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Old Home Sites - 7 Still More Chimneys and Old Homestead Sites Northeast Georgia |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021) |
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Old Home Sites - 7 Still More Chimneys and Old Homestead Sites Northeast Georgia |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021) |
| March 2021 Sheldon H. and I searched out a few old homesteads in the Gumlog area of Union County. Old Homesite UN14 - Union Co., GA Home place of Claude Plott, the last person to live here: |
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| A beautiful double-sided (two fireplaces) chimney. Most of the original clay chinking, which gives the orange color, is still in place. |
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| Opposite side of the chimney |
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| This is one of the best chimneys I've seen in terms of the stone work. Most of the rock chimneys I've visited are constructed of random field stone, but this one seems to have had the stone squared off and otherwise worked & fitted as it was built. |
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| This fireplace still had a wire pot holder hanging in the hearth... |
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| Side view of the chimney |
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| Old Homesite UN15 - Union Co., GA This was the Hube Powell home site. Powell married one of Claude Plott's daughters; she died of cancer in her early 30s... |
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| We came across a line of old telephone poles leading to the homesite. Several had bear scrapings, but this one was clawed/chewed almost all the way through! |
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| Woodpecker hole in the upper part of the same pole |
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| Pair of chimneys at the Powell homestead. |
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| Chimney 1 |
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| Chimney 2 This home was occupied up to the 1950s, and the fireplace was cemented up for a stove pipe. |
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| Both chimneys at the Powell place This must have been a fairly large house, based on the chimney spacing. An old collapsed shed is visible in the rear between the chimneys. |
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| Collapsed shed |
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| Rusted out fuel storage can in the shed... |
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| A pretty little pond in the woods in back of the home place... |
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| Old Homesite UN16 - Union Co., GA This was the Mark Stroud place in the 1890s. The home site is in a beautiful setting, on a knoll in a pasture, with a creek flowing by and great views of the surrounding mountains. |
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| Chimney at the Stroud place The original clay chinking had been reinforced with cement at some point. |
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| Rear view of the chimney with some big old vines... |
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| Another view of the chimney We saw a black racer here, but when I moved a twig for a clearer shot, it headed back into its hole |
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| In February 2021, I made several explorations searching for old homestead chimneys. I didn't find anything great, but am documenting what did remain of the old dwellings. Site RA04 - Coleman River, Rabun Co., GA I located two homesites here: |
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| All that remained at Site A was a collapsed chimney pile. |
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| Rocks from the collapsed chimney. |
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| There was no sign of a chimney at Site B, just stacked rock foundation piles at two corners. |
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| The second corner stack had fallen over. |
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| Site UN17 - Flat Creek, Union Co., GA I had found an old chimney and the remains of a small mill dam downstream. I went up and over Locust Gap to reach the most upstream point where the old maps showed a building.: |
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| The half-hidden remains of a terrace wall indicated the old home site. |
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| A couple of rock stack foundation corners were the only other evidence of the homestead. No signs of a chimney were seen... |
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| Partially dislodged rock stack |
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| C - Old Homesite UN18 - Coopers Creek, Union Co., GA This was the home site of Austin Harkins. The family originally settled in the Mulky Creek area, moved away during the Civil War, and returned after the war, re-settling on Coopers Creek. |
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| Remains of the Harkins chimney. |
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| Harkins chimney |
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| Harkins chimney |