensive for the county.
The McAfee house was built around 1840, when Cobb County was mostly farms (Cobb Landmarks)
For $1 – yes, ONE DOLLAR -- you can buy an Atlanta-area house that
served as a headquarters for a real-life Civil War cavalry general and live like it’s 1864.
But there’s a kicker (yes, there’s always a kicker):
-- You have to move it before May 15 to a place with suitable zoning.
-- Moving historic buildings is complicated and expensive. Have you consulted with an
expert? How are you going to prepare it for the move, and will you clean up the
site once the dwelling is gone?
-- What are your plans for use of this two-story 1840s home? Will you agree to
renovate the interior in accordance with federal standards for historic properties?
-- And last, but not least, do you have enough money to move it and pay
for restoration?
Reality check.
These questions posed by a nonprofit trying to save and preserve the Robert and Eliza
McAfee House in Cobb County certainly are geared toward “serious buyers only.”
But the sale by Cobb Landmarks is being cheered as a winning strategy
after a five-year campaign to protect the house – which has no historical
protection -- from a crush of development in the suburb.
The
McAfee home served a few weeks in June and early July 1864 as the headquarters
for Brig. Gen. Kenner Garrard (left) and his three brigades during the
Atlanta Campaign. The Federal troopers clashed almost daily near Noonday Creek
with Confederates led by Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler. The house is said also to
have been used as a field hospital.
“Because
of the prominent location of the house, it has become a well-known and beloved
landmark to many. It would be an absolute shame to lose it and for the
materials to be reduced to rubble in a landfill,” says executive director
Trevor Beemon.
Interested buyers have until Jan. 17 to submit an application. The winner will be notified by Jan. 31.
A deal to turn the two acres at Bells Ferry Road and Barrett Parkway
into a car wash (even if the house stayed) fell apart in 2023 and
preservationists have used the time to come up with something else with the
property owner. The early goal was to keep the house where it is but relocation became an option.
“We have been negotiating with them about five years. They
finally agreed to donate the house to us so that we could arrange for it to be
removed. We are offering it for $1 because we know it will be costly to
relocate and renovate,” said Beemon.
The land will go to a developer who is expected to build a
multi-tenant development, he said. “Yes, it's a different buyer. He has a childhood
connection to the house and is supportive of our efforts to save the house.”
The broker representing the property seller declined to
answer the Picket’s questions.
Are there really soldier bloodstains upstairs?
Metro Atlanta residents and visitors alike
decry the dearth of physical remnants of the Civil War, but there are a few pockets
of preserved land in the region, most notably Kennesaw Mountain National
Battlefield Park in Cobb County.
Click to enlarge map of several Civil War clashes in Cobb County (ABPP)
Cobb County was the scene of significant
combat action and troop movement as the Confederates tried to stall Sherman’s
relentless campaign on Atlanta, which began in May 1864 in North Georgia.
After the seizure of Big Shanty (Kennesaw) by Federal
forces on June 9, Garrard’s cavalry division was posted on the left flank
during operations on the Kennesaw Mountain front.
While there were some small towns, including
Marietta and Big Shanty, most citizens lived on farms.
“The house was originally situated on hundreds of acres of agricultural land,” said
Beemon. “Over the years, the property has been sold off and reduced to just
under two acres where the house now sits. There is a barn and well on the
property. Both are currently being relocated through a separate agreement.”
The property's barn also is being relocated (Cobb Landmarks)
Today, the McAfee home is bordered by a
shopping center, drug store, school and other commercial buildings. It is a few miles north of Marietta and in the Town Center area. Kennesaw is to the west across Interstates 475 and 75.
The house is built of pine timbers joined with wooden pegs. It has
original heart pine floors (currently under carpet) and plank walls and
ceilings beneath modern additions. The residence features a central hallway. It
has not been occupied for many years, said Beemon.
Cobb Landmarks maintains the site was reportedly used as a field hospital following a skirmish near
McAfee’s Crossroads on June 11, 1864. Bloodstains are reported to be visible
on the floorboards in an upstairs bedroom, although carpet conceals the spot
today.
“We are careful to say ‘purportedly when
referencing the bloodstains and use as a field hospital,” said Beemon.
The farm was believed to have been occupied by
Confederates, too, during the Atlanta Campaign action around Kennesaw Mountain.
This state marker does not provide protection (Photo by Michael Cruce / HMdb.org)
Property has no local historic designation
Beemon said there is no requirement the house remain in Cobb County,
though keeping it there would be viewed favorably by the review committee.
“We
have received a number of inquiries with most expressing interest in the home
remaining in Cobb. One inquiry, in particular, is especially interesting;
however, we are unable to share any details.”
The organization would like to see the property returned
to its original intended use, but would be happy to see it used as a public
space or business as well.
Cobb Landmarks is requiring the house to be protected by a preservation easement to ensure the
exterior will retain its historic integrity and that the structure will be
protected from demolition. (At right, timber framing for floor)
Preservationists
have worked for years to protect the house, including through meetings with
local government officials and developers. The McAfee home has no designated historic
protection and is not on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Because
the house is located in unincorporated Cobb, it would have to be landmarked by
the Cobb County Historic Preservation Commission, preferably with the blessing
of the property owner. That never happened. There is a (1954) state historic
marker in front of the house marking the significance of the site, but it
affords no protection,” said Beemon.
Mandy Elliott, a Cobb County historic preservation
planner, said the owners of the house never contacted the commission to request such a designation and did not respond when the county reached out. Therefore,
the matter was never considered by the Cobb County Historic Preservation
Commission, Elliott said.
Basic requirements for a local historic designation include
nomination of the property to be placed on the Cobb County Register of Historic
Places, research on the site’s historic and architectural significance, a
report detailing justification of a designation and public hearings leading to
a final vote by the county commission.
No one has lived in the home for more than a decade (Photos, Cobb Landmarks)
“Local historic designation provides protection by requiring
review and approval of exterior changes by the Historic Preservation Commission,”
Elliott wrote in an email. “This would be projects that permanently alter the
historic character of the property, including additions, new siding, new
windows, porches, etc." The planner added it protects properties from removal and demolition.
A county commissioner told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2023 resolving the McAfee home situation was complicated. “We all want to save historic
structures. The hard part is finding an entity,” said JoAnn Birrell.
Mission accomplished, but a piece of history will move
Carol Brown, co-founder of Canton Road Neighbors, a
nonprofit that keeps a close eye on zoning issues, told The AJC in 2023 she hoped
the house would stay on site, perhaps becoming a museum. The home is the last remaining pre-Civil War structure in the
busy Town Center corridor.
“Think
of all the school kids who could visit the house,” she told the newspaper.
Brown also cites its proximity to the Noonday Creek Trailhead.
She
told the Picket recently there was a friends group formed for the McAfee House
but there was no meaningful support from the public or local government. An
engineer said bringing the house up to code would have cost about $250,000,
Brown said.
“Given the
desire of the landowner to sell the land, and realizing that it would be better
to remove the house for preservation, I congratulate Trevor Beemon for finally
completing the transaction,” Brown said. “The house will be preserved and in
private hands.”
She suggests
Cobb County could dedicate a corner to mark the location of the house, perhaps
with a monument, such as a cannon and new historic marker.
“Not seeing
the house on the corner of Bells Ferry and Barrett where it has been since the
mid-1800s will be a shock to the public. Seeing the land clear cut and graded
and developed for commercial use will be an additional shock,” Brown said.
