Davis-Edwards House, Monroe Georgia
The date of the construction of the house, and its builder, are subjects still under research. Architectural details point to construction in the 1830s and such details compare closely with other houses in the area known to have been built in that era. If built in the 1830s it was probably built by Benjamin Hammock, who owned the property at that time and is known to have been the builder for the first Walton County Courthouse. Since Hammock's ownership, this property has been owned by several of Walton County's prominent citizens, and now is anticipated for use as a museum.
Hammock sold this property in 1845 to Joszah Clark, builder of several railroad supper hotels in Social Circle and Stone Mountain. In September of 1846, Charles D. Davis, lawyer and Georgia politician, bought the property which remained in his family until the 1880s when John Prior Edwards acquired the estate. The Edwards family lived in the house until 1969.
Presently the Mary Edwards House is in the process of restoration by the Historical Society of Walton County for use as a museum and historical center.
A 1936 photograph shows the first floor porch roof line without the present awkward wooden wedge support, but with a pedimented gable identical to the second-story one. Identical doorways and square column types on both floors suggest that these porches were similar. If one is to conjecture that the original facade had a set of double temple-formed porches, each with a gabled end, then this occurrence is unusual. However, as in many other framed versions of the Greek Revival in Georgia. This lack of adherence to standard procedures of classical detail is often the case.
Building Description
The Mary Edwards House now stands unoccupied in a somewhat deteriorated state. The house went through three building periods c.1830, c.1880 and 1930. It will be restored to its 1830 appearance. The c.1880 and 1930 renovations were not so extensive this restoration will be a disguised reconstruction. The brick kitchen to the rear of the house survives intact.
The house is of an L-shaped plan with two front rooms separated by a central hallway. The third room is joined to the rear of the room on the left side of the hallway. This occurs on both of the two floors. It is best described as of the plantation-plain style with simple Greek Revival features. The foundation structure is mortised and tenoned, with the main beams of hand-hewn timbers about 12"x12" size. All timbers are of single piece in the span.
The exterior of the house is of weatherboarding with simple gables, given a completed pediment treatment in each case. Each of the rooms is served by a fireplace contained in large stucco-covered brick chimneys on the exterior of the building. The cornice does show an entablature with triglyphs of half-round dowels.
Several changes have been made to the front facade. It appears that the original structure had a two-story front porch of a double temple form which extended only on the central portion of the facade. The porch had four square simple-styled columns on both levels, crowned with a simple unadorned pediment. Both levels used double doors with side lights and overlights of a rectangular construction. A shed porch ran along the back of the single front room and was served by a rear door in the central hall. Small paned nine-over-nine windows were symmetrically arranged in all the rooms, including windows on either side of the chimneys in all rooms.
The exterior has had some additions and changes during the history of the house. The lower porch has had two wing-like extensions added, which necessitate the change to a single floor-length window in the front wall of the two lower rooms. The rooms have been added on the rear of the second floor.
One enters the central hall which contains the main staircase. The walls are sheathed in wide boards. The staircase rises to its first landing over an enclosed area. From this landing the stair is free standing, making two ninety-degree turns. The balusters and newel posts are simple and square-cut. On the string is a ball and quarter-round design.
The two rooms on either side of the central hall on both floors are plastered over the wainscotting. The rear room on the lower level, which is joined to the front room with wide bifold doors (a later addition) is sheathed in wood but has been covered in plaster. All rooms in the house are almost square varying from 17'1" to 47'6" in each dimension.
The window and door treatment is consistent on each of the two floors. The trim has some molded distinction. The second-floor trim is consistent throughout and is different from that found on the first floor. A simple wainscotting is found in each room, although the second floor's wainscotting is reduced in height to accommodate the height of the ceilings.
Doors are five-paneled with one horizontal panel in the middle of the door separating two vertical panels on both top and bottom Many of the locks on both interior and exterior doors are Carpenter Co. locks and still can be operated by a single large key. The mantelpieces are simple and use a column motif in all cases. Each mantelpiece is essentially the same in dimension but each has unique features and treatments in its execution.
One interesting feature that was in the original plan was a stairway connecting the two rear rooms. In fact, until the additional porches were added on the second floor this stair was the only way to reach the rear room on the second floor. From traces in the walls, floor, and ceiling of the extant structure, it appears that the stair was a dog leg to the right, from a short landing.
Two separate outbuildings complete the estate. One is a brick building now joined to the house by an enclosed passage. This appears to have been a kitchen. It is the most deteriorated portion of the structure. Standing a number of yards from the house is another brick building. Its walls are of three brick thicknesses, laid in an American bond. It has a large open-hearth fireplace in one end and conjecture has given it a variety of usages. In later years it was seriously altered when a large section around the original door was knocked out to accommodate an automobile.
Front of house looking at SSE corner of house. The extensions on the lower porch, the lower story windows and weatherboarding under the front porch roof was added at a date later than the original building (1971)
Rear of house. Porches and enclosures on later building than the original house. Right of picture may have been a kitchen the house is ESE (1971)
S.S.E. room, to right of lower floor hallway. View of mantle piece and flanking windows. Fireplaces cemented in to provide for "modern" heating (1971)
Interior of house; main hall showing central stairway rising from first to second story (1971)
Interior of house, showing door, which is one of the original doors. Most doors in the original fabric of the house are similar. Hardware is a "carpenter's" lock from Great Britain (1971)
