This was the largest Plantation in GA before the Civil War

Sapp Plantation, Sardis Georgia

Date added: June 02, 2024

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The Sapp Plantation house is an exceptional example of early-nineteenth-century architecture. The Sapp family had one of the largest plantations in Burke County prior to the Civil War. The plantation produced corn, rather than cotton, the leading agricultural commodity. Being one of the early families to settle the area between Sardis and Alexander, the Sapp family was involved in the establishment of religious and educational institutions in the surrounding communities.

Architecturally, the Sapp Plantation house is an example of a typical early-nineteenth-century Plantation Plain-type house. The two over two, central stair hall with rear additions is typical of the Plantation Plain structure. The mortise-and-tenon construction of the house is a common method of construction found in the early nineteenth century. The plantation house displays exceptional examples of Federal-style craftsmanship. Elaborate plaster ceiling moldings and medallions are located in the first-floor rooms and central hall. Such elaborate architectural embellishment is uncommon in Plantation Plain-style structures and reflects the prosperity and success of the builder. It is the only plantation house associated with the Sapp family to remain.

The Sapp Plantation was one of the largest plantations in Georgia before the Civil War. Between the years 1786 and 1841, the Sapp family received ten headright grants for 1,500 acres. They also acquired land by royal grants, bounty land for Revolutionary War service, and by purchase. By 1860, the owner of the Sapp Plantation house, William Sapp, owned approximately 7,000 acres of cleared and forested land in Burke County. This land was valued at $37,000. The average farm in 1860 consisted of 900 acres and was worth $12,000, so it is evident that the Sapp Plantation ranked in the top six percent of farms in Georgia before the Civil War. Approximately 900 farms consisted of 1,000 or more acres in Georgia on the eve of the war.

William Sapp was ranked among the largest owners of slaves in Burke County before the Civil War. According to census records in 1850, Sapp owned 100 slaves, and, by 1860, the number had increased to 138. The slaves were valued at $51,000 in that year. On the eve of the war, Sapp was the owner of the largest number of slaves in Burke County.

The most significant fact about the Sapp Plantation is that the family chose to plant their fields in Indian corn and to raise livestock, rather than produce cotton, the leading agricultural commodity in Burke County before the Civil War. Although some cotton was produced (171 400-pound bales in 1850), the bulk of the plantation produced Indian corn and livestock. In 1850, the Sapp Plantation produced approximately 8,000 bushels of Indian corn. In 1860, it is believed that William Sapp farmed only one area of the Sapp Plantation, resulting in lower production amounts. He produced 600 bushels of Indian corn in that year. Burke County produced 703,842 bushels of Indian corn in 1860, the largest amount produced by a county. Burke was the largest producer of Indian corn in Georgia that year. While Sapp operated two farms in 1850, his livestock on one farm was valued at over $2,000. Also produced on the Sapp Plantation were other products, indicating a self-sufficient plantation.

It is believed that the Sapp Plantation house was built by William Sapp prior to his marriage to Sarah (Hankinson) Leslie in 1826. Sapp (1789-1875) was a member of one of the early families to settle in Burke County, and was an early member of the Sardis Baptist Church, where he contributed regularly to the growth of the church. In 1869, William and his son, George W. Sapp, contributed ten acres of land for the construction of a new church. William Sapp was also instrumental in establishing the Alexander Village and Academy Company in 1842. It was organized to fill the educational void felt by members of the Alexander community. Sapp also served as a trustee of Mercer University in 1855.

During the Civil War, military action was prevalent in the area of the Sapp Plantation house. Because of skirmish activity in the Waynesboro area, the Sapp Plantation house was spared destruction.

William Sapp built a summer plantation house in Whitfield County before the Civil War. After the war, he made "Broadacre" his permanent home. "Broadacre" no longer exists.

The Sapp Plantation house became the property of Georgia W. Sapp (1843-1908), the son of William Sapp. George, due to a lack of financial ability, squandered the family's accumulated wealth, and in 1875, after his father's death, sold the plantation house and the plantation to obtain the money necessary to pay his debts. The house became the property of various tenant farmers until it was purchased by Mrs. Eleanor Fisher, in 1952.

Building Description

The Sapp Plantation is located between Waynesboro and Sardis, near the community of Alexander on Highway 24. Only 316.4 acres is the remaining intact acreage that has been associated with the Sapp family.

The Sapp Plantation house is a two-story, frame, Plantation Plain-style structure built in the 1820s. It has a two-over-two, central-hall floor plan with one-story rear additions. The structure is of mortise-and-tenon construction. Flush weatherboard is located on the first-floor level of the front facade of the house; the rest of the house is covered with conventional weatherboard. The brick-pier foundation has been filled with bricks. The double front door with fanlight and sidelights is flanked by two windows on each side on the first-floor level. Second-floor windows are located directly over the first-floor windows and front door. The twentieth-century front porch replaced a full-length porch. Chimneys are located on each end of the structure.

The central entrance hallway features a spiral stairway. The rear wall of the foyer is curved and the closet doors are curved to fit flush with the curved wall. Elaborate plaster ornamentation is found on the ceilings in the first-floor rooms and the central hallway. The first-floor mantels are reproductions of the original mantels. The second-floor rooms contain simple molding as opposed to the elaborate molding found on the first floor. The second-floor mantels are original.

The one-story additions to the rear of the structure were built around the turn of the century. A kitchen and dining area are located in the perpendicular addition. An enclosed porch was constructed adjacent to the rear of the original structure.

Other outbuildings are located on the property. Several barns are located to the rear of the house. A tenant house constructed of mortise and tenon is located approximately 650 feet east of the house. A well is located northwest of the house.

Other structures are known to have existed on the property. Several tenant houses have collapsed due to deterioration. A cotton gin was once located between the 01d Quaker Road and the present highway. A winding drive leads to the house. The front and side yards have been landscaped in the twentieth century.

The land behind the Sapp Plantation house is presently under cultivation.

The farmland consists of gently rolling hills. Some of the property is forested and a creek forms the eastern boundary of the property.