A history of the White House tract, Richmond County, Georgia, 1756-1975

A History of the White House Tract Richmond County, Georgia 1756-1975
By Martha F. Norwood Department of Natural Resources Office of Planning and Research Historic Preservation Section Atlanta, Georgia
August 8, 1975
Copyright Georgia Department of Natural Resources 1975 Historic Preservation Section

He-ris-Pearson-Walker House, circa 1797 F- - Plutograph

Augusta, Richll10nd County, Georgia

Harris-Pearson-Walker House, circa 1797 1975 Photograph

Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia

Harris-Pearson-Walker House Early 20th Century Photograph

Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia

Table of Contents

Introduction

1

The Early History of Augusta and St. Paul Parish

3

The White House Tract: 1756-1770

6

The White House Tract: 1770-1775

11

The White House Tract and the Revolution

17

The Post-War Decade: 1782-1792

33

The White House Tract: The End of the 18th Century

42

Ezekiel Harris: The Creation of Harrisburg

46

From the White House Tract

The White House Tract or Harrisburg: 1805-1873

52

The Pearson-Walker Ownership

52

Harrisburg

60

The Augusta Arsenal

61

The Augusta Canal and the Mills

63

The Confederate Powder Works

64

The White House Tract, Harrisburg and the Harris-

69

Pearson-Walker House: 1872-1900

Harrisburg and the Harris-Pearson-Walker House in

73

the 20th Century

The Architecture and Archeology of the Harris-Pearson-

78

Walker House

Conclusions, Evidence and Significance

81

Footnotes

85

Appendices

101

Illustrations

Plat of the .White House Tract, c. 1756

5

Battle Plan of the 1st Siege of Augusta

16

Sketch of the Location of the White House

38

Plat of the Sub-Division of the White House Tract, 1794

41

Plan of the Village of Harrisburg, c. 1805

51

Plat of the Division of the Estate of George Pearson,

56

1823

Plat of Survey of Mrs. Beverly Walker's Lot, 1873

57

Photographs of the Buildings of the Confederate Powder Works

65-67

Defenses of Augusta, Georgia from The Atlas of the

68

Union and Confederate Armies

Section of the Building Lots of the AugustaLand

72

Company, 1873

Plat of the Estate of Eliza Walsh, 1901 Drawings of the Historic American Buildings SurVey

75
120;12S:

Forward
Many Augustans have been helpful to this author during the course of this research. These people were contacted because of their past connect.ion with the house or its residents or because of their interest and expertise in the history of Augusta. The author is grateful to the following people for their cooperation:
Mr. Heard Robertson Mrs. Thomas Barrett Dr. Ed Cashin Mr. William R. Mitchell, Jr. Mrs. Ann Powell Dr. Clemens de Baillou Mr. Joseph Cumming Mrs. H. W. Hankinson Mrs. E. S. Wolfe
Mrs. Mary Jewett was very helpful in sharing her remembrances of the restoration of the house . Miss Bessie Lewis had done previous research on the Mackay family, Augusta's Indian trade and the 1st Siege of Augusta which was e::Ktremely helpful. This author appreciates the cooperation of Mrs . Jewett and Miss Lewis.
The Georgia Department of Archives and History was the location of much of the research material pertinent to this report and the employees of that department were very helpful in assisting this author in locating the necessary materials.
Mr. Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr. provided invaluable assistance on the ~esearch for this project. Mr. Thomas is a senior researcher for the Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section in Atlanta, G~orgia.

Current photographs of the ''Harris-Pearson-Walker House" were taken by Mr. David J. Kaminsky, photographer for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Illustrations, including the battle plan, the location of the "White House" and the Plan of Harrisburg, were drawn by Mr. Jos~ Vinas, artist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Martha F. Norwood Atlanta, Georgia August 8, 1975

1
INTRODUCTION
With the coming of the Bicentennial of the American Revolution, the importance of the structure in Augusta, Georgia, known as the "Mackay House" and thought to be the site of the 1st Siege of Augusta during the Revolution, would be greatly increased. Therefore, it was essential to provide unquestionable documentary evidence as to the authenticity of the house as the battle site and as a colonial structure, if such evidence existed. It was because of this recognized need for more information on this site that this research was initiated.
When .the research for this paper .began in January 1975, there were many unanswered questions. Was the house that stands at 1822 Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia actually the home of Robert Mackay? Was it the ''White House" and, therefore, the site of the 1st Siege ofAugusta? . If it was not the ''White House" or ''Mackay House", when was it built and by whom?
The conclusions are presented briefly here and the evidence on which they are based will unfold as the history of the ''White House Tract". The structure presently standing at 1822 Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia, is a fine example of late 18th century architecture, built by Ezekiel Harris, circa 1797. It stands on the old ''White House Tract" which became the village of Harrisburg about 1800. The 1st Siege of Augusta did take place on the "White House Tract" and at the ''White House" or ''Mackay's Trading Post". However, it has been determined that the present structure is not the ''White House" or ''Mackay House".
While the house itself does not have great historical significance, it stands on historic ground. The ''White House Tract" is the site of historic events and structures spanning the history of the Augusta area from 1756 to

2
the present time.
The findings of this report, rather than rendering the property worthless, bring to light new values. It represents the beginning of a town - Harrisburg - that has slowly been engulfed by the urban sprawl and industrial growth of Augusta. Near the house stood the 1st Augusta Arsenal, the Confederate Powder Works and the early Augusta Mills. The Augusta Canal transverses the property on the northern end of the tract. If one regards history as the record of lJlan's progress through time, rather than a structure with which a well-known person or event has been associated, the house and the original 500 acre ''White House Tract" is extremely significant historically. Additionally, based on its arcoitectural design, including the method of construction and the individual features, the house is an excellent example of late 18th century Georgia architecture and merits preservation on this basis alone.

3
THE EARLY HISTORY OF AUGUSTA AND ST. PAUL PARISH
The town of Augusta was laid out in 1735 by James Oglethorpe under an order of the Trustees of Georgia. Located in the District of Augusta, the town was created particularly to carry on trade with the Indians. In 1752, the Trustees' Charter was surrendered to the Crown. In 1758, the District was renamed the Parish of St. Paul and was described as "extending from the northwest boundary of the Parish of St. George, and southwest as far as the river Ogeechee, and northwest up the river Savannah, as far as Broad River, shall be and forever continue a parish by the name of the
1 Parish of St. Paul " Hugh McCall later described the town itself as being "situated on the South side of Savannah River, upon a level plain,
2
which terminates in thick low woods, interspersed with swamps and lagunes " Approximately 150 miles northwest of Savannah, Augusta was in close proximity to the Creek and Cherokee nations, which were to the west of the town. According to a report in The Gentlemen's Magazine, August 1767, "the town
3
of Augusta now contained some eighty houses, a church and two wooden forts."
Trading houses dotted the land on both sides of the town and were primarily involved in the Indian trade. Some of the early traders were Isaac Barksdale, Edward Barnard, John Brown, Macartan Campbell, Daniel Clark, George Galphin, Francis Macartan, John MacGillivray, Lachlan MacGillivray, William Struthers, William Trevin and John Francis Williams. The goods they sold included: loaf sugar, bohea tea, cheese, London porter, flour, saddles,
4 bullets, powder, shot, saws, candles and butter. Most goods came into the port at Savannah where they were placed on boats belonging to individual traders for the trip up the Savannah River to Augusta.

4 After 1752, when Georgia became a Royal Province, land was distributed
5 by fee simple grants. Once the land was granted, the grantee could sell
or lease his land but if it was abandoned, it could be taken by the Crown
and regranted. Often, people settled on the land but did not receive a
grant for severalyears. In the Parish of St. Paul, town lots were fifty
acres while country property could range in size from one hundred acres to
over one thousand acres, depending on the size of a man's family, the nutnber
of slaves he owned, and what use he planned for the land. Often one man
received several grants. The Indian traders of Augusta, such as John Rae,
Lachlan MacGillivray and Edward Bartiard, owned tracts totalling several
thousand acres, and some traders, such as MacGillivray, owned land in one
parish for trading :Purposes but resided in another parish. Generally, the
property could be transferred between individuals by "lease and release, or
6
by deeds of bargain and sale, especially by the first method". By an Act
of 1755, all. conveyances of realty orpersonalty were required to be recorded, 7
if executed in Georgia or South Carolina, within three months. There were
three classes of land including swamp, pine, and oak and hickory. These
classes were sub-divided into first or second quality and then along geo-
graphical line~:J. The land from Savannah to Rae's Creek was one geographical 8 .
division and the ''White House Tract" was in this sub-division and was known
as river swamp.

5
Crown Grant to Daniel Clark and Lachlan MacGillivray September 8, 1756 .
500 acres on the Savannah River
Bounded: N.E.;. by the Savannah River N. W. by Rae and Barksdale S.E. by Edward Barnard
Grant BookA, Page 200
Plat drawn from Deeds of April 4, 1794 -Divisionof the White House Tract

.Rae and Barksdale

500 Acres Clark and MacGillivray

Edward Barnard

1 " = 20 chains
(Approximately)

6 THE WHITE HOUSE TRACT: 1756-1770
On September 8, 1756, Lachlan MacGillivray and Daniel Clark received 9
a crown grai:l.t from King George II. It is this grant that soon came to be known as the White House Tract. The grant was for 500 acres in the District of Augusta and was bounded northeast by the Savannah River, southeast by
10 Edward Barnard and northwest by Rae and Barksdale.
Little is known about Daniel Clark other than his occupation as an
Indian trader. In 1759, Clark and MacGillivray petitioned for an additional
fifty acres "lying six miles below Messrs. Rae and Barksdales Cowpen on 11
Bryer Creek". The petition states that they already owned 500 acres. Daniel Clark's whereabouts after 1759 are unknown. His name does not appear
on documents relating to the area and he received no additional grants after this date. It is possible that he was deceased after 1759 or that he had
left the area.
Much more is known about Lachlan MacGillivray. A native of Scotland,
MacGillivray left there on October 20, 1735 and arrived in Georgia on January
10, 1735/36. He was a servant to Joseph Mackintosh after he arrived at age 12
16. MacGillivray married a French-Indian woman by the name of Sehoy. She
was of Creek descent. Lachlan and Sehoy had a son, Alexander, who became well-known during and after the Revolution as a leader in Indian-American
affairs, so well-known in fact that several books have been writ.ten about his life. Unlike many families during the Revolution, both Lachlan and AleJr.BAder
MacGillivraywere loyal to the Crown and it was during the Revolution that 13
Alexander became associated with the Creek Indians as one of their leaders.
Lachlan MacGillivray was able to rise above the status of servant. He
was a resident of Christ Church Parish and owned a plantation known as "Vale

7
Royal" In 1763, when "Vale Royal" was advertised for sale in The Georgia 'Ga~ette, it: was described as "lOOQ acres including 220 acres good rice land
also rice land opposite .it on Hutchinson's Island, 3 new barns, rice pounding
machinery by water, a good overseer's house, one and one half miles from
14
Savannah". In addition to "Vale Royal" and the "White House Tract",
Lachlan MacGillivray also acquired town lots in Savannah and Augusta, 1000
acres on the Altamaha River, 1000 acres in Halifax District and several other 15
smaller tracts ;i.n St. Paul Parish and Christ Church Parish. Although he
lived near Savannah, MacGillivray had close ties with his neighbors in
Augusta. He was godfather to James Frazier Barnard, son of Edward Barnard, 16
whose land joined the MacGillivray or "White House Tract" on the southeast.
When trouble arose in the District of Augusta with their Indian neighbors,
MacGillivray joined the Augusta residents in requesting help from the Governor
and Council. On April 30, 1756, he, along with nineteen other Augustans
including John Rae, Isaac Barksdale, John Francis Williams and Edward Barnard, 17
signed a letter to the Council requesting defense against the Indians.
Because of his loyalty to the Crown, MacGillivray left Georgia and returned
to Great Britain at the end of the Revolution and the other property still
in his possession at th.at time was confiscated and sold by the Connnissioners 18
of Confiscated Estates in 1782.
The ownership of the "White House Tract" during the decade 1760-1770
cannot be determined from deed records as none are recorded for this period.
However, an analysis of other evidence during this time gives a reasonably
accurate account. As noted previously, the ''White House" or MacGillivray
Tract was bounded northwest by John Rae. After residing on his land for
several years, John Rae received a grant to this land on October 30, 1765.

8
The grant was described as being 600 acres in St. Paul Parish and bounded northeast by the Savannah River,. southeast by William Trevin and Company
19 and northwest by George Galphin. John Rae being northwest of the '~ite House" or MacGillivray Tract would place the "White House" or MacGillivray Tract southeast of John Rae. Therefore, in 1765, the "White House" or MacGillivray Tract was apparently occupied, if not owned, by William Trevin and Company. Additional evidence supports this conclusion. On August 25, 1760, Articles of Copartnership were drawn up between John Brown, William Struthers, John MacGillivray and William Trevin of Augusta. William Trevin was appointed to handle their affairs at Augusta. The other partners were to go out into the Indian Nation to trade, .since that was the purpose of the business as stated in the Articles. Article I stated that "they will purchase of Mr. Lachlan MacGillivray his house and plantation at Augusta, goods on
20 hand which should be deemed then common property". This not only supports the conclusion that the ''White House Tract" was sold or leased to Trevin, Struthers, Brown and MacGillivray circa 1760, but that a dwelling was constructed here prior to 1760 by Lachlan MacGillivray. Additionally, on March 1, 1764, an advertisement appeared in The Georgia Gazette which reads, "TO BE SOLD- The tract of land whereon we nowlive, situated on Savannah River, in Augusta, containing 500 acres, more or less, whereon is a good dwelling house, with every outhouse necessary for a country store. Its situation and convenience for trade is esteemed the best in Augusta. For particulars enquire. of Lachlan MacGillivray at Savannah or at Augusta of
,21
Brown, Struthers and Company."
Evidence relating to the ownership of the' ''White House Tract" from 1765-1770 is not conclusive and there are several possibilities. No deeds

9
exist that show if, when and to whom the property was sold during these
years.
As early as 1763, Lachlan MacGillivray was making plans to return to
England. In an advertisement in The Georgia Gazette on October 6, 1763,
he states: ''Whereas the subscriber, in a few months, proposes to depart
the province, therefore desires all persons who are anyway indebted to him, 22
to make speedy payment " Then, on November 29, 1764, in The Georgia
Gazette, MacGillivray states that he has "resolved to depart this province 23
for England early in the Spring " In these advertisements he also offers
his land for sale. His tract near Augusta or the "White House Tract" is
not mentioned. It is probable therefore that MacGillivray had sold rather
than leased the ''White House Tract" to Trevin, Struthers, Brown and
MacGillivray in 1760 or that they leased it then and purchased it sometime
later.
Lachlan MacGillivray's plans to depart the province did not materialize
and he remained in the province until at least 1780. On March 7, 1765,
MacGillivray signed a note in which Ann Fitch borrowed a sum of money from 24
George Galphin, an Augusta trader. In June 1773, a motion was made in the
House to thank Lachlan MacGillivray and George Galphin for exerting their
influence with the Indians and assisting the Governor in obtaining the late 25
Cession of Lands. On June 8, 1780, Lachlan MacGillivray delivered a memorial 26
on behalf of George Galphin, who was accused of high treason. In December
1780, Lachlan MacGillivray was elected a Representative for the Parish of St. 27
Mary.
As previously noted, Brown, Struthers and Company advertised their tract

10 28 near Augusta for sale on March 1, 1764. There is some evidence to in-
dicate that it was not sold at that time. William Trevin was the partner
in Brown, Struthers, Trevin and MacGillivray who resided in the dwelling on
the tract. His name appears on a note in which Ann Fitch borrows money from 29
George Galphin on March 7, 1765. On March 25, 1765, William Trevin, John
Rae, Francis Macartan, James Jackson, Edward Barnard, John Francis Williams
and Thomas Waters were appointed commissioners to construct a fort at 30
Augusta. If the property was sold by Brown, Trevin, Struthers and MacGillivray
after this date (1765) but before 1770, the owner during that time is unknown.
However, the lack of deeds to the property during these years, the absence
of further advertisements for the property after 1764, and Trevin's activity
in the area one year after the only advertisement, indicates that Brown,
Trevin; Struthers and MacGillivray continued in possession of the "White House
Tract" until it was sold again around 1770.

11 THE WHITE HOUSE TRACT: 1770-1775

The owner of the "White House Tract" rom 1770 until 1775 was Robert

Mackay. The major indication of Mackay's ownership is found in the memoirs

of his son, Robert Gordon Mackay. His son states that his father moved to

Augusta in 1770 and "purchased a Plantation called the White House, the place 31
beyond Rae's on the River". There is evidence that Robert Mackay may have

come to Augusta prior to that time. It is possible that he came there on

business or that he lived there before 1770. In August 1766, Robert Mackay

witnessed a bond agreement between John Francis Williams and William Trevin; 32
William Struthers and John MacGillivray. In January of 1770, an advertise-

ment in The Georgia Gazette states that "Williams and Mackay's partnership

33

.

will expire in June next". Thus, Mackay's partnership with a trader by the

name of John Francis Williams had begun prior to 1770. Whether he moved to

Augusta before 1770 or not, it is certain that Robert Mackay was in possession

of the "White House Tract" by that date.

Robert Mackay was a native of Wick in Caithness, Scotland, and the son

of a minister. Prior to 1760, he left Scotland for Kingston, Jamaica where

he entered into a partnership with a Mr. Steele. From Jamaica, he progressed

to Havanna, Cuba~ Charleston and Beaufort, South Carolina, and finally Augusta. 34
While in South Carolina, he was engaged in trade with the West Indies.

Robert Gordon Mackay states that his father moved to Augusta in 1770 and
35 "formed a connection with Gordon and Netherclift of that place". However,

records show that while Robert Mackay dealt with John Gordon and Thomas

Netherclift on business, his legal connection was a partnership with John

36

.

Francis Williams and that they were Indian traders.

John Francis Williams had come to Augusta in the late 1750's and was

12
37
already engaged in the Indian trade. In 1761, he purchased a 500-acre 38
tract on the east side of Augusta on the Savannah River from Thomas Red. 39
Red had received the land as a crown grant in September of 1757.

About 1768, Williams married Catherine Chilcott of Newport, Rhode 40
Island. When he brought his bride to Augusta to live, she was accompanied
by her mother, Mary Malbone Chilcott, a widow and daughter of Godfrey 41
Malbone. In 1771, Robert Mackay married his former partner's mother-in-
law. It is through the letters of Mary Chilcott (later Mary Mackay), Robert
Mackay, and their son, Robert Gordon Mackay's memoirs that we are able to
gain some insight into the lives of the Mackays and their friends.

As late as October of 1770, Robert and Mary were not married. A letter

was written at that time from Mary Malbone Chilcott to her brother, John

42

43

Malbone. Their son was born in June of 1772. Their marriage presumably

took place sometime in 1771.

The partnership of Williams and Mackay ended in 1770. The following

advertisement appeared in The Georgia Gazette on Wednesday, January 3, 1770:

Williams and Mackay's copartnership will expire on June next.

They beg the favour of all indebted to that concern to settle

their accounts without loss of time to their satisfaction other-

wise they will be at the disagreeable necessity of putting them

into the hands of an attorney at law. In the meantime, they

advertise for sale their tr'lding house.in Augusta, which may be

entered upon the first April next, Plantation, Negroes, Boats,

Stock in Trade, etc. For particulars enquire of John Gordon, esq.

in Charleston, Mr. Thomas Netherclift, merchant at Savannah, or of

the subscribers in Augusta.

Williams and Mackay

44 Augusta, January 1, 1770

45 John Francis Williams had purchased a plantation from Thomas Red in 1761.

It is likely that this was the plantation referred to in this advertisement

13
and used as a residence by Williams and his wife, Catherine, his mother-
in....law, Mary Chilcott Mackay and Robert Mackay. Williams did not sell the 46
land until May o.f 1774 at which time it was sold to Thomas Netherclift.
It was bounded northeast by the Savannah River, southeast .by Thomas Goodale 47
and northeast by the township line. This tract was located on the opposite
end of town from the i'White House Tract". It is interesting to note that
the year of the end of the copartnership, 1770, is also the year that Robert
Gordon Mackay states that his father bought the "White House Plantation".
There is some indication that the trading house operated by Williams
and Mackay was in the town of Augusta rather than on the plantation. Mary
Malbone Chilcott, writing to Mrs. Richard Chilcott in May of 1770 from
Augusta states:
" . Mr. Mackay's returnedfrom the Nation, they're now settling their affairs, set out for Savannah tomorrow about business. As soon as they return, the copartnership dissolves, andwe shall go to the Plantation, for by that time the !ndian Country people will be coming down, and the Gentlemen think as we are not used to them about the House where we are. This remove will carry us four miles from our excellent neighbors Call. Barnard and family " 48
The Williams and Mackay partnership did not end on good terms. When 49
Williams died in 1775, Robert Mackay wrote his wife, Mary, that
" the papers of John Francis Williams relative to the differences with his wife and us were committed to the flames unread the evening he was put in the ground - It cqntained thirty-four pages besides loose papers. That strange mortal had he lived to attend the passing of the accounts would have appeared in a most ridiculous light several glaring frauds were intended and sorry I am my name should be joined with his in any claim or matter whatever. The Amounts rendered were of his own writing .but by no means corresponding with the Books. They are however passed after a deduction of a thousand pounds sterling when the accounts of Robert Mackay and Company were but curtailed above 300 . " 50
From this we learn that from 1770 until 1774, Robert Mackay not only owned

14
the "White House Tract" but also continued to operate a trading company
known as Robert Mackay and Company. This explains .why the "White House
Tract" was also known as Mackay's Trading Post.
Robert Mackay was not only a loyalist but was considered a respon-
sible citizen of St. Paul Parish. On September 29, 1773, Mackay was one
of eight commissioners appointed under an Act to appoint "commissioners
or surveyors to lay out, make and repair the roads already laid out or
that may hereafter be necessary, and also to clear the rivers and creeks 51
within their respective divisions." On August 5, 1774, Mackay, Barnard 52
and Williams signed a protest against a town meeting of the Whigs. On
October 12, 1774, Mackay along with Edward Barnard, Andrew McLean and James
Seymour, the Episcopal minister, signed a letter of protest against dis53
loyalty to .the King.
Before his death, Robert Macka~ was involved in business with Andrew
McLean. In writing to his wife in January of 1775 from Savannah, he states
that Mr. Williams' belongings have been sent to Augusta on Mr. McLean's boat 54
and that he and '~c" have settled their affairs with Mr. Netherclift. McLean had been associated with several trading firms since 1769 including:
Leroy Hammond; Crook, Mcintosh and Jackson; Robert Crook and Company and
others. In 1773, when James Jackson decided to retire, he sold his shares 55
and land to McLean. A partnership could have begun between 1773 and the
end of 1775, when Mackay died. At some point, John Francis Williams' widow,
Catherine, who was also Robert Mackay's step-daughter, married Andrew McLean.
In a letter of Mary Mackay to her brother, John Malbone, in July of 1783,
she wrote, ". .Mr. McLean is just come from Augusta, where he has been to 56
collect ~. whether he and Katy writes or not I can't say .. " In May 1794,

IS

Catherine Course relinquished her right to dower as the widow of Andrew

57

58

McLean. Catherine McLean married John Course in 1789.

Robert Mackay died in October of 1775. His obituary appeared in The
Georgia Gazette on November 1, 1775 and read as follows: "On Monday, to
the regret of all of his friends died Robert Mackay, Esq., highly and justly 59
esteemed for every amiable quality distinguish the character of a good man."
Mary Mackay died in Augusta on October 7, 1797, according to Catherine 60
Course in a letter written shortly thereafter.

The appearance of Andrew McLean in this history of the White House Tract and the death of Robert Mackay takes the story to 1775 and the beginning of another phase of the history.

Springfield 0

The First s1 ege of Augusta September 14-18, 1780

=20 Chains

li THE WHITE HOUSE TRACT AND THE REVOLUTION: 1776-1782
The "White House Tract" has come into historical prominence due to the Revolutionary battle, known as the 1st Siege of Augusta, that took place there in September of 1780.
At some point after the death of Robert Mackay in 1775, the "White House Tract" came into the possesSion of Mackay's step son-in-law, and possible former partner, Andrew McLean. The tract was later part of McLean's estate to be sold at public auction in 1792 and is described as being bounded northeast by the Savannah River, southeast by Edward Barnard and northwest by the land of Rae and Barksdale and ''originally granted to Daniel Clark and Lachlan MacGillivray and is now known and distinguished by
61 ' the name of the White House Tract". There are no known realty or tax records to indicate whether the property was owned by Mary Mackay or Andrew McLean during the Revolution.
Neither Mary Mackay nor Andrew McLean resided on the "White House Tract" during the Revolution since, according to Robert Gordon Mackay, the "White House" was leased to the British who used it as a storehouse for Indian presents during this period. He further states in hismemoirs regarding the 1st Siege of Augusta that " Brown [Tory Colonel Thomas Brown] was stationed at the church in the thickest part of the town and had rented the White House for the convenience of the store which my father had there built and had placed Publick Goods there for supplying the Indians and Keeping on. good
62 . terms with them "
The legend that has been related through the years since the Revolution concerning the 1st Siege of Augusta is based on historical facts. Accounts of the siege vary, but certain facts about the siege are connnon to all sources.

18
The following facts, which appear to be historically sound, provide a general account of the 1st Siege of Augusta. On September 14, 1780, a band of several hundred American Patriots under Colonel Elijah Clarke attacked the British, Tories and Indians, commanded by Tory Colonel Thomas Brown, at Augusta. The main encounter took place at the "White House" which was more than a mile west of town. The battle at the "White House" lasted four days. The .Tories were near surrender when they received reinforcement from Colonel Cruger, commander of the British forces at the "Ninety-Six" in South Carolina. When the British' reinforcements arrived, the American Patriots retreated. Several of the Patriots who were captured were hung by the British at the White House. The British remained in possession of Augusta until June 5, 1781, when they were defeated by the Americans under Colonel ''Lighthorse" Harry Lee. Elijah Clarke also participated in this battle which is known as the 2nd Siege of Augusta.
An account by one who was there would appear to be the most accurate. Patriot survivors of the 1st Siege o:f Augusta later applied for Revolutionary War pensions and were required to name the military engagements that they participated in and their commanding officers. Some related their military engagements in great detail. The following are quotes from these pensioners that pertain to the 1st Siege of Augusta.
Jesse Hooper: "Applicant was at the first siege of Augusta. The Americans succeeded in taking Grayson's Fort, and he believes would have succeeded in expelling the British from the place altogether, if a strong reinforcement to the enemy's army had rtot compelled them to retire - he well remembered that on of that siege the Americans fought -the British and Indians three days and nights and there were many lives lost on both sides "63
Reverend Jesse Gordon: "We broke our Paroles joined Col. Clark a nd attacked Augusta drove Col. Brown out of the town and he t ook refuge in a stone house about three miles from town. To wi t,

19
we besieged him three days and nights until a reinforcement arrived from Ninety-Six under the command of Col. Cruger who drove us off and followed us to Wilkes County and took twenty-one as hostages of which seventeen, this was one, took us to Augusta where we remained about five months . " 64
Joshua Burnett: " At that time there were 600 men under Clark, all mounted men. The British having left Augusta and being encamped a short distance from it, had left a guard, magazine and cannon in it, and Clark having learned these facts, as soon as it was day, marched round the enemy, and by a circuitous route,
came into Augusta at the opposite side from him, entered the town took the magazine and cannon, and with the cannon, marched against the British Army and at 9:00 A;M. a battle between them began, which lasted with various success till nearly sundown, when the enemy retired to a little distance and Clark marched his men back into a fort on the edge of the town - After night he returned to the battleground and found many British and Indians slain, and that the enemy had taken quarters in a large stone house on the bank of the Savannah, and before morning so fortified themselves that General Clark deemed a further attack on them not advisable. But Clark raised an entrenchment about 150 yards in front of that of their enemy and we besieged them four days, at the end of which the enemy sent a flag into Clark for capitulation; whilst the capitulation was going on succour arrived to the enemy and our army was obliged precipitately to retreat - This retreat was made through the wilderness to North Carolina passing the Savannah and Saluda . " 65
William Gilliland: "In September 1780, I volunteered and joined as a Private the Georgia refugees, commanded by Colonel Elijah Clark of Wilkes County the company in which I served was commanded by Captain Quinn about this time I was in an engagement near Augusta in the State of Georgia at a place called the Whitehouse against the Indians and Tories - after this engagement was over Colonel Clark and his men marched from Georgia across the mountains to Nolechickee River where we remained a few days when we returned to Cataba River " 66
Thomas Snelson: "Commanded by General Clark, we marched to Augusta in the State of Georgia and there fought the British Tories and Indians - two days until Monday -

20
this tour lasted ten days and was called the first siege of Augusta, during which engagement the British received reinforcement and General Clark and his troops were compelled to give ground and the declarant received a written discharge . " 67
Benjamin Thompson: "Soon after the siege of Savannah, he volunteered under Captain White and had to return as a refugee into South Carolina, was at the first siege of Augusta under Captain White against Colonels Brown and Grayson, abandoned the siege on account of the reinforcements by Colonel Grayson, a Bri.tish officer, retired into South and North Carolina, then as refugees, joined the American army in North Carolina " 68
David H. Thurmond: " In September (1780) our numbers having increased to about 400 we marched to Augusta, Georgia, and attacked Brown and the Indians. The encounter continued three days and nights, when Cruger marched from Ninety-Six area of South Carolina to the Savannah River and fired his big guns on us and made us retreat." 69
Colonel ''Lighthorse" Harry Lee, although not present at the first
siege, gave the fbllowing account of the siege in his memoirs.
" .. When Georgia fell, many of the most virtuous and distinguished citizens of that State (as did afterward those of South Carolina) fled to their brethren in the West. The most prominent among these voluntary exiles was Colonel Clarke, who employed his time and mind in preparing a sufficient force to enable him, on the first opportunity, to return and renew the contest. Vigilantly watching every occurrence, he was soon informed of the arrival at Augusta of the annual Indian presents. The desire to recover Augusta, always ascendant in Clarke's breast, now became irresistible. He called forth his comrades, and expatiated on the rich harvest of reward and glory within their reach, and the facility of obtaining it at that moment. His arguments were successful, and the warriors of the hills shouted for battle. No time was lost by their active leader in preparing for the enterprise. The wallets were filled with provisions, the guns cleaned, bullets moulded, and a scanty supply of powder was distributed out of their scanty magazine.
These were the simple preparations of our hardy mountaineers for battle; a lesson, pregnant with instruction, to all military commanders. The nearer an army can be brought to this unencumbered and alert condition, the more is its effective capacity increased, the better are the public resources husbanded and the quicker will tl1e war be terminated. Two hours only were occupied in getting ready to move, which followed as soon as the horses could be brought from pasture and accoutred. The grass of nature gave subsistence to the horse, while the soldier feasted on the homely contents of his

21
wallet, made and filled by his wife or mother.
Marching through friendly settlements, intelligence was gained, guides were procured, and accessions of strength acquired. Having reached the confines of the enemy, the leader halted, made his last arrangements, and issued his final orders. Then with the velocity of an eagle, he pounced on his prey; but missing it, recurred to the slow and systematic operations which require patient vigilance and prevent hazard. The watchful Browne informed of the gathering storm, was not surprised by its approach. Augusta being untenable with his weak force, he retired toward Garden Hill [another name for the White Housel with his garrison of one hundred and fifty men, a few Indians, and two small brass pieces. In front of the latter position, he was vigorously attacked by Clarke, at the head of seven hundred men; but under cover of his artillery, he at length dislodged his enemy, and forced his way to the hill at the point of the bayonet. So soon as he had gained the hill, Colonel Browne began to fortify himself in the best possible manner, being determined to hold out to the last moment in order to give time to Colonel Cruger, who commanded at Ninety-Six, and was informed of Browne's situation and views, to relieve him. Among other expedients to form suitable defences, Colonel Browne put in requisition all the bales of cloth, osnaburgs, blankets, etc., found in the store at Garden Hill, and converted them, with the assistance of rails and paling, into a breastwork, proof against musketry. Clarke, nevertheless, persevered in his attempt to bring the enemy to submission; which he would have certainly accomplished, by availing himself of the two pieces of artillery gained in the first conflict, had not the ammunition belonging to them been nearly exhausted. Deprived of this aid, he resorted to other expedients, and at length succeeded in depriving the garrison of water. But, unluckily, his adversary was no less fertile in mental resource than intrepid in battle. To remedy this menacing evil, Colonel Browne ordered all the earthen vessels in the store to be taken, in which the urine was preserved; and when cold, it was served out with much economy to the tro.ops, himself taking the first draught. Disregarding the torture of a wound in his leg, which had become much swollen from exertion, he continued booted at the head of his small gallant band, directing his defence, and animating his troops by his presence and example. Thus Browne courageously supported himself until the fourth day, when Colonel Cruger appeared on the opposite banks. Colonel Clarke immediately withdrew, leaving his artillery behind, and disappointed, by the invincible prowess of his enemy, of a reward which, with less perseverance and gallantry, he might justly have expected to obtain ... " 70
Captain Hugh McCall offers an account of the 1st Siege of Augusta in
his History of Georgia. It is based on remembrances of men who fought in
the battle, including his father, Lt. Colonel McCall.

22
" . About the 1st of September colonel Clarke returned to Wilkes County, in Georgia, and lieutenant-colonel McCall to the western part of Ninety-Six district with the expectation of raising a joint force, of at least one thousand men. To such an army it was supposed that Augusta would submit with little or no resista~ce, and that Ninety-six might soon afterward be menaced, and would probably be evacuated by the enemy. If Clarke's views had been seconded with that zeal which inhabited his own bosom, the exertions of one month would have thrown the western divisions of Georgia and South Carolina into the possession of the Americans.
Though the Carolinians were in general, favourably disposed toward the freedom and indepe~dence of their country, and felt great solicitude for the success of the plan, yet they could not be sufficiently inspired with the certainty of the issue, to induce them to take up arms. The effects of the British general's proclamation, had not, to their knowledge, commenced its operations. The sacrifice of those lives which had fallen under Lord Cornwallis explanatory order, was attributed to other causes, and the secret spring which formed its basis, was concealed from the public.
Lieutenant-colonel McCall made his first application to colonel Pickens, and the most influential officers of his regiment; but with little success. The stipulations in their protections had not yet been violated, and they considered themselves bound, by conscience and honor, not to break their engagement until an infringement was made upon its conditions. Instead of five hundred men, which had been confidently calculated upon from Carolina, McCall's persuasions could only induce eighty to accompany him upon the expedition. With this number he marched to Soap Creek, in Georgia, forty miles northwest of Augusta, which had been fixed on as the place of rendezvous. Colonel Clarke had been more successful: his numbers amounted to three hundred and fifty. Though this little band fell far short of his expectations, and were really inadequate to the purposes he had in view, it was then too late to relinquish a project which he so anxiously wished to accomplish: he was therefore compelled to depend upon courage and stratagem, as substitutes for numbers in his ranks.
Colonel Clarke's arrangements had been made so suddenly, and so unexpectedly to the enemy, that he reached the vicinity of Augusta unobserved, and found them unprepared for an attack. On the morning of the 14th of September, he halted near the town, and formed his command into three divisions: the right commanded by lieutenant-colonel McCall, the left by major Samuel Taylor, and the centre by colonel Clarke in person. The centre approached the town by the middle road, and the right and left by the lower and upper roads, at its eastern and western extremities. Near Hawk's creek on the west,

23
major Taylor fell in with an Indian camp: they kept up a desultory fire and retreated toward their allies. Taylor pressed on to get possession of M'Kay 1 s trading-house, denominated the Whitehouse, one mile and an half west of the town. At this house, the Indians joined a company of the king's rangers, commanded by captain Johnston. The attack upon the camp gave the first intimation to Brown of the Americans' approach. He ordered Grierson to re-enforce Johnston, and advanced to the scene of action, in person, with the main body. The centre and right divisions completely surprised the garrisons of the forts, and took possession without resistance. Seventy prisoners, and all the Indian presents, were put under charge of a guard, and Clarke marched with the residue to the assistance of major Taylor. Brown and Grierson had joined Johnston and the Indians, and upon Clarke's approach, took shelter in the Whitehouse, and defended it. Several attempts were made to dislodge the enemy, by taking possession of some small out-houses to the eastward; but they failed, from the houses being too small and flanked by the Indians. Finding that these houses furnished little or no defence, they were abandoned. A desultory fire was continued from eleven o'clock until night, but it was found that the enemy could not be dis'lodged without artillery. The house was situated about eighty yards from the river. The Indians, who had not room to fight from the house, took shelter under the banks which furnished them with good breast work; while they were secured by the thick wood between the bank and the waters edge. At the close of the day the firing ceased, and strong guards were posted to keep the enemy in check.
Under the cover of night, Brown added strength to his position, by throwing up some works round the house. The crevices, between the weather boards and ceiling, were filled up with earth, to make it proof against musketry: loop-holes were cut out at convenient distances; the windows were filledup with boards, taken from the floors; and defence rendered as formidable as the materials at command would admit. The next morning two pieces of artillery, six and four pounders, were brought up from Grierson's fort, and placed in a position to bear upon the house; but the carriages not being calculated for field service, added to unskilful management, they proved of little use: captain Martin, of South Carolina, the only artillerist attached to colonel Clarke's command, was unfortunately killed soon after the pieces were brought to bear upon the enemy. A fire was continued through the day, with small arms, but without much prospect of compelling the enemy either to abandon the house or surrender.
On the night of the 15th, Brown was re-enforced by fifty Cherokee Indians, who crossed the river in canoes: they 'were armed, and united in defending their beloved man. On the

24
morning of the 15th, before day light, the American$ drove the Ind~ans from the river bank, and cut off their commun.ication with the water, by which the wounded, particularly, suffered greatly. The dead men and horses which layabout the house, became very offensive. Early in the engagement Brown was shot through both thighs and suffered among the wounded, who were often heard calling for water and medical aid.
The sufferings of the wounded; the want of water; and the nauseous smell of animal putrification, it was supposed, would discourage the besieged, and induce them to surrender. On the 17th, .colonel Clarke sent colonel Brown a summons; but the proposition was rejected, and Clarke warned of the destruction his measures would bring upon the western division of Georgia. In the afternoon the summons to surrender was repeated, with the addition that Brown would be held responsible for the consequences of his temerity, and a declared determination to reduce the gar- . rison, whatever might be the requisite sacrifice to accomplish it. Brown replied that it was his determination to defend himself to the last extremity.
Immediately after colonel Clarke arrived at Augusta, . Brown had despatched messengers by different routes to NinetySix; info:pning colonel Crugerof his situation, and the necessity of immediate relief by re-enforcements. Sir Patrick Houston, one of the messengers,reached Ninety-Six early on the next day, and was the first to communicate Brown's embarrassed situation to Cruger, who lost no time in making preparations and advancing to his relief. On the night of the 17th, Clarke's spies informed him of Cruger's approach, by forced marches, with five hundred Brit.ish regulars and royal militia, to the relief of the besieged. Many of colonel Clarke's men had gone to visit their friends and families, in Burke County, from whom they had long been absent: others, who had been actuated bythe hope of obtaining plunder, rather than by motives of zeal in the cause of their country; had decamped; laden with the goods which colonel Brown had received not long before for presents to the Indians.
About eight o'clock, on the morning of the 18th, the British troops appeared on the opposite side of the river. The weakness occasioned by the loss of men in the action and siege, and by the desertion of those who preferred plunder .to the honor and interest of their country, compelled the Americans to raise the siege and retreat about ten o'clock, having sustained a loss of about sixty, killed and wounded: among the former, were captains Charles Jourdine and William Martin. William Luckie, a brave and much respected young man from Carolina, was killed early in the contest in a desparate effort to gain the possession of the White..,.house. Such of the Americans as were badly wounded, and

25
not in condition to be removed, were left in the town. Captain Ashby, an officer noted for his bravery and humanity, with twenty-eight others, including the wounded, fell into the hands of the enemy and were disposed of, under the sanguinary order of Lord Cornwallis, in the following manner: Captain Ashby and twelve of the wounded prisoners, were hanged on the staircase of the White-house, where Brown was lying wounded, so that he might have the satisfaction of seeing the victims of his vengeance expire. Their bodies were delivered up to the Indians, who scalped and otherwise mangled them and threw them in the river. Henry Duke, John Burgamy, Scott Reeden, Jordan Ricketson, --- Darling, and two youths, brothers of seventeen and fifteen years of age, named Glass, were all hanged: the former of these youths was shot through the thigh and could not be carried off when the retreat was ordered, and the younger brother could not be prevailed on to leave him; his tenderness and affection cost him his life: a horse was the .fatal scaffold on which they were mounted, and from the gibbet they entered together on the long journey of eternity. All this was merciful, when compared with the fate which awaited the other prisoners; they were delivered to the Indiaris to glut their vengeance for the loss they had sustained in the action and siege. The Indians formed a circle and placed the prisoners in the centre, and their eagerness to shed blood spared the victims from tedious torture: some were scalped before they sunk under the Indian weapons of war; others were thrown into fires and roasted to death. The record of these transactions is now before the author, from the pens of British officers who were present, who exultingly communicated it to their friends in Savannah, Charleston, and London, where it stands upon record in the papers of the day The morning on which colonel Clarke retreated, he paroled the British officers, of the number of men who were to be considered and accounted for as prisoners of war These officers and private soldiers, regardless of their obligations as prisoners on parole, resumed their arms immediately after Clarke retreated Colonel Brown's commandat Augusta, consisted of two hundred and fifty men, of several corps, but principally of Florida rangers; two hundred and fifty Creek, and fifty Cherokee Indians; making a total of five hundred and fifty. If Brown had not been surprised in the first instance, the numbers in his ranks would have authorized the defeat of his adversaries In common with all other military expeditions of disastrous issue, much blame was attached to colonel Clarke for the one he projected and carried out against Augusta. He was charged with deceiving his followers, by giving a high colouring to prospects, which it was unjustly alleged, existed only in fancy, and with having enticed them from their peaceful abodes, without a prospect of

26
advantage to the cause in which he was engaged; and that the ruin and distress of many of their families, were involved in the calamity~ Some similar charges were alleged against McCall in Carolina, who had a secondary share in the expedition . " 71
In order to be objective and to come up with an accurate course
of events, accounts of the 1st Siege of Augusta by the Tori.es and the
British must also be examined.
Dr. John Winsmith gave the following account in Scot's Magazine on
November 26, 1780:
"On the 14th of September last, a party of Americc:ms under the command of Lt. Colonel Clarke of the militia of Georgia, crossed the river Savannah, about sixty miles above Augusta, made a rapid march down to that town, and attacked the detachment of the British Army stationed there, under the command of Lt. Colonel Brown, killed and wounded a great many of the regular troops and about seventy of the Indians. The whole of the British troops must inevitably have fallen into the hands of the Americans, had not a reinforcement arrived from Ninety Six, a station in South Carolina, about fifty miles distant from Augusta, which obliged Colonel Clarke to retreat, which he did with the loss of about twenty three men killed and wounded, but not without carrying off a great supply of ammunition, and the greatest part of the goods deposited there as presents for the Indians. After Clarke's retreat, some few prisoners were taken; eleven of whom were hanged on the spot, without even the formality of a trial, some were given up to the savage barbarity of the Indians, who were first scalped and afterwards put to death. Shuddering humanity recoils in itself and the cheek of hoiwr reddeneth with indignation at the recital. While the trajedy was acting, I kept close at home, not thinking it prudent even to be a spectator on the occasion." 72
On November 29, 1780, Scot's Magazine reported the following:
"The enterprise of .the rebels against Augusta miscarried through the firinness of Col. Brown, supported through the opportune arrival of Col. Cruger, on which occasion the rebels ran away. Co 1. Cruger found a rascal among the rebel prisoners, one Dukes, .who after having submitted to government, and taken .the oaths, was found in amiss at Augusta, whom he ordered to be hanged." 73
Sir James Wright, the Royal Governor, in a letter to Lord George

27 Germain, King George III's Secretary of State for the colonies, dated
Dept ember 1780, wrote: " . Col. Brown at Augusta, with the assistance of
the Indians, (who behav'd extremely well) held out against the Rebels from
Thursday morning till Monday Morning & the last two days without any Water -
And on Monday Morning the Rebels hearing that Col. Cruger was marching to the 74
relief of Col. Brown, they immediately made off .. 11

The South Carolina and American General Gazette of September 2 7, 1780
reported the event stating that " a party of rebels commanded by one Clarke
on the 15th instant attacked post at Augusta. Col. Cruger came from 96 (S.C.).
Col. Brown defended his post with Indians immediately executing all those 75
who violated their paroles".

Lt. Colonel Tarleton of the British Legion gavethis version of the battle:

" ... a colonel Clark attacked the British post at Augusta. The British

(Colonel Brown) directed course towards Garden Hill, a plantation on the

Savannah River. When they arrived in site of Mackay's house, it was

discovered that the Americans were already in possession of Garden Hill.

After a twenty minute conflict, the British drove the Americans from

the buildings on Garden Hill. The British took over the buildings and

built entrenchments. Colonel Clark fired upon the buildings with a

76

cannon. The attack went on for two days. Brown refused to surrender."

The memorial of Moses Kirkland in the Loyalist claims reads, " ... continued
in active service with Colonel Cruger commanding officer at Ninety-Six that
at the time he marched to the relief of Colonel Thomas Brown, who was be-
sieged at Augusta in Georgia by the Rebel troops your memorialist had the
honor to command all the British troops and militia who were left to garrison 77
the place ... ".

The following letter from Colonel Thomas Brown, commander of the Tory forces at the White House, to Colonel Cruger at the Ninety-Six in South Caroll.na, describes Brown's s:ltuation at Augusta as of September 15, 1780:

28

Sir: Yesterday morning about Nine O'Clock intelligence was brought. me that the Indian Camp was attacked by a Strong Body of Rebels - of whose march or movements I had not received the Smallest intimation till that moment.

I immediately Drew my force and marched with two Field Pieces to

Attack the Enemy and Secure the Indians, thenabout three miles

distant from my encampment, but immediately upon my effecting a

junction with the Indians, intelligence was brought me, that

the Enemy had entered the Town, by a Back road, which leads in-

to the main road from Savannah - on which we returned instantly

to give them Battle. After a Smart Conflict of Upwards an hour,

we drove them from their ground, and from amongst the Houses

where the Indian stores are lodged - and of which we immediately

took possession - here we Continued engaged with them for I

suppose full two hours longer, when they thought proper to re-

tire. - and we have had very little annoyance from them since.

By the best information I have yet collected their force is up-

wards Six hundred men - but am told they give it out to be

thirteen hundred. - Here (at the Indian Store) we stand fast,

but from the number that I have had killed, and wounded, I do

not think myself sufficiently strong to march out and attack

them in their present position viz, at Grierson's Fort -where,

I am now informed, they are at work mounting some of the Cannon,

which they have carried from our encampment, I make no manner

of doubt, but That your own ideas of my present situation will

readily lead you to give such aid as you may Judge to be

effectual - till which time I shall maintain my post to the

last extremity. Yesterday soon after the action commenced, I

find Capt. Smith of yours set off for 96 and after the action I

sent you a verbal message by

I hope both are arrived

safe before this time. You may safely communicate your intentions

to me by the bearer - to whom I beg leave to refer you for some

particulars " 78

Charles Shaw, the District Superintendent for Indian Affairs, gives
the following account in a letter to Lord George Germain dated September
24, 1780:
'~y letter of the 18th instant would inform your Lordship of my I
apprehension for the post at Augusta. Yesterday an express arrived from that place with the glorious accounts of Colonel Brown having defeated the Rebels ~o attacked him: all we know as yet of this interesting affair, is contained inthe inclosed printed paper, which I take the earliest opportunity of forwarding to your Lordship
The Indians from every account behaved with uncommon bravery. The conduct of the fifty Cherokees who swam across the river, and threw themselves into the works, determined to share the same fate with the Superintendent merit the highest applause. Both the Creeks and

29
Cherokees are said to have lost a number of men but no return has been received yet.
Colonel BroWn was wounded in both thighs, I am extremely happy to find he is in a fair way of recovering " 79
Enclosed in the above letter is this account taken from the
Savannah paper dated September 23, 1780.
" On the morning of the 14th instant, about nine o'clock, information was received that the Rebels were at hand. Colonel Brown's first object was to join a number of Indians encamped about three miles off, proposing afterwards to act in conjunction with them as circumstances should direct; and had scarce done so when he learnt that the Rebels had come in by the Savannah Road, and were advancing on his rear. Upon this he immediately faced about, and returned by a quick march to. attack them~ When he got in sight of the place formerly Mackay's they had attacked the guard placed there. Colonel Brown instantly gave orders for the men to be formed in an old field to the left of the road, which being observed by the Rebels drew the fire of their rifles. Two pieces of artillery were then ordered to play, and the enemy to be charged, to get possession of the Garden Hill, which was immediately complied with. The Indians on the left behaved well. One of the pieces of artillery which was placed to play ina small clearing to the right of that where the Regulars drew up, was surrounded; the other was brought up to the Garden Hill and the best use possible was made of it. The action now became warm, and was well disputed for about a quarter of an hour, when the Rebels gave way, except a party which stole through a thicket to get upon the rear; this party being charged, fled, after giving one fire, which killed some of the men. The Indians scoured the thicket and brought in some killed and wounded. It was then . thought advisable to take post at the houses, which had just been effected, when the enemy's riflemen began again to fire; which was constantly returned for about two hours, and did them much damage. About one o'clock they went down the town in quest of plunder. Nothing further of consequence happened that night. Next morning began to throw up a small ditch within. Intelligence was brought about 12 o'clock that the Rebels had their headquarters at Col. Grierson's Fort, and were mounting cannon. At one about 50 Cherokee Indians showed themselves on the opposite hill, and got into the garrison, and as soon as they were furnished with arms and ammunition, the Rebels were discovered advancing. The men and Indians were instantly ordered to their posts. The enemy having come up, began to fire with their artillery. Warmly engaged till night, and the Rebels fired a number of scattering shot during it, which killed and wounded some officers and men. From that time no person could be get out, nor did arty get in till the 18th; every five or six hours a heavy discharge from the enemy's artillery,

30
which did much damage to the buildings, etc. The greatest distress arose from being without water, every avenue which led to it being exposed to the fire of the Rebels. In other respects the situation was also disagreeable dead men and horses all about the yard wounded men and prisoners taken the first day calling out continually for a Doctor and Water, neither of which was it possible to procure for them. That evening a flag was sent in by the Rebels, summoning Colonel Brown to surrender to the Commander of the Army of the United States, in answer to which this gallant British Commander warned them of the destruction they were bringing on the Ceded Lands, and told them he would do his duty as an officer by defending himself to the last extremity. Another letter was sent in by Clark, who commanded the Rebels, threatening Colonel Bro~1 that he must be answerable for the consequences of his temerity, and declaring that he was determined to subdue him at the risk of all his men. Col. Brown in reply wrote to him, that if he had nothing further to offer, upon the return of the flag hostilities would commence afresh. The officer soon returned, and in a short time after the Rebels began a very heavy fire from their artillery and small arms; in which the loss of the garrison was but small; continued it for about an hour, and less or more of it during the night. Just before day-break it was repeated and returned, when the fog clearing away they drew off. Although it was conjectured they were induced to make the demand they had done the night before in consequence of information they must have received of the garrison being about to be relieved, yet it was not known within when that might happen, till Monday last, about eight o'clock in the morning, when Col. Cruger, with a party of troops and militia, was perceived on the opposite hill, and at the same time the Rebels were seen running off. They kept a few riflemen firing for about an hour longer, during which time Col. Cruger sent over desiring Col Brown's opinion about the mode of crossing, etc. That being settled, and a firing commenced from the flanks and front to facilitate his getting over the river, and through a hollow way, the Rebels went entirely off, and by the time Col. Cruger got the first of his people over, part of the garrison had sallied out and brought in two pieces of artillery and some prisoners, one of whom (Henry Dukes) of the Ceded Lands, was instantly hanged. The Indians now went out in numbers to pursue the fugitives, killed many of them, and took a number of horses, etc. Colonel Grierson with a party of Regulars and some Indians, procEded to the town, killing a few Rebels in his way, and taking some prisoners.
The scenes of villainy and rapine that mark the progress of the bandetti are beyond describing. Col. Brown was wounded in both thighs in the beginning of the action. The greatest loss in killed .was the brave and worthy Capt. Johnson of Col. Brown's corps, who received a mortal wound in the beginning of the first action, and died that night, universally regretted by

31
the whole corps as an officer of great merit and expectation, and no doubt will be by every friend of government. Two or three other officers were wounded, but likely to recover. The number of non-commissioned officers and privates who have suffered cannot now be ascertained but it is not inconsiderable and the Indians have lost a good many men. The Rebels suffered severely, and their loss must exceed ours. Matters are now in such a train that the seeds of Rebellion will be rooted out of Georgia, the blow now given being pursued with vigour. The Rebels appeared to be about 500 or 600, though they say themselves 1300." 80
The 1st Siege of Augusta symbolized the determination of the
people of the backcountry of Georgia and gave a degree of prominence to
the participants, particularly Colonel Elijah Clarke. In fact, Colonel
Clarke was later promoted to general, participated in the victorious
2nd Siege of Augusta in 1781, and was recognized by contemporaries and
historians for his role in Indian affairs after the Revolution and for 81
his role in attempting to form the Trans-Oconee Republic in Georgia.
The significance of the 1st Siege of Augusta lies not in the immediate
outcome of the battle but in the subsequent events that resulted from
effects that the attack had on certain British and Tory leaders. The
attack, and particularly Elijah Clarke, sparked a need for retaliatory
measures on the part of the British and Tories. Many cruelties, evidenced
in part by the hangings at the White House, were exacted upon the rebels
and their families by Colonels Cruger, Brown and Grierson. Homes of the
rebels were burned and some accounts state that elderly members of their
families were taken and cruelly treated as prisoners. Additionally, the 1st
Siege of Augusta was a prelude to the defeat of the British and Tories at
King's Mountain on October 7, 1780. When Clarke's forces retreated through
Wilkes County and over the mountains, they were pursued by Colonel Cruger
but managed to move beyond Cruger's reach into South Carolina. British

32
Colonel Patrick Ferguson attempted to intercept Clarke because of previous defeats of his men by Clarke's inferior numbers. Instead, Ferguson was defeated by 900 frontiersmen on October 7, 1780 in the Battle of King's
82
Mountain. Ferguson's pursuit of Clarke placed Ferguson in a vulnerable position for the attack at King's Mountain. It could therefore be said that Clarke's previous activities against the British, including his attack on Augusta in September 1780, was an integral link in a chain of events that led to the British defeat at King's Mountain.

33
THE POST-WAR DECADE: 1782-1792
Andrew McLean, the Scot who was an associate of Robert Mackay, and
who married Mary Mackay's daughter, Catherine Chilcott Williams, became
the owner of the "White House Tract" sometime between 1775, when Robert
Mackay died, and 1784, when McLean died. A deed of December 4, 1792 in
Richmond County, Georgia recorded the sale of the "White House Tract",
along with several other tra.:::_ts,. to William Greenwood of Charleston, South
'
Carolina. These tracts were sold as the estate of Andrew McLean, deceased, 83
to satisfy debts owed to Thomas Netherclift of Chatham County, Georgia.
The deed reads in part as follows:
" . All that other tract or parcell of land containing five hundred acres, be the same more or less, situate lying and being in the District of Augusta, in the County of Richmond aforesaid, butting and bounding, at the time of the original survey thereof, northeasterly by the River Savannah, southeasterly by land of Edward Barnard, and northwesterly by land of Rae and Barksdale, which said tract of land last mentioned was originally granted unto Daniel Clark and Lachlan MacGillivray, and is now known and distinguished by the name of the White House Tract . " 84
There are two possible ways that McLean acquired this property. First,
as a partner of Mackay, the ownership may have passed to McLean upon Mackay's
death perhaps as a result of stipulations in their partnership agreement.
Second, Mary Mackay, as the widow of Robert Mackay, may have deeded the
property to her son-in-law. If the first was the means, McLean would have
owned it from 1775. If the second was the means, McLean could have acquired
it anytime between 1775, when Robert Mackay died, and 1784, when McLean died.
It remained in McLean's estate from 1784 until it was sold in 1792.
Andrew McLean's associations in the Augusta area are first evident in
1769. In an agreement between James Jackson and Andrew McLean dated August

34
13, 1773, it states that they had been in partnership since November 1, 1769 as co-partners and joint traders. It further stated that both had been associated with several firms. Jackson had been in business with Robert Crook and Alexander Mcintosh. When Crook left, McLean replaced him. By 1774, McLean was associated with Leroy Hammond in a store in South Carolina; Crook, MCintosh and Jackson; Robert Crook and Company; James Jackson and Company; Alexander Mcintosh and Company; Mcintosh and Company; and, Leroy Hammond and Company. James Jackson was also associated with these firms. In 1773, Jackson decided to retire and sold his shares in all of these companies to Andrew McLean. Thus, in addition to land which McLean already owned through these companies, he acquired at this time: 1000 acres at Augusta, being town lots that were adjacent to each other and to the town common and on which Jackson resided; 800 acres on Williams Creek in the Quaker Settlement; 500 acres at the mouth of Little River; 250 acres on the opposite side of Little River; 150 acres at Uchie Creek; 150 acres near Uchie Creek; 500 acres in South Carolina held jointly
85 with Leroy Hammond; and, 23 Negroes. Andrew McLean, therefore, had amassed a large amount of land by the time he became associated with Robert Mackay.
Andrew McLean, like previous owners of the "White House Tract", was called upon to participate in the government of the parish of St. Paul. On September 29, 1773, he was appointed a Commissioner by "An Act to empower Commissioners or Surveyors to lay out make and repair the Roads already laid out or that may hereafter be necessary and also to clear the Rivers and
86 Creeks within their respective Divisions". In 1783, Commissioners were appointed to hold a treaty with the Creek and Cherokee Indians. On April 9, 1783, these Commissioners appointed Andrew McLean as agent to purchase goods

35 87 to be given to them on that occasion.
By January of 1775, Andrew McLean had formed some sort of business
association with Robert Mackay. When John Francis Williams died in Savannah in January 1775, Robert Mackay, also in Savannah at the time, sent Williams' belongings to Augusta on McLean's boat, according to a
letter from Mackay to his wife. In this same letter, Robert Mackay 88
stated that he and "Mac have settled their affairs with Mr. Netherclift". In a letter of Mackay to his wife dated January 24, 1775, Mackay referred
89 to his company as Robert Mackay and Company. From this information, it is impossible to determine the nature of their association. It could have been a legal partnership agreement, although no such document has come to light, or it could have been an occasional business deal resulting from
their common business and personal interests. However, the fact that McLean subsequently became the owner of Mackay's "Whit.e House Plantation" and trading post and married Mackay's step daughter-in-law, lends credence to the belief that their ties may have been legal as well as social.
Andrew McLean's allegiance during the Revolution was in a state of flux. On October 12, 1774, McLean signed a document called "A Protest or Declaration of Dissent of the Inhabitants of St. Paul's Parish against any Resolutions Expressive of Disloyalty to Our Most Gracious King, and the Lords and
90 Commons of Great Britain". On June 13, 1775, his name appears on a paper
from the inhabitants of Savannah to the Provincial Congress in which they sympathized with the grievances of the patriots against the Crown but encouraged
91 the continued union of the colonies with Great Britain. On May 17, 1776, McLean was requested to appear before the Council of Safety of the State of Georgia concerning his correspondence with one Alexander Cameron. McLean assured the Council on his word of honor "that since he signed the Association,

36

he never kept up any correspondence with him or Mr. John Steward, or any 92
other professed enemy to America". So during 1775 or early 1776, McLean

joined the American cause. In 1780, he was listed in .the British Disquali-

93

fying Act as a supporter of the rebels.

In June 1782, the Commissioners

of Confiscated Estates of the State of Georgia sold to Andrew McLean a 50094
acre tract near Savannah on the River known as "The Retreat". Also, in

June 1782, land was offered for public sale by the Commissioners of Con-

fiscated Estates to raise money to pay Andrew McLean for Il10ney he ha~ spent 95
on the state during the war. McLean also bought from the Commissioners

300 acres near Augusta, adjoining the land on which he resided [east of 96
Augusta] which was formerly Lachlan MacGillivray's tract. (This was not the

MacGillivray/White House Tract. Note the difference in acreage and location.)

Whether Andrew McLean or Mary Mackay owned the "White House Plantation"

during the Revolution, it is certain that neither of them resided there. As

noted previously in accounts of the battle, the "White House" was in the

hands of the British for keeping trading goods and gifts for the Indians.

Additionally, Robert Gordon Mackay states in memoirs that it had been rented

by Colonel Brown for this purpose.

97 Andrew McLean married Catherine (Chilcott) Williams, the daughter of

Mary (Malbone Chilcott) Mackay and the widow of John Francis Williams,

Robert Mackay's former partner. According to his will, he had three

98

children: Andrew Cowper, William and Mary. Mary died in Newport, Rhode

99

Island on March 23, 1791 at the age of fourteen. Andrew McLean died in

100

Augusta in August of 1784.

His widow, Catherine, married an Augusta

101

lawyer, John Course, in January of 1789, after having left Augusta for

102

three years. Then, beginning in 1792, eight years after McLean's death,

37
the properties remaining in his estate were sold at public auction to 103
satisfy debts against his estate. The heirs to his estate, including 104
his widow and children, had received bequests from his will earlier.
On ' November 24, 1792, The Augusta Chronicle and Gazette of the State
advertised the estate of Andrew McLean to be sold at public auction on 105
December 4, 1792 at the Courthouse in Augusta. The estate included the
following tracts of land:
Augusta Town Lbts 13,14,19,20,26,27,36 of 50 acres each originally granted to Crook, Mcintosh and Jackson
54 acres bounded northeast by the Savannah River, northwest by John Tinley, southwest by S. Dean, southeast by John Douglas, originally granted to David Douglas and sold to James Jacksbn
Lot 3 of 50 acres in Augusta bounded northeast by the River, southeast by Lot 4 of John Clark, northwest by Lot 2 of David Douglas, southwest by Lot of Robert Crook, originally John Douglas and sold to James Jackson
46 acre lot being part of a 50 acre lot, alloted to John Tinley, deceased. Bounded northeast by the River, southeast by David Douglas, southwest by James Dean and northwest by the Common, originally granted to William Tinley (son of John Tinley) and conveyed by him to James Jackson
(The above 10 lots contain 500 acres) 500 acres -McLean's Pond -Wilkes County 100 acres - Bulltown Swamp - Liberty County 800 acres -Williams' Creek -Columbia County 500 acres - Keg Creek - Columbia County 150 acres Uchie Creek - Columbia County 400 acres - Little River ~ Columbia County 500 acres in the District of Augusta bounded northeast by the River,
southeast by Barnard's, northwest by Rae and Barksdale, originally granted to Lachlan MacGillivray and now known as the White House Tract 300 acres - adjoining lots in town of McLean and Bugg, originally granted to Lachlan MacGillivray and sold by the Co.mmissioners of Confiscated Estates 300 acres - Cupboard Creek - originally granted to James Jarvis 106
At this point in the history of the ''White House Tract", one must begin
to consider the "White House" itself. Was it still standing in 1792, and,
if so, what condition was it in? Is it still standing today?

38
The only descriptions of the building thus far are in the pension records of participants in the 1st Siege of Augusta which describe it as a large stone house on the river bank, about 80 yards from the river. Robert Gordon Mackay places it on the river bank with a gully between the house and the garden, and, the garden and gully between the house and the public road leading westward. From this, one would logically conclude that the location of these features looks something like the following sketch.

c::J STONE HOUSE
~
nt')oo('}no(r',)o a
s
ROAD WESTWARD

The structure standing at 1822 Broad Street in Augusta, Georgia and known

as the "Mackay House" or ''White House" is on the south side of this road,

one half mile from the river bank and is constructed of wood. It is im-

probable that the width of the river channel has narrowed or changed enough

to cause the house to be located, as it is, one half mile from the river

bank instead of 80 yards. Nor is it likely that the straightening of the

107

road prior to 1792

would cause the "White House" to be located on the

opposite side of the road from its original site. According to the plat on

page 41 of this report, the distance from the river bank to the road was 42

chains 50 links in 1792 or 2,805 feet. This means that the road leading

westward, now known as Broad Street, was one half mile from the river bank

at the point at which it transverses the ''White House Tract" and at the

39 site of the present structure. Unless the present structure was moved from the original site on the river bank to its present location on Broad Street, it would not appear to be the site of the battle since it currently stands 1/2 mile from the river. Both historical and architectural evidence (to be presented later in this report) indicates that the house stands today on its original foundations and on the original site.
By the time of the 1st Siege of Augusta, the "White House" was probably owned by Andrew McLean but leased to the British. Certainly, by 1783, just months before McLean's death in 1784, the ''White House" was in his possession but had been in public hands during the Revolution. A letter of Mary Mackay to her brother, John Malbone, written from "The Retreat" and dated July 26, . 1783, reads, "Mr. McLean is much taken up in settling his matters, which you may reasonably suppose after what has happened, is in a most confused situation, while his estate was in the hands of the public, devastation and destruction
108 prevailed, I never saw such ruin . "
The Savannah newspaper of September 24, 1780, cited earlier, further supports the idea that the White House was in a state of ruin in the following ab-

An advertisement appeared in The Gazette of the State on February 17, 1785,

offering a stallion for sale by Francis Willis. The stallion was to stand at

the White House near Augusta for the ensuing season and Edward Keating, a

llO

merchant who was residing on the spot, had the care of the horse.

Edward

Keating was the owner of a tract of land about one half mile east of the

"White House Tract", according to a deed between the heirs of Edward Barnard and

Peter Carnes. The Barnard property was bounded by Williams and Mackay on the 111
west and by Edward Keating on the east. The above advertisement presents

several possibilities:

40
1. The White House itself was in a state of ruin and Keating was residing in some other structure on the tract.
2. The White House itself excaped ruin and Keating was living in it.
3. The White House was in a state of ruin but Keating and Willis, while residing on their own property, had leased the White House for the use df the land and therefore Keating was said to be "residing on the ~pot".
I
There are no deeds or other official records extant to indicate that Keating had leased or bought the land nor is there any evidence, other than this one reference, to indicate that Keating or anyone else resided on the property between 1780 and 1792.
The fact that the ''White House" was besieged for four days in 1780
and that McLean's estate was described as being in a state of ruin leads this writer to conclude that the house was in a state of disrepair and that Edward Keating was not residing in the W 11 hite House" itself. However,
this cannot be proven at this point in this paper but evidence will be introduced later in this history which will support this conclusion.

'!'he Sub-Division of the White House -Tract

41

April 4, 1794

Lot 1 of 150 acres to Peter Carnes Lots 2 and 3 of 323 acres to Ezekiel Harris Lot 4 of 45 acres to Dr. John Hartford Montgomery

Sold by William Greenwood, Jr. Drawn from dimensions in the deeds

Savannah River

Rae's Land
--- -- - ........ ...... ...... ......

Lot 2

Cotton Tree
X
Carnes' Land (Formerly Barnard's)

Rae's Land

-- --- ----. .._B.....r...oad Street
_ -........ ..... ......
- --- To Augusta ---- .-....-. ---

N

Walton's Land

s 1 inch = 20 chains

Harris Montgomery
Carnes

Deed Book K, _ p. 59-60
Deed Book _E, p. 285 Deed Book G, p. 489 (Richmond County)

42

THE WHITE HOUSE TRACT: THE END OF TilE 18TH CENTURY

By deed dated December 4, 1792, the "White House Tract" again

changed ownership. On this date, the land remaining in the estate of

Andrew McLean was sold by the Sheriff of Richmond County, George Handley,

112

to William Greenwood of Charleston, South Carolina.

Although this deed

does not make it clear, this was actually William Greenwood, Junior.

Greenwood's father, William Greenwood, was deceased by this date according

to a document of October 12, 1786 in which William Higginson, the surviving

partner of William Greenwood and John Beswick, gives the power of attorney

113

114

to William Greenwood, Junior.

Greenwood bought all of the McLean estate

and, at the same time, accepted a mortgage on the property that had formerly 115
belonged to John Francis Williams.

The sale of the McLean estate was to satisfy a debt of the estate owed

to Thomas Netherclift of Chatham County, Georgia in the amount of 7,725

pounds and 4 pounds 8 shillings. William Greenwood, Junior paid a total of

116

3,055 pounds for the various tracts in McLean's estate.

There is no

mention in the deed of any structure on the property. The portion of the

deed pertaining to the ''White House Tract" reads as follows:

" All that tract or parcel! of land containing five hundred acres, be the same more or less, situate lying and being in the District of Augusta, in the County of Richmond aforesaid, butting and bounding, at the time of the original survey thereof, northeasterly by the River S~vannah, southeasterly by land of Edward Barnard, and northwesterly by land of Rae and Barksdale, which said tract of land last mentioned was originally granted unto Daniel Clarke and Lachlan MacGillivray, and is now known and distinguished by the name of the White House Tract . " 117

The value of the ''White House Tract" alone is not known but Greenwood paid 118
a total of 3,055 pounds for a total of 4,200 acres of land.

William Greenwood, Junior only owned the "White House Tract" for two

44
thence north eighteen east to . a double X on an Elm and Cotton tree on Savannah River, dividing said Carnes and Harris, and from thence With the river to the beginning X Elm and including . three hundred and twenty-three acres: Which said tract of land called the white-house and lately purchased by the said Greenwood from the Sheriff of Richmond County aforesaid " 125
Lot number four was sold by William Greenwood to Doctor John Hartford
Montgomery of Augusta. The lot contained forty-five acres and soid for 126
one hundred fifty pounds or approximately 3 pounds 9 pence per acre.
The description of the tract reads:
." All that tract o~ parcel of land containing forty-five acres situate lying and being on Savannah River in the District of Augusta in the County of Richmond aforesaid being one of the upper divisions of the White House Tract beginning at a X Elm on Ezekiel Harris' lot or parcel to a stake X on a road leading from Broad Street, . Augusta, thence with the said road, and Harris' line of Lot No. 3, north seventy--'four west fourteen chains, forty links to a XWater Oak, thence with Rae's line north eighteen east forty-two chains fifty links to the river and from thence with the said River to the beginning X Elm, and is distinguished by the number four (No. 4) which Sa.id tract of ].and called the Whitehouse tract, was lately purchased by the said Greenwood from the Sheriff of Richmond County aforesaid, under an Execution as the property of Andrew McLean Esquire, deceased, as by reference by the deed from George Handley, Esquire, to the said Greenwood " 127
While these deeds do not describe any improvements that may have been
on the property, some conclusions can be drawn from the sale price of the
land per acre. Lot 4 of 45 acres, which would be the northwest section of
the "White House Tract" on the north side of Broad Street, sold for con-
siderably more per acre than Lots 1,2&3. This indicates that there were
improvements or structures on Lot 4 but none on Lots 1,2 or 3. The improve-
. ments on Lot 4 could have been the original ''White Ho1.1se" or some remaining
outbuildings or some structure of more recent origin, c. 1780-1794. While
this does not provide real evidence as to the location or existence of the
''White House", it does provide further indications that the structure

45

currently standing at 1822 Broad Street and known as the "Mackay House"

or "White House" could not be the original "White House". The current

128

structure stands on Lots 2 and 3 of Ezekiel Harris

and this evidence

indicates that no substantial structures of value were standing on either

of the lots in 1794.

129 The tax records of 1795 yield little information. (See appendix)

Nothing in the tax records indicates the existence of structures on any of

the property. The same was true of the tax records of 1794, 1796, 1797 and 130
1798.

A look into the 19th century will substantiate the conclusion that the ''White House" was either nbt standing or was in a state of ruin after the Revolution and that the present '~ckay House" was built later than 1794.

46
EZEKIEL HARRIS: THE CREATION OF HARRISBURG FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TRACT

Circa 1800, Lots 2 and 3 of the ''White House Tract" came to be
known as the Village of Harrisburg. These were the lots, consisting of
323 acres, belonging to Ezekiel Harris. Beginning in 1800, these lots
were again subdivided into smaller, town lots and sold to various persons 131
either by the Marshall or by Harris himself.

According to the Richmond County Tax Digest of 1800, Harris still

owned: 320 acres of the White House Tract; one lot with Harris' warehouse;

and one lot and buildings in Harrisburg. He also owned 6 lots in Spring-

132

field and 1300 acres in Montgomery County, Georgia.

Therefore, in 1800,

Ezekiel Harris still owned approximately 323 acres of the "White House Tract"

including a warehouse and another substantial structure with outbuildings

(probably a dwelling).

Ezekiel Harris appears to have been in the business of storage and

shipping, especially of tobacco. The Augusta Chronicle in January of 1799

ran the following advertisement:

For the Information of the Planters and the Country Merchants

For your accommodations I have got preference of loading six tobacco

boats including my own; I have 37 1/2 cents per hogshead commission

for shipping of tobacco from Wed's, Call's, Richmond, Arenton's, and

Twiggs and from my warehouse. I shall swap for my customers gratis

so any

they shall appoint in the city of Savannah, at the customary

freight at the time given, and every order directed to my care shall

be strictly attended to, by their most obedient servant.

Ezekiel Harris

December 20, 1798

Savannah Price Current the 6th Dec., 1798

Tobacco 7d 75c

New York Price Current

Tobacco lOd 12c

133

134

Ezekiel Harris was born in 1757 and served in the Revolutionary War.

135

Harris was married to Mary Davis.

Ezekiel Harris and Mary Harris had four

136

daughters including, Elizabeth, Matilda, Mary and Ann.

Elizabeth married

47

137

Michael F. Houghton, an Augusta merchant, on November 2, 1798.

138

Michael Houghton died in London in 1800.

Ann married William P.

139

140

Carter.

Mary married Llewellyn Evans on June 25, 1804.

Matilda,

apparently, never married.

After his property in Harrisburg was sold, Ezekiel Harris moved to 141
Wilkes County, Georgia where he died on March 23, 1828 at the age of 71.
According to the Wilkes County Tax Records, Harris owned no property there. 142
Therefore, there wer~ no estate papers.

While Ezekiel Harris initially sold property in Harrisburg of his own
accord, a study of the early Harrisburg deeds shows that he was forced to
sell much of the property as a result of judgements won against him in 143
court suits.

The court suits in which Harris was involved give some insight into the type of businessman Harris was and yield some information about his property, including his dwelling, in Harrisburg.

In December 1799, John Hammond of South Carolina sued Ezekiel Harris in the Circuit Court of the United States, District of Georgia for $10,000.00. Hai!IIDOnd owned a public, paying ferry on the Savannah River that ran from Rae's Creek in Georgia to Falmouth in South Carolina. According to the suit, Harris began operating a public ferry in 1797 that was "not more than six hundred yards below or from the said legally authorized and long established ferries at Falmouth and Rae's " Hammond states that Harris called it a "free ferry" when, in actuality, he often received fares and greatly enhanced his business interests to the detriment of Hammond's ferry operations income. Hammond won a judgement of $2,000 against Harris in which the goods, chattels,

48

land and tenements of Harris were ordered by the court to be sold to pay

this amount. This amount .was levied on the house and lot occupied by the

defendent and on the warehouse in Harrisburg. The amount of the sale was

144

to be $2,250.00.

This case led to the further settlement of Harrisburg

and the street leading to Harris' "free ferry" came to be known as Free

Ferry Street [present day Tuttle Street].

Another suit was filed against H<;trris in July 1804 and is referred to

as Gutherie and Cook vs. Ezekiel Harris. Robert Gutherie and Collin Cook

were residents of Great Britain and indorsees of Alexander and Samuel Willie,

who were British subjects residing in Charleston under the firm of Willies

and Company. They claimed that Harris was in debt to them in the amount of

$4,199.78. The circumstances were that on April 26, 1800, Ezekiel Harris

and Michael F. Houghton, deceased at the time of this suit (Harris' son-in-law),

made a promissory note to Willies and Company to be due in 90 days for

$4,199.78 and to be paid to Gutherie and Cook. The suit was for $8,000.00

including damages but the court found, in May 1806, for the plaintiffs in the

sum of $4,199.78 plus $30.33 in court costs and interest from April 26, 1800

145

for a total of $6,144.66.

So, between 1800 and 1806, the property of

Ezekiel Harris had to be sold in order to satisfy a total debt of $8,144.66.

According to several sources, Ezekiel Harris resided on Lot 141 in

Harrisburg. A deed dated August 4, 1800, from Ezekiel Harris to Peter

Crawford states that an execution of the Federal Court of 1800 has "levied

the same on a certain house and lot in Harrisburg wherein E. Harris then

resided and known by the number 141, fronting on Broad Street and Elbert Street,

146

100' front and 310' deep".

An advertisement in The Augusta Chronicle for

a Marshall's sale to be hold in July 1800 reads, "Also, lot no. 141, with the .

dwelling house and other improvements thereon, in the said town of Harrisburg,

49

whereon Mr. Harris, the derendent now resides, containing 100' front and

147

310' in depth, and lying on Broad and Elbert Streets".

His warehouse

148

lot and 4 Negroes were also included in this advertisement.

The case of

Hammond vs. Harris, in charging Harris with operating a free ferry from

1797, also states that "the said Ezekiel hath frequently been known to re-

ceive payment for ferriage and moreover by means of his said ferry hath

greatly enhanced the value of his tobacco warehouse, his lands, lots and

houses in and adjoining the town, hamlet or borough, by him the said

Ezekiel about the same time [1797] erected and known and called by the

149

name of Harrisburg."

This portion of the 1799 court case indicates

that the Harris res.idence on Lot 141 as well as the other improvements on

his portion of the W 11 hite House Tract" were built circa 1797 and that the

village had been called Harrisburg since that time. In February 1807, Lot

141 was again advertised for sale by the Marshall as the property of

Ezekiel Harris to satisfy an execution in favor of Gutherie and Cook. It

is accompanied by a statement of Peter Crawford saying that he, Crawford,

was in possession of the said property which included: Lots 120-125, 129-

134, 139, and, 141, each containing 1 acre, 100 feet of Lot 157, Lot 4 ad-

joining Milledge containing 33 1/10 acres and 32 9/10 acres on the Savannah

150

River adjoining the warehouse.

Then, in December 1809, George Pearson

purchased Lot 141 as well as other Harrisburg properties from Peter Crawford .

151

as the property of Ezekiel Harris.

Apparently, Harris had mortgaged

Lot 141 to Crawford in 1800 to help pay the judgement costs of Hammond vs.

Harris. Then, when Harris did not repay the note, Peter Crawford, who was

holding the mortgage, sold it to George Pearson. By 1810, Ezekiel Harris

neither owned property nor resided in Harrisburg. According .to a plat of

Harrisburg, included in this report and drawn from deed descriptions of

property in Harrisburg, Lot 141 was the location of the Harris house which

later became the Pearson house and is now known as the "Mackay House".

so

The only description of Harrisburg in its earliest days is found

in a guidebook, not written until 1878. It reads, "Harrisburg was a

Plantation, but houses were raised there about 1794. Soon after the

termination of the Revolution people flocked here in scores. In 1805,

152

there were no buildings .west of Campbell Street".

Plans of Harrisburg

are alluded to in the many deeds to property in Harrisburg but no such

plans have come to light. The plan of Harrisburg accompanying this report

was drawn from these deeds and from the plats of the Pearson and Walker

lands in Harrisburg.

The information in this chapter allows the following conclusions to
be drawn:
1. There were no substantial structures on Lots 2 and 3 of the White House Tract in 1795.
2. In 1800, only the house, outbuildings and warehouse of Ezekiel Harris stood on Lots 2 and 3 of the White House Tract.
3. The Harris house was erected circa 1797. 4. The Harris house became the Pearson house in 1809. 5. The Harris-Pearson House stood on Lot 141 in Harrisburg and is
the same house that is today known as the "Mackay House".

~ ~'"""~"'--'. ""'-~ CAMPBELLTON FERRY

I

~ "'"'-s A "A N

I

I I

N4H

I

I

I;

I /;

I I

I I

I I

I I

I I

X

I I

w

X

0~

-(~:1::w)z:0:

eJt:a~:

I

X

X

51
c z
ct
...J

Harrisburg Richmond County, Georgia
c. 1805
1" = 500' Approx. x = Pearson property after 1806
---= Outside town limits of Harrisburg
- = Harrisburg and original property of Ezekiel Harris

52 THE WHITE HOUSE TRACT OR HARRISBURG: 1805-1873
1. The Pearson-Walker Ownership
George Pearson was the largest landowner in Harrisburg and his home, currently known as the "Mackay House" was the oldest home in the village. Pearson became the owner of the house in 1809 when he pul:'chased.it from Peter Crawford as the property of Ezekiel Harris.
While there were many residents of Harrisburg as the 19th century progressed, a large amount of acreage in Harrisburg was sold to one George Pearson at various times beginning in 1806.
In 1798, Dr. John Hartford Montgomery sold his portion of the "White 153
House Tract" (Lot 4) to West Cook. In December of 1805, West Cook sold 154
his 45-acre lot 4 to George Pearson.

vertisement for a Sheriff's sale to be held on the 1st Tuesday in October

. next at the markethouse at Augusta. Included in the sale were 37 unimproved

lots in Harrisburg, lying on the south side of Broad Street, levied on as

the property of Ezekiel Harris to satisfy a judgement in favor of Haws and

155

Parsons.

Then, on October 7, 1806, George Pearson purchased from Ezekiel

Harris by authority of the Sheriff Holland McTyre, 29 lots in the Village of

Harrisburg. The lots purchased by Pearson included:

Lots 22,23,24,25,26

Bounded:

North by Washington Street West by Liberty . Street East by Green Street . South by the township line

Lots 95,96,97,?8,99,100 111,112,113,114,115,116

Bounded:

North by Broad Street West by Jefferson St,.:r:eet
South by Washington Street East by Jackson Street

53

Lots 74;75,76,77,78,79 80,81,82,83,84,85

Bounded: North by Broad Street

West by Jackson Street

South by Washington Street

East by Free Ferry Street

156

George Pearson also purcl'lased property in Harrisburg in addition to
his 29 lots and the 45 acres of lot 4. In December of 1809, for the sum
of $2,100.00, Pearson purchased the following tracts from Peter Crawford.
Lot in Harrisburg whereon Ezekiel Harris then resided, Lot 141 fronting Broad Street and Elbert Street, 100' front, 310' deep, said house and lot conveyed by the Marshall to Peter Crawford and sold as the property of Ezekiel Harris.
Also, 32 19/20 acres, bounded north by Savannah River, west by lands of West Cook, south by Offutt Street and east by Free Ferry Street.
Also, Lot 4, 33 1/10 acres bounded west by Milledge, south by lot 2, east by a 15 foot road and north by lot 5, the foregoing iots being a part of the White House tract, now called Harrisburg, conveyed by the Sheriff for E. Harris to George Wysinger and from Wysinger to Crawford.
Also, lots in Harrisburg: 1 lot fronting Broad St., 580' south x 595' back joining Free Ferry Street to the east, George Wysinger to the north, West Cook to the west.
Lot fronting Broad Street, to the north 935' and the same distance on Washington St. to the south joining John Milledge on the west 420' and same distance on Jefferson St. to the east, except Lot 150 sold to Mrs. Cain, joining Washington St. in the west corner of said land.
1 lot fronting on Liberty St. 670' east and same on Free Ferry St. to the west and fronting Broad St. 300' to the southand the same front on the Warehouse lot to the north, excepting 3 lots sold on Broad St. 25' x 160' each, numbered 45,47,48 sold to Joseph Rambo, Abraham Marshall and George Walker.
Also, 5 acres adjoining same on the north, 6 on the west and 8 on the east.
Also, one lot fronting Washington St. 300' to the north x 410' back ' joining Free Ferry St. to the west, Liberty St. to the east and and Dalton's to the south, excepting Lot 27 sold to Hendricks 150' x 200' back,
The whole being part of the White House Tract conveyed by E. Harris to Peter Crawford, December 3, 1805. 157

54
It is in this deed that George Pearson bought the home of Ezekiel Harris on Lot 141 in Harrisburg. This house and lot are the same that appear in the deed of division and the accompanying plat in George PearsoJs estate.

At this time, Lot 1 was still in the possession of the Carnes family
and was not considered part of Harrisburg. Lot 4, now belonging to George
158 Pearson, was also considered to be outside of the town limits of Harrisburg.

George Pearson's occupation has not been discovered. Before moving to

Harrisburg, he lived on a town lot in Augusta, according to the Tax Digest

of 1807 which shows Pearson owning a house and lot in Augusta and 100 acres

159

160

in Harrisburg.

George Pearson was born in 1768.

He served in the

161 Georgia Militia as a captain during the War of 1812. Pearson married

162 Lucy Shoemaker Foll, the widow of George Foll, on September 11, 1803. He

had earlier (May 28, 1794) been a witness to the marriage of Lucy Shoemaker

163

and George Foll.

The Pearsons had three children. The only son, Joseph,

164

was born in 1810 and died in 1812.

Their daughters were Arabella Lucinda

165 and Mary H., Arabella being the younger.

166

George Pearson died on February 19, 1818.

He had invested in the land

involved in the Yazoo Land Fraud in 1795. Upon his death, his heirs were com-
167 pensated for. his losses in the fraud.

At the time of the divisionof George Pearson's estate in 1823, his
daughter Mary was married to Chauncy Jones and Arabella was unmarried and a 168
minor. His wife, Lucy, had married a third time to Benjamin Yarnold.

On April 4, 1832, Arabella Pearson married George Augustus Beverly

55

169

Wfllker, a son of Freeman Walker.

Freeman Walker had a distinguished

career as an attorney, first Mayor of Augusta, Member of the Georgia House

of Representatives and . the Georgia Senate, Member of the Unit.ed States

Senate, a Major in the Georgia Militia, a judge and a Trustee of the

170

Richmond Academy.

George Walker was the brother of General W. H. T.

Walker who became known for his service in both the Mexican War and the

171

Civil War.

Arabella and George Walker left Georgia around 1835 and

172

resided on their plantation called "Tranquilla", near Selma, Alabama.

Their six children were John P. King, Elizabeth M., Zemula, Lu~y, Bivilina,

and George R. V. The children were all born in Alabama but the family re-

t\.lrned to Georgia around 1850 and George Walker was employed in Augusta as
173
a .clerk at that time.

In 1823, five years after George Pearson's death in 1818, his estate was

divided between his three heirs, Lucy Pearson Yarnold, Mary Pearson Jones

and Arabella Pearson. Connnissioners were appointed to draw the divisions.

The total value of his estate was $18,317.00 The following plat, drawn

and attached originally to the Deed of Division, shows his land, delineates

some of the streets ofHarrisburg and shows the division of the estate. The

lot with the "Mansion and other outbuildings of the deceased George Pearson

containing 7 1/4 acres being the Lot /14 of said plat and is bounded north

by Broad Street, west by a road leading from Campbellton Ferry to the Sand

Hill Village, south by Washington Street and East by the tract or Lot 115 of

174

said survey",

is the same lot and house standing today at 1822 Broad

Street in Augusta and known as "The Mackay House". Pearson's other property

was divided and the full transcript of the Deed of Division appears in the

appendix to this report. Most of his Harrisburg property, excepting the

17 1/4 acres which the house stood on and a lot near the river, went to

Arabella Pearson.

The house along with 7 1/4 acres of land was left by

Lot 9 33 1/10 acres Arabella L. Pearson

56 Division of the Estate of
George Pearson 1823
Deed Book S, Page 101 Richmond County, Georgia
s

Lot 10

19 1/4 acres

N

Arabella L. Pearson

Lot 5 10 acres Lucy Yarnold (widow)
Lot 2 15 3/11

Lot 3 13 acres Lucy Yarnold (widow)
Copy of Plat and Sub-Division from Actual Survey of Property in Harrisburg and its vicinity before going to the Estate of George Pearson by Order of the Administrators April 4, 182 3

Plat of Survey of Mrs. Benjamin Walker's Lot In Harrisburg [sic. Mrs. Beverly Walker] July 14, 1873
Broad Street or Washington Road

Deed Book 3A Page 528 Richmond County Georgia

D

19.95 chams

N

til

"C
qj

;1

p0::

.qaj

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~ 0 +J
...-l ...-l

. N
.......
.......

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15 1/4 acres
19.95 chains Washington Street

til
t::
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1" = 202.5 feet approximately

58
Pearson to his daughter, Mary Pearson Jones. The remaining 10 acres of the
175
land near the house was left to his widow .
When Chauncy Jones, husband of Mary Pearson Jones, died, Mary married Alton H. Pemberton. In the meantime, Lucy Pearson Yarnold's husband, Benjamin, died and Lucy married her 4th husband, Hugh Rooney. On December 20, 1824, around the time of the Jones-Pemberton marriage, Mary Jones conveyed the house and lot in Harrisburg to her mother, Lucy Pearson Yarnold Rooney. Mary and Chauncy Jones had a daughter, Lucy M. Jones, who married Augustine S. Hill. On June 23, 1848, the house and lot in Harrisburg were conveyed to Augustine Hill to hold in trust for Mary H. Pemberton, widow of Alton Pemberton. On January 15, 1857, the house arid lot were conveyed by Augustine S. Hill to John P. King, trustee of Arabella L. Walker, George Pearson's youngest daughter. The adjoining lot was also conveyed to Arabella L. Walker at this time. Then in July 1873, both lots were conveyed to Charles Estes, trustee of the Augusta Land Company by Arabella L. Walker. In October 1873_, the property was conveyed by Charles Estes to the Augusta
lt6 Land Company.
A quote from a letter of Arabella Walker is located in the Marye Collection of the Georgia Department of Archives and History. In the letter, Mrs. Walker states that her father bought the place from Ezekiel Harris and
177 that Harris was the original owner.
The son of George and Arabella Walker, John P. King Walke.r, resided in the Pearson home from the 1850's until it was sold in 1873. Several of John Walker's children were born there. He was the grandson of Freeman Walker and the nephew of General W. H. T. Walker and was named for John P. King, founder of the King Mill and a leading Augustan who was George A. B. Walker's closest

59

178

friend.

The Walker family tree will appear in the appendix.

Descendants of the Pearson-Walker family still living include: Mr. Porter Carswell, Bellevue Plantation, Waynesboro, Georgia; Mrs. H. W. Hankinson, St. John Towers, Augusta, Georgia; and, Mrs. E. S. Wolfe, Bermuda Court, Augusta, Georgia. Mrs. Wolfe has in her possession many Walker family papers.

60
2. Harrisburg
Created circa 1797, Harrisburg flourished as an entity separate from Augusta until the 1870's. At this time, the enlargement of the Augusta Canal and the construction of new mills along the canal in Harrisburg brought an increase in the population of the area and caused the area between Augusta and Harrisburg to become more densely populated.
The only description of Harrisburg during the 19th century is found in Sherwood's Gazeteer of Georgia, written in 1827. It describes the village as being "one mile from Augusta on the great Western road t.o Milledgeville and Athens, contains 40 houses, 6 stores and a Presbyterian
179 meeting house".
Except for themention of Harrisburg in deeds conveying the property formerly known as the "White House Tract", no other descriptions of the village have come to light. By 1900, Harrisburg no longer existed as a separate entity but had become a part of urban Augusta.

61

3. The Augusta Arsenal

The first Augusta Arsenal, often forgotten due to its brief existence,

was erected on the original "White House Tract" in 1819. By deed of Lucy

M. and George Pearson to James Madison, President of the United States, dated

December 9, 1816, 40.6 acres of land on the banks of the Savannah River were

sold to the United States government for the arsenal. The deed describes

the tract as follows:

" . on the Savannah River, adjoining Campbell's Ferry westward;

the village of Harrisburg or lands of said Pearson southward, and

eastward, containing 40 6/10 acres, bounded by a line at a stake

near the Ferry landing running S 21 15 W 28 chains 32 links along

the Ferry road fence to a stake; thence S 51 45 E 15 chains 37

links to a stake; thence, N 33 45 E 17 chains 22 links to a large

cotton tree on the river banks near the outlet or mouth of the

Branch, arising within this survey and to the northward by the

Savannah River, below Campbellton Ferry, being part of 500 acres

of land originally granted to

" 180

The purchase price was $2,500.00. The land was purchased for the purpose

of erecting an arsenal. The United States bought another 8. 5 acres on

July 4, 1820 from the estate of George Pearson. The arsenal buildings

were erected by 1819 at a cost of $163,905.45 and a detachment of thirty

enlisted men, two lieutenants and a surgeon, commanded by Captain M. M. Payne,

was stationed there.

In September 1820, a fever swept 'the area near the river including the arsenal. The only survivors of the arsenal detachment were the lieutenant and the commandant. Captain Payne contracted the fever but was nursed back to health at "Bellevue" in Summerville, the home of Freeman Walker. Captain Payne found the climate there so agreeable that he requested that the arsenal be moved to Summerville and that a 72-acre tract be purchased from Freeman Walker. This was accomplished in 1826 by an Act of Congress. The

62
old arsenal site was retained by the United States government. Some of the buildings were dismantled and reconstructed on the new site,
181 including t;he officers' quarters and the administration building. The plat for the division of the estate of George Pearson shows the boundary of the 1st arsenal tract and the road, known as Arsenal Road, leading to it.
For a detailed history of the 1st and 2nd Augusta Arsenais, see: History of the Augusta Arsenal, by Mrs. Ruby Mabry McCrary Pfadenhauer, On file with the Archives of the Department of the Army, .Washington, D.C. A shorter version of this history is found in "Richmond County History", Volume 2, Numb~r 2, Summer 1970, a publication of the Richmond county Historical Society.

63 4. The Augusta Canal and the Mills
One significant historic site still evident on the old "White lfouse Tract" is the Augusta Canal. It flows in a southeasterly direction acro$s the north encl of the tract on the north side of Broad Street. It was begun in 1845 and completed in 1846, after only 18 months of construction. The cost was $500,000.00. The purpose in building the canal was toutilize the water power of the Savannah River. The canal led to the growth of industry in and around Harrisburg and Augusta.
The first manufactory to be build there was the Augusta Manufacturing Company, producing 50,000 yards of cotton textiles per week. The Confederate Powder Works, built on the "White House Tract" in Harrisburg onthe river bank in 1861, was a primary user of the canal's water power. In 1872, the canal was enlarged and the enlargement was opened in July 1875. The horsepower was increased from 600 to 14,000 and the enlargement costwas almost onemillion dollars.
Eight new mills were constructed along the canal, including the John 182
P. King and the Sibley Mills, which were constructed on what had been Lot 2 on the plat of the sub-division of the "White House Tract" of 1794.

64

5.; _The Confederate Powder Works .

The Confederat;e',-Powder Works were constructed in 1861 under the

supervision of Colonel, later General, George washington Rains qf the 183
Confederate Army. -lie selected a location "beginning at the site of

the United States old Magazine, half a mile from the western city limit.

Land adjacent was p~rchased and also that between the canal c:md the river

for a distance of two miles, so that the different buildings required

might be separated by .intervals of at least one thousand feet for safety

184,

in case any o11e of them should have an explosion1'.

The total cost did

not e~ceed $385,000.00. One million pounds of gunpowder were .manufactured

dur:f.n:g the time it was in operation . The buildings were constructed of
iss
local bricks. The 2""mile stretch of land included the north.e;rn end of

the ''White House Tract" on both sides of the Canal be-tween Broad Street and

the Sav_annah River, i'nc.luding the land form.erly belon1g8in6g to 'th. ~' United

States on which the 1st arsenal was located in 1819.

Theta were 12

incorpqrating mills, a :refinery, 4 cooling magazines, structures for gran-

ulation, drying and boxing, and a storage magazine. The works were famous

for the high quality' gunpowder that was manufactured there and its presence

in Augusta made the city a logical place for the Union army to attack. But

the site was difficult to attack. An assault would have had to be by land

and water. and the river was very difficult- to navigate at this point. The

workers were trained to defend the site, if necessary. The only remaining

structure of this massive 'war manufactory is the chimney (see photograph) 187
of the old refinery. The works ceased operation in April 1865.

65 The fqllowing photographs and drawings were copied ~rom Confederate C:lty, Augusta, Georgi&, 1860-1865 by Fldr~nge Flenilrl.g Cot'lE1Y. ' The originals of the sketches by C. ' Shaler Sm;lth, :arE1- in the possession of Mr. Joe Cumming ~
Mrs . Jal!les ~- Harper and Mrs. ThotiUls M. Blanchard of <
Augusta, - ~Pr$;i.a.
,. ,. .. ..
; .

66
CRA NUL AT INC. H0 USf:.
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I:IIU:eT~II Jd) 1161

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8

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f!>uTH 'U:riNI:~ ~ WAIItHOUSI: IUI\.OINC.

67

The Confederate States Powder Works were planned by Colonel George Washington Rains and designed by C. Shaler Smith.
Colonel Hains Jlladc rough sketch('s of the buildings .~ml the apparatus the .works would need, and C. Shaler Smith, a capable young architect and civil engineer, translated them into these massive structures resembling Norman medieval fortifications.
They stretched for two miles along the banks of the A\tgusta Canal, beginning a half mile outside the western bounds of the city. The refinery (lower left and right) was the building nearest the city; saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal were refined with the greatest concern for purity. Behind it was the laboratory; its .interior was never finished, for all laboratory .work was done at the arsenal. In the granulating house (top right), still farther up th~ canal, the pgwder cakes were granulated and sorted according to grain size.

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,. :.Rl-"' L VOL XLIV

.

.

Atlas of. the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume II, Plate CXXXII, No. 5 and No. 6.

68
/

69
THE WHITE HOUSE .TRACT, HARRISBURG AND THE HARRIS-PEARSON-WALKER HOUSE 1872-1900
The enlargement of the Augusta Canal was begun in 1872.. This necessitated the purchase of land surrounding the canal. The presence of the canal and its enlargement increased the value of the land in and around Harrisburg arid made it extremely desirable to businessmen who planned industrial development in the area. These factors had a profound and lasting impact on the development and the socio-economic character of this old community. The years 1873 to 1900 witnessed the increase in water power of the Augusta Canal
and the building, as a result, of several ].arge mills along the canal and the
river near and in Harrisburg.
Four men were particularly significant in instituting this change in Ha-rrisburg: John P. King, Charles Estes, William C. Sibley and Josiah Sibley.
John P. King (1805.:..1887) was an attorney who trained in the office of Freeman Walker. He was president of the Georgia Railroad Company for 37 years. King was a judge and serVed as a United States Senator from 1833 until 1837. It was in his role as key promoter and stockholder in the Auguf:!ta Canal, the King Mill and the Augusta Land Company that he was able to contribute to the
188 changes in Harrisburg.
Charles Estes took the initiative in organizing the John P. King Manufacturing Company and was president of it. He was also president and trustee of the Augusta Land ~ Company, which was organized for the purpose of purchasing and developing the lands in the western portion of the city. He was also a
189 key figure in the building and enlargement of the Augusta Canal.
William C. Sibley was the founder, principal stockholder and president

70

.of the Sibley Mills. Josiah Sibley was the man for whom the mill was named

190

and served on its Board of Directors.

The mill was built on the site

of the old Confederate Powder Works Refinery. The chimney of the Powder

Works still s.tands in front of the Sibley Mill. Josiah Sibley founded

Josiah Sibley and Sons. He and William were on the Board of Directors of 191
the Augusta Land Company.

The John P. King Manufacturing Company was built on what had been Lot 48 on the Plan of Harrisburg. The deed is from Thomas Heckle to the John P. King :Manufacturing Company, dated January 11, 1882, and reads, in part, " Lot No. 48 in the Plan of Harrisburg, Same which was conveyed to George
192 Walker's Administrators by Ezekiel Harris, October 13, 1819 "

Therefore, the King and Sibley Mills, which are still standing today, are on the site of the Confederate Powder Works and on what had formerly been Lot 2 of the "White House Tract" according to the Plat of the SubDivision of the ''White House Tract" in 1794.

In addition to the roles that King, the Sibleys and Estes played in the
building of the mills, they were also key figures in the formation of the
Augusta Land Company on October 10, 1873. In this year, the Augusta Land
Company began purchasing property in Harrisburg on the south side of Broad 193
Street including the ''Harris-Pearson-Walker House" at 1822 Broad Street.
The property was further sub-divided and sold. New streets were laid and some
of the street names and numbers were changed from what they had'been on the 194
Plan of Harrisburg.
The "Harris-Pearson-Walker House", after being sold by Arabella Walker

71

to the Augusta Land Company, was sold to Eliza Walsh. On May 1, 1876,

Elizq Walsh purchased Lots 1 and 46 on the corner of Broad and Crawford

195

streets.

On November 18, 1876, Eliza Walsh purchased lots 39, 40 and

41 (see following plat} on which the "Harris-Pearson-Walker House" stood.

The Augusta Real Estate and Building Association held a $2,000 mortgage on
196 the property until Eliza Walsh paid it off on October 13, 1886, when the
197 title was transferred to her.

Eliza Walsh, born in 1839, was married to Patrick Walsh, bo.rn in 1841, who like herself hadinnnigrated from Ireland with his parents. Patrick was a farmer while Eliza, who could neither read nor write, ran a retail grocery business. Patrick and Eliza had no children together. Eliza had
been married previously to James Alton and had a son, James W. Alton, by this marriage. In 1880, Eliza's son, James, his wife Eliza, and their three children, James, Jane and Hattie Alton, along with Patrick's mother, Jane
Walsh and his nephew, Patrick Sullivan, an attorney, were all residing at the 198
"liarris-Pearson-Walker House" on Broad Street in Harrisburg.

The presence of the mills in Harrisburg brought an increase in population and a change in the nature of the village. It had formerly been a small, elite suburban village - a separate entity from Augusta. After 1873, Harrisburg was the site of approximately 10 mills (in or near the village) and the residential area was composed mainly of workers in these mills. This socioeconomic change was caused by the Augusta Canal, the mills and the Augusta Land Company.

s
Section of the Building Lots of the Augusta Land Company Drawn 1874 x = Walsh Property in 1901
Plat Attached to the Tri-Partite Deed for the Estate of Eliza Walsh 1901

I
I
I
I
I

6 45 44 43 42

X

X

X

WALSH ALLEY
Lots 41,40,39
X X X

N

1-'
- 38 .j::--
.j::--

37 36 35

34 33

32 31

30

I
29

I I

BROAD STREET

73
HARRISBURG AND THE HARRIS-PEARSON~WALKER HOUSE IN THE 20TH CENTURY
By 1900, the ''White House Tract" and Harrisburg had become an integral part of the City of Augusta. The area was still referred to as Harrisburg by some of the older residents of the c-ity but it was generally considered to be a part of Augusta. Thearea, particularly along the river, was still dotted with mills and other industrial enterprises. The residential area today appears to be composed of the lower-middle-class socio-economic strata. The King and Sibley Mills, while under new ownership, are still operating. The mills, tl1e chimney of the Confederate Powder Works, and the Harris-PearsonWalker House on Broad Street are the only remaining structures that can relate the history of the ''White House Tract".
The ''Harris-Pearson-Walker House" has changed ownership numerous times in the 20th century. Little historical significance canbe attached to its 20th-century heritage at this time.
When Eliza Walsh died in 1891, her property was left in trust to her _three grandchildren; listed as Thomas Alton, Jenny Alton and Hattie Alton, until the youngest turned 21 years of age. Jeremiah C. Flynn was executor
199 and trustee until the estate was divided in 1901.
By the time of her death, Eliza Walsh had acquired a large -amount of property. The inventory of her estate included: a 2-story brick building and lot on the corner of Broad Street and Crawford Avenue; a store and dwelling on Broad Street between Crawford Avenue and Milledge Street; a 3-story house on Broad Street known as the Walker House and lot; 10 acres on Milledge Road five miles from the city; 1 lot and improvements on Turnkett Spring Road; 1 vacant lot south of the Walker Building on Broad Street; Lot 42 next to

74

Mts. tucy Wright's, Broad Street; and Lot 44 between Mrs. Wright and the
200 lot of Patrick Collins.

Eliza Walsh's estate was divided among her three grandchildren in 1901.
The house and lot including a kitchen, measuring 167' 8" deep and 169' 8"
wide, fell to Thomas Alton. On the plat attached to the deed of division, 201
it is called Lot Number 4 (see following plat).

On September 3, 1901, Thomas Alton swapped Lot 4 with Bennett W. Burns,

202

receiving Lot 50 in return.

It is not certain that Burns ever lived

there. The city directory for Augusta in 1909 lists Burns and his wife,

Tena, as residing in Summerville but his business address was 1850 Broad 203
Street , where he ran a dry goods store. Burns also purchased Lot 3 of 204
the Walsh estate.

In 1909, Hattie Edwards was residing at 1822 Broad Street in the "Harris-
Pearson-Walker House". She operated a boarding house there. Her husband, 205
Jasper, was a stonecutter.

On November 1, 1911, Bennett Burns sold lots 3 and 4 including the "Harris-
206 Pearson-Walker House" to Esther C. Bearden. Mrs. Bearden was the widow of
207 Edward C. Bearden and was employed as a teacher at the Augusta Free School.

By deed of July 2, 1914, the house and lot were sold by Dr. G. W.
Shackelford to Mr. Andrew P. Padgett. The deed of Bearden to Shackelford has
not been located. The Shackelford to Padgett deed refers to the Burns to 208
Bearden for a description of the property. Andrew Padgett and .his wife, 209
Sarah, lived 'at 4323 Broad Street so it is likely that they rented the
house during their ownership.

On October 7, 1915, Andrew P. Padgett sold the house and lots 3 and 4

s

Plat of the Estate of Eliza Walsh Drawn June 1901 by Louis Barbot

Deed Book 5W Page 501

J. c.
Allen

Wright

Lot 1

r--

cJ

40 1 2"

40' 2"

Harriett Joyner
D

WALSH ALLEY

I

J. c.
Allen

Thomas Alton Owner Heir to Eliza Walsh

N
Harriett Joyner

Lot 2

Lot 3

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169' 8"

El

Lot 5
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BROAD STREET

76

210

to Annie Nash

who gave half interest in it to her son, James T. NashJ . 211

on November 30, 1917. On June 20, 1927, James Nash inherit12the pro-

perty (the other half interest) upon the death of Annie Nash.

;

213

Nash was a mill hand and worked at 1707 Broad Street.

James

On :February 11, 1929, Lots 3 and .4 were sold by James T. Nash to
214
Louise B. Barrett (Mrs. Thomas Barrett). Mrs. Barrett is still living in
Augusta but never lived in the "Harris-Pearson-Walker House".

By deed of Jun:~ - 29, 1939, Mrs. Barrett sold the property to John Scott
215
Johnson for $1.00.

Because of the legendary association of the "Harris-Pearson-Walker

House", also known as the "Mackay House", with the 1st Siege of Augusta,

the Richmond County Historical Society purchased the property from Johnson

216 on January 1, 1948. Then, on October 23, 1956, the Richmond County
217.

Historical Society conveyed the property to the State of Georgia.

The

house was then restored, and in 1962, under the auspices of the Georgia 218
Historical Commission, it was opened to the public as "The Mackay House,

Shrii).e of the Revolution". During the years that it was owned by the

Richmond County Historical Society, it was known as "The Old White House",

but when the original paint colors were found to be blue-gray and red, the

name was changed to "Mackay House".

The initial cost of acquisition by the State of Georgia was $4,500.00. Additional acquisition costs have totaled $155,250.00. The site includes 4.6 acres of lanJ. The initial cost of restoration was $32,000.00. The house had been maintained by the State of Georgia since 1962, including 3 full-time employees, and has been furnished with period furniture, paintings

77
and books and with displays relating to the 1st Siege of Augusta and the 219
early Indian trade of Augusta. The research resulting in the writing of this report clearly shows, however, that the house, although near the site of the 1st Siege of Augusta, is not the actual site of the battle or the subsequent hanging of 13 prisoners and that it was built approximately 17 years after the battle took place.

78

THE ARCHITECTURE AND ARCHEOLOGY OF THE HARRIS-PEARSON-WALKER HOUSE

Several opinions have been put forth on the architecture and construction date of the "Harris-Pearson-Walker House" [formerly known as the "Mackay House"] over the years that have lapsed since restoration was begun in the 1950's.

Mr. Thomas Goree Little was the architect in charge of restoration. He died in the Paris Plane Crash in 1962 before the completion of the project and before preparing an in-depth study of the house. The report that was presented pointed out many of the features and described their state of preservation but said nothing to verify the early building date that has been attributed to the house. He noted, for example, the markings of the old, open rear staircase, uncovered the original solid chambered-edge columns that had late r been boxed in, and described the original barrel-vaulted ceiling
220 in the entrance.

After the death of Mr. Little, the Architect of Colonial Williamsburg,

Mr. Ernest Frank, now deceased, acted as consultant as a favor to his longtime

friend, Thomas Little. There are no official reports from Mr. Frank. A comment

made by Mr. Frank was found in the files of the Georgia Department of Natural

Resources in which he stated, "Judging by the moldings and other features, it 221
was built in the latter part of the 18th century, not in the 1750's". Mr.

Little had previously been quoted as saying that it was "the finest example

222

of colonial frame residential architecture south of the Potomac".

This

writer has be en unable to document Mr. Little's comment but verified the

reference to Mr. Frank's comment in the aforementioned files. Nevertheless,

there are, at this point, two divergent opinions from tlvO men who were ex-

79
perienced in restoration architecture concerning the construction date of the house. Because of this, there was a need for a third, unbiased opinion from an expert in restoration architecture. Both of the previous architects being deceased, a verification of the previous statements was impossible.
On April 24, 1975, this writer, along with Mr. Ken Thomas, researcher, of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, met with Mr. Paul Buchanan, Director of Architectural Research of Colonial Williamsburg. He was given no information on the history of the house or the legend surrounding it. Mr. Buchanan studied closely approximately 50 photographs of the house taken before, during and after restoration, sketches prepared in 1939 by the Historic American Building Survey, and, the blue prints of the house.
His findings could not be considered conclusive without an on-site inspection of the house. However, Mr. Buchanan did comment on the dates for several features and stated that, based only on this preliminary study of the photographs, sketches and blue prints, he felt the house could have been "no earlier than 1790 and no later than 1810 and probably in the latter part
223 of that period".
It was then felt by the Department that a written, conclusive report on the architecture of the house was necessary to complete the research project. The Department of Natural Resources, through this researcher, contracted with Mr. Buchanan to conduct a 2-day analysis of the house. This was done on July 31 and August 1, 1975. He found that the house was built in "1800 plus or minus 5 years" and that it was standing on its original foundations and there-
224 fore, had not been moved. He presented his findings to a group of Augusta

80
historians on August 1. A copy of his written report appears in the appendix of this report.
The group of Augustans to whom Mr. Buchanan presented his findings included: Mr. Heard Robertson, Dr. Ed Cashin, Mr. Ray Rowland and Mr. William R. Mitchell, Jr.
Very little archeological work has been conducted at this site. The limited excavation there was conducted by Dr. Clemens de Baillou, formerly of the University of Georgia and now with the Augusta Museum. In a telephone conversation with this researcher on May 8, 1975, Dr. de Baillou stated that no evidence was found of a battle. He further stated that one bullet and
225 some crockery and porcelain dating about 1820 were found. He detailed this findings and others in an article for "Early Georgia" in 1954. A copy of this article appears in the appendix of this report.

81
CONCLUSIONS, EVIDENCE AND SIGNIFICANCE
The three-story, clapboard house with its bell-cast gambrel roof that stands at 1822 Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia, has been known as the "Mackay House" or "White House" for many years. The date that this structure was first identified as the site of the 1st Siege of Augusta is not known. Many residents of Augusta who were living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries remember the house being pointed out as the site of the battle during their childhood. It is probable that the
I
legend was not begun until after ,1860. Benson Lossing, author of The Pictorial Fieldbook of the Revolution, visited many sites of Revolutionary activity, including Augusta, to locate and sketch remaining evidence of battles and other activities of the Revolution. Yet, when he visited Augusta, l1e related the events of the 1st Siege of Augusta but did not
226 indicate that there was anything on the site to commemorate the battle. By the early 20th century, newspaper articles appeared in the local press identifying the house at 1822 Broad Street as the "White House", site of the 1st Siege of Augusta. Since this house stands on what had formerly been the "White House Tract", and is the oldest house in the area, it was a logical assumption that this house must be the site of the battle and the subsequent hangings of the 1st Siege. The purpose of this study and report was to authenticate this legend, or, if necessary, to disprove it.
It is with regret, but with a belief in the need for truth, that this author concludes that the house heretofore known as the "Mackay House" or "White House", circa 1756, is, in fact, the "Harris-Pearson-Walker House", circa 1797.
The "Harris-Pearson-Walker House" was built by Ezekiel Harris circa 1797 on what had been Lot 3 of the "White House Tract". Harris had purchased

82
this lot in 1794. It stands near the site of the 1st Siege of Augusta
but the original "White House" stood much closer to the river and is no
longer standing. When the original "White House" became non-existent
andwhere it actually stood is not known and the archeological study
necessary to provide this information is not economically possible at
this time.
Because of the manner in which the historical and architectural
evidence supporting the conclusion has been presented, it may be helpful
to the reader to give an itemized listing of this evidence. The evidence
falls into two categories: evidence that casts doubt on the authenticity
of the house but cannot be considered conclusive, and, evidence that can
be considered conclusive and comes generally from the public records.
Category I
1. The original "White House" or "Mackay House" was known as the "White House" prior to 1770 yet the original paint colors of the current structure were blue-gray and red.
2. Records of the participants in the 1st Siege of Augusta and other accounts of the battle place the original house on the banks of the Savannah River, 80 yards from the river and describe it as a large, stone house, naming it the "White House". Yet, the current structure is a blue-gray, frame house with clapboard siding located about 1/2 mile from the river.
3. Some accounts of the battle mention the use of the artillery in the siege by both the Americans and the British. A 4-day siege should have caused some structural damage to any building, yet, no such damage was discovered during restoration.
4. The "White House" was leased to the British during the Revolution, but was owned by Andrew McLean. Shortly after the Revolution, McLean's estate was described by his mother-in-law, Mary Mackay (who had lived there), saying, "While his estate was in the hands of the public, devestation and destruction prevailed. rnever saw such ruin "
5. Robert Gordon Mackay's description of the location of the house places the house on the bank of the river with a garden and a gully between the house and the public road leading westward [Broad St.].

Category II
1 The current structure stands on Lot 3 of the sub-division of the '"White House Tract" of 1794. Yet, when these lots were sold in 1794, Lot 4 sold for approximately 3 times that of Lot 3, which indicates improvements on .Lot 4 but not on Lot 3.
2. The Richmond County Deed and Tax Records do not indicate any . strt~ctures on the portion of the ''White House Tract'' on which the current structure stands between 1780 .and 1797.
3. a. The tax records of 1800 show a house belonging to Ezekiel Harris on Harris' portion of the 'tWhite House Tract" but does not detail the location,
>
b. The court case Hammond vs. Harris states that Ezekiel Harris built his houses in Harr:i,sburg around 1797.
c. Deed records state that Harris' house stood on Lot 141 in Harrisburg at the corner of Broad and Elbert Streets. ,According tothe Plan of Harrisburg, this is on the south side of Broad Street on what had been Lot 3 of the sub-division of the "White House Tract". George Pearson bought this house a'Q.d lot in 1809 and it is in his estate when it was divided in 1823 and is still standing today at 1822 Broad Stree_t.
4. Arabella PearsonWalker, daughter of George Pearson, stated in a letter that her father bought the place from Ezekiel Harris and that' Harris was the original owner.
5. Benson Lossing visited Augusta in 1860 and wrote a book on Revolutionary War sites in the United States and what remained of them. He. described the 1st Siege of Augusta at the ''White House" but did not mention that the "White House" was still standing.
6. Only one ''bullet" was found on the site during the archeological excavation andnone were found during restoration. No significant artifacts .of any description were found that would indicate that a large skirmish had taken place there.
7. The findings of an on-site analysis of the current structure by Mr. Paul Buchanan, Director of Architectural Research for Colonial Williamsburg, show that the house was built . in 1800, plus or minus 5 years and that it has .not been moved.
These findings indicate that there can be no historical significance
attached to the house that would relate it to some well-known historical
:(
event or person. The historical significance lies in the land known as the
"White House Tract", it being the site of the 1st Siege of August$1, the
"llarris~Pear ~on-Wa lker House", the Village of Harrisburg, the 1st Augusta

84 Arsenal, the Confederate Powder Works, the Augusta Canal and the King and Sibley Mills. In addition, the house has architectural significance which is pointed out in the report by Mr. Paul Buchanan of Colonial Williamsburg.

85
Footnotes
1. Horatio Marbury and William H. Crawford, Digest of the Laws of the State of Georgia, Savannah, 1802, p. 151.
2. Captain Hugh McCall, The History of Georgia, Cherokee Publishing Company, Atlanta, 1969, (Originally published in Savannah in 1811 and 1816), pp. 518, 519.
3. Berry Fleming, Autobiography of a Colony, University of Georgia Press, Athens, 1957, p. 89. (Reprinted from "Gentlemen's Magazine'', August 176 7)
4. The Georgia Gazette, November 24, 1763, Savannah, p.3, c.3. (From compilation by the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina on Microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Drawer 2, Box 11)
5. Marion Hemperly, English Crown Grants in St. Paul Parish in Georgia, 1755-1775, Surveyor General Department, State Printing Office, Atlanta, 1974, p. v.
6. Orville A. Park, The History of Georgia in the 18th Century, As Recorded in the Reports of the Georgia Bar Association, Macon, 1921, p. 39.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid., p. 43.
9. Georgia, Surveyor General Department, Grant Book A, p. 200; and, Marion Hemperly, English Crown Grants in St. Paul Parish, 1755-1775, Surveyor General Department, State Printing Office, 1974, p. 125.
10. Ibid.
11. Allen D. Candler, The Colonial Records of Georgia, Proc e edings and Minutes of the Governor and Council, Vol. II, October 30, 1754May 6, 1759, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, Georgia, 1906, p. 461.
12. E. Merton Coulter and Albert B. Saye, A List of the Early Settlers of Georgia, University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia, 1949, Part 2, p. 83.
13. Reverend George White, Historical Collections of Georgia, Pudney and Russell, New York, 1854, p. 154.
14. The Georgia Gazette, October 13, 1763, No. 28, p.3, c. 1. (From compilation by the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina, p. 135, On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Drawer 11, Box 2)
15. Allen D. Candler, The Colonial Records of Georgia, Journal of Proceedin gs of the Governor and Council, 1759-1762, Vol. VIII, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, 1907, pp. 181, 453, 460, 552, 602, 615, 599, 647, 734 and 77 5 .

86
16. Georgia Colonial Conveyances, BookS, 1766-1769, p. 77. (Manuscript on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Drawer 40, Box 20)
17. Allen D. Candler, The Colonial Records of Georgia, Proceedings and Minutes of the Governor and Council, October 30, 1754 to March 6, 1759, Vo,l. II, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, 1906, p. 398.
18. Allen D. Candler, The Revolutionary Records of Georgia, 1769-1782, Vol. I, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, Georgia, 1906, p. 378.
19. Georgia, Surveyor General Department, Grant Book E, p. 268. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Drawer 52, Box 16)
20. British Public Records Office, Colonial Records of Georgia, 1762-1765, Book 0, Bonds, Bills of Sale and Agreements, pp. 126;127. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History)
21. The Georgia Gazette, March 1, 1764, Thursday, No. 48, p.3, c. 2. (From compilation by the Library of Congress and . the University of North Carolina on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, p. 207)
22. The Georsia Gazette, October 6, 1763, No. 27, p.3, c. 1. (From compila tion by the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Drawer 11, Box 2)
23. Ibid., November 29, 1764, No. 87, p. 2, c. 2.
24. British Public Records Office, Colonial Records of Georgia, 1762-1765, Book 0, Bonds, Bills of Sale, Agreements, p. 277. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History)
25. Allen D. Candler, Colonial Records of Georgia, 1769-1782, Vol. 15, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, Georgia, 1907, p. 439.
26. Ibid., p. 590.
27. Ibid., p. 650.
28. The Georgia Gazette, Thursday, March 1, 1764, No. 48, p.3, c.2. (From compilation by the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina on microfilm a t the Georgia Department of Archives and History, p. 207.)
29. British Public Records Office, Colonial Records of Georgia, 1762-1765, Book O, Bonds, Bills of Sale, Agreements, p. 277. (On micro f ilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History)
30. Berry Fleming, Autobiography of a Colony, University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia, 1957, p. 89.

87
31. Robert Gordon Mackay, "Memoirs of Robert Gordon Mackay'', Mackay~ Stiles Papers, From the Southern Historical Collectionat the University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Reel 7)
32. British Public Records Office, Register of Records Book R, p. 84. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
33. The Georgia Gazette, Wednesday, January 3, 1770, No. 325, p .1, c .1. (From compilation of the Library of Congress and the University ofNorth Carolina on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History)
34. Robert Gordon Mackay, "Memoirs of Robert Gordon Mackay", MackayStiles Papers, From the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia)
35. Ibid.
36. The Georgia Gazette, Wednesday, January 3, 1770, No. 325, p.l, c.l. (From compilation of the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
37. Allen D. Candler, The Colonial Records of Georgia, Proceedings of the Governor and Council, October 30, 1754 to March 6, 1759, Vol. II, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, Georgia, 1909, pp. 691 and 398.
38. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book E, pp. 1-8. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta)
39. Georgia, Surveyor General Department, Grant Book A, p. 548.
40. Robert Mackay and Mary Mackay, "Letters of Robert and Mary Mackay", Mackay-Stiles Papers, Southern Historical Collection of the University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic PreservationSection, Atlanta, Georgia)
41. Robert Gordon Mackay, "Memoirs of Robert Gordon Mackay", Mackay-Stiles Papers, Southern Historical Collection of the University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta)
42. Mary Malbone Chilcott, "Letter to John Malbone", Augusta, O~tober 1770, Mackay-Stiles Papers, Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina. (Microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources , Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia)
43. Mackay-Stiles Papers, "Mackay Genealogy", From the Southern Historical Collection of the University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section)

88
44. The Georgia Gazette, Wednesday, January 3, 1770, No. 325, p.l, c.l. (From compilation of the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
45. Georgia, Richmond County Superior .Court, Deed Book E,, pp. 1-8. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
46. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book H, 1801-1804, p. 480. (On Microfilm. at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
47. Ibid.
48. Mary Malbone Chilcott, ''Letter to Mrs. Richard Chilcott", From Augusta, May 14, 1770, Mackay-Stiles P~pers, From the Southern Historical Collection of the University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia)
49. Will of John Francis Williams, Register of Records, ColonialWills! 17331777. (On microfilm at the Georgia .Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 251, Box 44)
50. Robert Mackay, "Letter of Robert Mackay to his Wife", Savannah, January 24, 1775, Mackay-Stiles Papers, Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia)
51. Allen D. Candler, The Colonial Records of Georgia, 1768-1773, Vol. IX, Part I, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, Georgia, 1909, p. 260.
52. Reverend George White, Historical Collections of Georgia, Pudney and Russell, New York, 1854, p. 604.
53. Ibid., pp. 603-604.
54. Robert Mackay, "Letter of Robert Mackay to his Wife", Savannah, January 7 and 8, 1775, Mackay-Stiles Papers, Southern Historical Collection, University of North .Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia)
55. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book G, pp. 257-261. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History)
56. Mary Mackay, at "The Retreat", ''Letter from Mary Mackay to John Malbone", July 26, 1783, Mackay-Stiles Papers, Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, At lanta, Georgia)
57. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book D, pp. 481-482. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta)

89
58. The Georgia Gazette, January 15, 1789,p. 2, c. 3 . (From compilation by the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina, on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
59. The Georgia Gazette, November 1, 1775, p.2, c. 2 (From compilation of the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
60. Catherine Chilcott Course, "Letter of the Mackay-Stiles Papers", Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia)
. 61. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book D, pp. 60-68. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
62. . Robert Gordon Mackay, "Memoirs of Robert Gordon Mackay", MackayStiles Papers, Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia)
63. Revolutionary War Pension Records, Jesse Hooper, Georgia, Sl913, National Archives (GSA), Military Records Division (NNCC), Washington, D.C.
64. Ibid., Reverend Jesse Gordon, Georgia, Wl3280.
65. Ibid., Joshua Burnett, Georgia, S32154.
66. Ibid., William Gilliland, Georgia, W7533.
67. Ibid., Thomas Snelson, Georgia, Sl7111.
68. Ibid., Benjamin Thompson, Georgia, S32016.
69. Ibid., David H. Thurmond, Georgia, S32010.
70. Henry Lee, Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States, New York, University Publishing Co., 1869, pp. 162-165.
71. Captain Hugh McCall, The History of Georgia, Cherokee Publishing Co., Atlanta, Georgia, 1964, (Originally published in Savannah in 2 volumns in 1811 and 1816), pp. 482-489.
72. Dr. John Winsmith, "Scot's Magazine", November 26, 1780, Frqm collection of Lyman Copela nd Dra per, LL.D., in the Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina Papers, Draper Manuscripts, Vol. IV, originals owned by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. (Microfilm at the Emory University Library, Atlanta, Georgia, Box 139, Reel 67, p. la)

90
73. Scot's Magazine, November 29, 1780, Dateline New York, From the Collection of Lyman Copeland Draper, LL.D., in the Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina Papers, Draper Manuscripts, Vol. IV, originals owned by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. (Microfilm at the Emory University Library, Atlanta, Georgia, Box 139, Reel 67, p. la)
74. British Public Records Office, American and West Indian, Vol. 237, cited in C. C. Jones, Memorial History of Augusta, Syracuse, D. Mason and Co., 1890, p. 109.
75. The South Carolina and American General Gazette, Dateline Charlestown, September 27, 1780, Issue 1101, p.2, c.3. (On microfilm at the Emory University Library, Atlanta, Georgia)
76. Berry Fleming, Autobiography of a Colony, University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia, 1957, p. 139.
77. Moses Kirkland, "Memorial of Moses Kirkland", Loyalist Claims, British Public Records Office, Bundle 36, A.O., 13. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 40, Box 46)
78. Colonel Thomas Brown, "Letter to Colonel Cruger at the "96" in South ' carolina", Augusta, September 15, 1780, original located in the British
. Public Records Office, Cornwallis Papers, 30/11/64, 65-66.
79. Charles Shaw, "Letter to Lord George Germain", September 24, 1780 from Savannah, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina. (original in the British Public Records Office, 5/82, 285-287 [325]330].)
80. The Georgia Gazette, September 23, 1780, Enclosed in letter of Charles Shaw to Lord George Germain, original in the British Public Records Office, 5/82, 285-287 [325]330])
81. Samuel C. Williams, "Colonel Elijah Clarke in the Tennessee Country", The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXV, 1941, Georgia Historical Society, University of Georgia, pp. 151-155; and, Heard Robertson, "The Second British Occupation of Augusta", The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Savannah, Winter 1974, Vol. LVIII, No. 4, pp. 432-442; and, Henry Lee, Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States, New York, University Publishing Co., 1869, pp. 162-165; and, Lyman Draper, King's Mountain and Its Heroes, Dauber and Pine Bookshops, Inc., New York, 1929, pp. 199-200; and, Captain Hugh McCall, The History of Georgia, Cherokee Publishing Co., Atlanta, Georgia, 1964, 'Originally published in 2 volurrms in Savannah in 1811 and 1816, pp. 482-490; and, Elijah Clarke, Papers of Elijah Clarke, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia.
82. Ibid.
83. Georgia, Superior Court of Richmond County, Deed Book D, pp. 60-68. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History,
Atlanta, Georgia)

84. Ibid.
85. Georgia, . Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book G, Agreement between James Jackson and Andrew McLean, pp. 257-261. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
86. Allen D. Candler, The Colonial Records of Georgia, 1768-1773, Vol. IX, Part I, Franklin'-Ttirner, Atlant;l, Georgia, 1908, p. 260.
87. Allen D. Candler, The Revolutionary Records of Georgia, 1778-1785, Minutes of the Executive Council and Journal of the Land Court, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, Georgia, 1908, p. 490.
88. Robert Mackay, "Letter of Robert Mackay to his Wife", Mackay-Stiles Papers, Written from Savannah on January 7 and 8, 1775, Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina. (Microfilm at the Georgia' Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia)
89. Ibid.
90. Reverend George White, Historical Collections of Georgia, Pudney and Russell, New York, 1854, pp. 603-604.
91. Ibid.
92. Allen D. Candler, The Revolutionary Records of Georgia, 1769-1782, Vol. I, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, Georgia, 1908, p. 129.
93. Ibid., pp. 374-380.
94. Ibid., p. 466.
95. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book B-1, pp. 192-194. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
96. Ibid.
97. Georgia, Court of the Ordinary, Chatham County, Will Book B, p. 210. {On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia); and, Daughters of the American Revolution, Collections of the Georgia Chapters, Vol. II, Richmond County, 1929, p. 308;and, Mary Mackay, ''Letter of Mary Mackay to John Malbone", July 26, 1783, Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina. (Microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia).
98. Georgia, Chatham County, Court of the Ordinary, Will Book B, p. 210. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
99. Jhe Georgia Gazette, Savannah, March 31, 1791, p.2, c.3, From compilation of the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina. (On Microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia).

92

100. Georgia, Chatham County, Court of the Ordinary, Will Book B, p. 210. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia); and, The Georgia Gazette, Savannah, August 26, 1784, p.2, c.3. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

101. The Georgia Gazette, Savannah, January 15, 1789,p.2, c.3. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

102. Daughters of -the American Revolution, Collections of the Georgia Chapters, Vol. II, Richmond County, Georgia, 1929, p. 308.

103. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book D, pp. 60-68. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

104. Georgia,- Chatham County Court of the Ordinary, Will Book B, p. 210. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of -Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

105. The Augusta Chronicle andGazette of the State, November 24, 1792, Volume VII, Number 320, p.3, c. 3. (On Microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

106~ Ibid.

107. Allen D. Candler, The Colonial Records of Georgia, 1774-1805, Vol. XIX, Part 2, Statutes, Colonial and Revolutionary, Franklin-Turner, Atlanta, Georgia, 1911, p. 130-137.

108.

Mary Mackay, ''Letter of Mary Mackay to John Malbone 11 , Mackay-Stiles Papers, Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia)

109. The Georgia Gazette, September 23, 1780, Savannah, Enclosed in letter of Charles Shaw to Lord George Germain, original in the British Public Records Office, 5/82, 285-287 [325]330].

110. The Gazette of the State of Georgia, Savannah, February 17, 1785, p.2, c.1. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

111. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book C, pp. 189-192. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

112. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book D, p. 63. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 138, Box 1)

113. Ibid., p. 69.

93

114. Ibid. p. 63.

115. Ibid. p. 86.

116. Ibid. p. 63 .

117. Ibid.

118. Ibid.

119 ~ Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book E, p .285; . Dee9 Book G, pp. 489-490; and, Deed Book K, pp. 59-60. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
:po. Georgia, Superior Court of Richmond County, Deed Book G, pp. 489-490.
(On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 138, Box 4)

121. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book C, pp. 189-192. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia}

122. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book G, pp. 489-490. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

123. Ibid.

124. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book K, pp. 59-60. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

125. Ibid.

126. Georgia; Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book E, p. 285. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

127. Ibid.

128.

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, DeedBook 0, 1816-1818,p. 410-412. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia); and, Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book S, 1822-1826, pp. 100-107 ~. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia).

129. Georgia, Richmond County, Court of the Ordinary, Tax Digest for 1795. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

130. Georgia, Richmond County, Court of the Ordinary, Tax Digest for 17941798. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives ' and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

94

(on--- 131. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book H, p. 370, Deed Book O, p. 410, Deed Book R, p, 378 arid Deed Book M, p. 392. microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

132. Georgia, Richmond County, Tax Digest of 1800, Court of the Ordinary. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives andHistory, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 186, Box 5)

133. The Augusta Chronicle and Gazette of the State, January 5, 1799, Saturday, Vol. XIII, No. 639, p.4, c.4. (On microfilm at the Augusta College Library, Augusta, Georgia)

134. H. Ezekiel Harris, ''Letter of February 5, 1935 to Mrs. Florence Nesbit Marye", Marye Collection, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, . Georgia, File Box, Series 1, No. 1; and, Mary Warren, Marriages and Deaths, 1820-1840, Heritage Papers, Danielsville, Georgia, 1968, p. 56.

135.

Mrs. John A. Mims, "Letter to Mary Warren", August 1, 1973. (Mrs. Mims is a direct descendant of Ezekiel Harris and his wife Mary and has traced the family line resulting in membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution.)

136. lbid.

137. Daughters of the American Revolution, Historical Collections of the Georgia Chapters, Vol. II, Richmond County, 1929, p. 163; and, Mary Warren, Marriages and Deaths to 1820, Heritage Papers, Danielsville, Georgia, 1968.

138. Mary Warren, Marriages and Deaths to 1820, Heritage Papers, Danielsville, Georgia, 1968.

139. Mrs. John A. Mims, "Letter of June 1975 to Ken Thomas", In files of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia; and, Georgia, Wilkes County Superior Court, Deed Book KKK, p. 80. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

140. Daughters of the American Revolution, Collections of the Georgia Chapters, Vol. II, Richmond County, 1929, p. 156.

141. Mary Warren, Marriages and Deaths in Georgia, 1820-1840, Heritage Papers, Danielsville, Georgia, 1968.

142. Georgia, Wilkes County, Court of the Ordinary, Tax Digests. (On micro.film at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

143. Georgia, Superior Court of Richmond County, Deed Book 0, p. 419 and Deed Book M, p. 392. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia); and,Circuit Court of the United States, District of Georgia, November Term 1798, John Hammond vs. Ezekiel Harris, (Original located at the Federal Records Center, Atlanta, Georgia); and

95
The Augusta Chronicle and Gazette of the State, February 14, 1807, Vol. XXI, No. 1064, p.l, c. 4. (On microfilm at the Augusta College Library, Augusta, Georgia)
144. Circuit Court of theUnited States, District of Georgia, November ~erm. 1799, John Hammond vs. Ezekiel Harris, Federal Records Center, Atlanta, Georgia; .and, Southern Circuit Court, District of Georgia, November Term 1799, John Hammond vs. Ezekiel Harris, Federal Records Center, Atlanta, Georgia; and, Circuit Court of the United States, District of Georgia, November Term 1800, John Hammond vs. Ezekiel Harris,Federal Records Center, Atlanta, Georgia.
145. Sixth Circuit Court for the District of Georgia, December Term 1804, Gutherie and Cook vs. Ezekiel Harris, Federal Records center, Atlanta, Georgia; and, Sixth Circuit Court for the District of Georgia, May Tertii 1806, Gutherie and Cook vs. Ezekiel Harris, Judgement~ Federal Records Center, Atlanta, Georgia.
146. Georgia, Superior Court of Richmond County, Deed Book M, p. 392. (On microfilm at the Georgia Departmen.t of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
147. The Augusta Chronicle and Gazette of the State, Saturday, May 31, 1800, Vol. XIV, No. 712, p.3, c.3. (Microfilm at the Augusta College Library, Augusta~ Georgia)
148. Ibid.
149. Circuit Court of the United States, District of Georgia, Npvember Term, 1798, John HalliDlond vs. Ezekiel Harris, Federal Records Center, Atlanta, Georgia.
150. The Augusta Chronicle and Gazette of the State, February 14, 1807, Vol. XXI, No. 1064, p.l, c.4. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
151. Georgia; Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 0, 1816-1818, pp. 410-412. (Onmicrofilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
152. T. R. Gibson, P. A. Stovall and J. L. Maxwell, A Guide to the Principle Points in and About the City, Iilustrated, Augusta, Georgia, Chronicle and Constitutionalist Book and Job Printing, 1878, p.4.
153. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book O, 1816~1818, p.418. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
154. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book R, p. 378. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
155. The Augusta Chronicle and Gazette of the State, Septembe~ 13, 1806, Vol. )0\, No. 1041~ p.4, c.l. (On microfilm at the Augusta College Library, Augusta, Georgia)

96
156. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 0, p. 419. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
157. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 0, pp. 410-412. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
151:$. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book R, p. 378. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)
159. Georgia, Richmond County, Court of the Ordinary, Tax Digest of 1807. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 40, Box 72)
160. Mary Warren, Marriages and Deaths in Georgia, 1763-1820, Heritage Papers, Danielsville, Georgia, 1968, p. 90.
161. Georgia Department of Archives and History, Card File, Main Search Room, Card on George Pearson.
162. Mary Warren, Marriages and Deaths in Georgia 1763-1820, Heritage Papers, Danielsville, Georgia, 1968, p. 90.
163. Georgia, Richmond County, Court of the Ordinary, Marriages of Richmond County to 1850, Copied from court records by the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, p. 157.
164. Mary Warren, Marriages andDeaths in Georgia 1763-1820, Heritage Papers, Danielsville, Georgia, 1968, p. 90.
165. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book S, 1822-1826, pp. 100-107. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 142, Box 51)
166. Mary Warren, Marriages and Deaths in Georgia 1763-1820, Heritage Papers, Danielsville, Georgia, 1968, p. 90.
167. S. G. McLendon, History of the Public Domain of Georgia, Copyright by by Mr. McLendon, 1924, p. 162.
168. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book S, l822-1826, pp. 100-107. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 142, Box 51)
169. Georgia, Richmond County, Court of the Ordinary, Index to Richmond County Marriage Licenses, 1785-1849, Original located at the Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia, Typed copy at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia.
170. Walter A. Clark, A Lost Arcadia or the Story of My Old Community August':l_ Chronicide Job Print, 1909, pp. 64-68; and, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Card File, Main Search Room, Card on Freeman Walker.

97

171. Ibid.; and, Amanda Johnson, Georgia as Colony and State, Cherokee Publishing Company, Atlanta, Georgia, 1970. (Originally published in Atlanta in 1938), p. 323.

172.

George Augustus Beverly Walker, Diary 1835-1837, Original in possession of Mr. Porter Carswell of Waynesboro, Georgia. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Drawer 19, Box 77)

173. Georgia, Richmond County, Census of 1850, Genealogical Enterprises, Morrow, Georgia, p. 135, Item 1220.

174. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book S, 1822-1826, pp. 100-107. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 142, Box 51)

175. Ibid.

176. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book BBB, 1873-1874, p. 290. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 138, Box 37)

177. Mrs. Beverly Walker, Letter from Mrs. Walker, cited in the Historic
American Building Survey by Thornton Marye, Marye Collection, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia.

178.

George Augustus Beverly Walker, Diary 1835-1837, original in possession of Mr. Porter Carswell of Waynesboro, Georgia. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia); and, Mrs. H. W. Hankinson and Mrs. E. S. Wolfe, Reminiscenses of the Pearson-Walker Family and Examination by M. Norwood of family papers on June 3, 1975 in Augusta, Georgia.

179. Adiel Sherwood, Gazetteer of Georgia, University of Georgia Press, 1939, p. 61. (Reprint of the 1829 Edition)

180. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book R, 1814-1816, p. 564.
(On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia~ Drawer 138, Box 8)

181. Ruby Mabry McCrary Pfadenhauer, Arsenal Historian, "History of the Augusta Arsenal in Augusta, Georgia", Richmond County History, Journal of the Richmond County Historical Society, Vol. 2, No. 2, Summer 1970, pp. 5-32.

182. Emma Jane Neelley, A Brief History of the Augusta Canal, Richmond County, Prepared for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia, June, 1975.

183. Col. (General) George W. Rains, History of the Confederate Powder Works, The Newburgh Daily News Print, Newburgh, New York, Written 1882, pp.
3-29.

184. Ibid. p.lO.

98

185. Ibid., p. 11.

186. Florence Fleming Corley, Confederate City, Augusta, Georgia, 18601865, University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, 1960, pp. 52-53.

187. Ibid., pp. 53-61; and, Colonel [General] George W. Rains, History Ofthe Confederate Powder Works, The Newburgh Daily News Print, Newburgh, New York, Written 1882, pp. 12-29.

188.

C. C. Jones and Salem Dutcher, Memorial History of Augusta, Georgia, D. Mason and Company, Syracuse, New York, 1890. (Reprint of the original located in the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia), Section 2, p. 30.

189. Ibid., p.2.

190.

Emma Jane Neelley, The Augusta Canal Industrial District, Research prepared for the purpose of nominating the Augusta Canal and the surrounding mills to the National Register of Historic Places for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia.

191. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book BBB, 1873-1874, pp. 290-297. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Drawer 138, Box 37)

192. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book LLL, p. 557. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 138, Box 46)

193. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book BBB, 1873-1874, pp. 290-297. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 138, Box 37)

194. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book CCC, 1874-1875, pp. 299-302. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 138, Box 40)

195. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book EEE, 1876-1877, pp. 623-624. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia, Drawer 138, Box 40)

196. Ibid., pp. 625-626.

197. Ibid.

198.

Georgia, Richmond County, Census of 1880, Enumeration District 103, District 1269, Sub-District 1031, Dwelling 60, Family 68, ~une 2 and 3, 1880. (On microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

199. Georgia, Richmond County Court of the Ordinary, Book F, Will of Eliza Walsh, Written August 11, 1890, Filed March 2, 1891, pp. 214-216.

99
200. Georgia, Richmond County Court of the Ordinary, Book P, Inventory and Appriasement of the Estate of Eliza Walsh, Filed Apri117, 1891, pp. 516-517.
201. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Bdok 5W, pp. 499-501, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
202. Ibid., pp. 548-549.
203. Augusta City Directory, Vol. IV., R. L. , Polk and Co., Augusta, Georgia, 1909, p. 218.
204. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 5W, p. 545, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
205. Augusta City Directory, Vol. IV., R. L. ' Polk and Co., Augusta, Georgia, 1909, pp. 74 and 103.
206. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 71, p. 554, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
207. Augusta City Directory, Vol. IV., R. L. Polk and Co., Augusta, Georgia, 1909, p. 175.
208. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 8B, p. 469, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
209. Augusta City Directory, Vol. IV., R. L. Polkand Co., Augusta, Georgia, 1909.
210. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 8J, p. 501 and Plat Book 5W, p. 212, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
211. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 8T, p. 253, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
212. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 11-0, p. 232, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
213. Augusta City Directory, Vol. IV., R. L. Polk and Co., Augusta, Georgia, 1909, p. 533.
214. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 11-0, p. 232, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
215. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 13X, p. 147, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
216. Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 16P, p. 78, Richmond County Courthouse, Augusta, Georgia.
217. Office of the Secretary of State, Ben W. Fortson, State of Georgia~ Copy of the Deed of Richmond County Historical Society to the State of Georgia.

100

218. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, File Box on the Mackay House, Program of the Dedication of the Mackay House, 1962.

219. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Copy of Fact Sheet on significance, annual visitation, annual maintenance costs, interpretation and furnishings of the Mackay House.

220. Thomas Goree Little, Report on Restoration of the Whit.e House, Augusta, Georgia, December 26, 1957, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Collection on the Mackay House from papers~ Joseph Cumming of Augusta, Georgia, former Chairman of the Georgia Historical Commission, prepared for the Georgia Historical Commission by the Architect.

221. Ernest Frarik, Director of Architectural Research for Colonial Williamsburg, Comment on the construction date of the Mackay House, Augusta, Georgia, found in the files on Mackay House at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Atlanta, Georgia.

222. Georgia Historical Commission, Brochure on the Mackay House, 1971, Quote on date of construction of the Mackay House from Thomas Little.

223. Paul Buchanan, Director of Architectural Research for Colonial Williamsburg, Interview with by Martha Norwood and Ken Thomas of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, Preliminary Comments on the Architectural Features and Construction Date of the Harris-Pearson-Walker . House [Mackay House] after studying photographs, sketches and blue prints of the house on April 24, 1975.

224. Paul Buchanan, Director of Architectural Research of Colonial Williamsburg, Findings from a 2-day on site analysis of the HarrisPearson-Walker House [Mackay House] on July 30 and August 1, 1975.

225. Dr. Clemens de Baillou, Telephone Conversation with Martha F. Norwood

of the Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section,

concerning the archeological work at the Mackay House in Augusta, Georgia,

May 8, 1975.

'

226. Benson J. Lossing, The Pictorial Fieldbook of the Revolution or Illustrations by Pen and Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for Independence, Vol. II, Harper Brothers, New York, 1860, PP 503-513.

101 Appendix A Abstract of Title The Clark-MacGillivray or White House Tract 1756-1975

There are no deeds to the "White House Tract" between 1756 and 1792. Therefore, the chain of ownership during this period is based on other public records, newspapers and private papers. From 1794 until 1975, the abstracts will include only that portion of the tract on which the "Harris-Pearson-Walker House" stands.

KING GEORGE II

TO

SEPTEMBER 8, 1756

DANIEL CLARK AND LACHLAN MACGILLIVRAY

500 acres in the District of Augusta bounded on the northeast by Savannah River, southeast by Edward Barnard, northwest by Rae and Barksdale

Georgia, Surveyor General Department, Grant Book A, p. 200.

LACHLAN MACGILLIVRAY

TO

CIRCA 1760

ARTICLES OF COPARTNERSHIP DRAWN AUGUST 25, 1760

JOHN BROWN, WILLIAM STRUTHERS, JOHN MACGILLIVRAY, WILLIAM TREVIN

. that they will purchase of Mr. Lachlan MacGillivray, his house and plantation at Augusta "

British Public Records Office, Book 0, pp. 126-127

To be sold, the tract of land whereon we now live, situated on Savannah River, in Augusta, containing 500 acres, , whereon is a good dwelling house, with every outhouse necessary for a country store. Its situation and convenience for trade is esteemed the best in Augusta. For particulars enquire of Lachlan MacGillivray Esq. at Savannah, or at Augusta of Brown, Struthers and Co.
The Georgia Gazette, March 1, 1764, No. 48, p.3,c.2.

JOHN BROWN,

TO

WILLIAM STRUTHERS,

JOHN MACGILLIVRAY

WILLIAM TREVIN

ROBERT MACKAY CIRCA 1770

Robert Gordor1 Mackay states in his memoirs that in 1770, his father purchased a plantation near Augusta called the "White House Plantation".

102
Robert Gordon Mackay, "Memoirs", Mackay-Stiles Papers, Southern Historical Collection, ,University of North Carolina.

ROBERT MACKAY

TO

ANDREW MCLEAN

CIRCA 1775

The ''White House Tract" was listed in Andrew McLean 1s estate in 179 2.

Georgia~ Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book D, p. 63.

Note: Robert Mackay died in 1775 and Andrew McLean died in 1784.

ANDREW MCLEAN

TO

WILLIAM GREENWOOD

DECEMBER 4, 1792

DEED

also, 500 acres bounded northeast by Savannah River, northeast by Edward Barnard, northwest by land of Rae and Barksdale, originally granted to Daniel Clark and Lachlan MacGillivray and is now known and distinguished by the name of the White House Tract

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book D, p. 63.

WILLIAM GREENWOOD

TO

EZEKIEL HARRIS

APRIL 4, 1794

DEED

. 123 acres known by the number 3 and 200 acres known by the number 2, and both divisions of the White-house tract of land on the Savannah River in Richmond County ...

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book K, pp. 59-60.

EZEKIEL HARRIS

TO

PETER CRAWFORD

AUGUST 4, 1800

wherein John Hammond was Plaintiff and E. Harris defendant, did in the year 1800 levy the same upon a certain house and lot in Harrisburg, wherein E. Harris then resided and known by number 141, fronting on Broad and Elbert Street, 100' front and 310' deep ..

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book K, p. 392.

PETER CRAWFORD

TO

GEORGE PEARSON

DECEMBER 28, 1809

a lot in Harrisburg, whereon Ezekiel Harris then resided, Lot 141, fronting Broad Street and Elbert Street 100' front, 310' deep~ said house and lot conveyed by the Marshall to Peter Crawford and sold as the property of Ezekiel Harris

103 Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 0, pp. 410-412.

ESTATE OF GEORGE PEARSON

TO

JANUARY 1, 1823

MARY H. JONES [daughter of Pearson] DEED OF DIVISION

. Parcel of land above Harrisburgh on which mansion and other outbuildings

of the deceased George Pearson, containing 7 1/4 acres, according to a

plat made by J. C. Winter, Esq., and hereunto annexed, signed by him,

dated April 4, 1823, being the Lot 4 of said plat, and is bounded north

by Broad Street, west by a road leading from Campbellton Ferry to the

Sand Hill Village, south by Washington Street and East by the tract or

Lot 5 of said survey, drawn by Mrs. Yarnold...



Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book S, pp. 100-107.

MARY H. JONES

TO

[daughter of deceased

George Pearson]

LUCY YARNOLD [wife of deceased George Pearson]

DECEMBER 20, 1824

a parcel of land containing fifteen acres and one quarter_of an acre, situate, lying and being in said County, west of the City of Augusta, bounded north by the Washington Road, south by a road or street -known on the plat of the village of Harrisburg as Broad Street[Washington street in Harrisburg], east by the lands of Evans having been settled upon the said Mary H. at the time of her intermarriage with Chauncy Jones, was after his decease, and her intermarriage with Alton H. Pemberton, conv.eyed to Lucy M. Yamold, at the date of said conveyances, Lucy M. Rooney, by deed of said Mary H. and Alton H. Pemberton, dated December 20, 1824 .

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 3A, p. 528.

LUCY YARNOLD JUNE 23, 1848

TO

AUGUSTINE S. HILL,

TRUSTEE OF MARY

H. PEMBERTON

The continuation of the above deed cites the following:

was subsequently held by Augustine S. Hill as Trustee of Mary H. Pemberton, then a widow, the said Augustine S. Hill having intermarried with Lucy M. Jones, only child of the said Mary H. by her husband Chauncy Jones, and having constituted such Trustee .

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 3A, p. 528

AUGUSTINE S. HILL, TRUSTEE

TO

JANUARY 15, 1857

JOHN P. KING, TRUSTEE OF ARABELLA L. WALKER [daughter of George
Pearson]

104
The continuation of the above deed reads in part:
and convey~d by deed to the said Augustine S. Hill, Trustee, dated January 15, 1857, and recorded on folio 372 of Book MMin the offtce aforesaid to the said John P. King, Trustee of the said Arabella L. Walker as aforesaid .
This deed also traces the conveyance of the Eastern tract of George Pearson's 17 1/4 acres to John P. King, Trustee of Arabella L. Walker on January 16, 1857, Book MM, p. 373.
Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 3A, p. 528.

JOHN P. KING, TRUSTEE OF

TO

ARABELLA L. WALKER

JULY 15, 1873

CHARLES ESTES, TRUSTEE OF THE AUGUSTA LAND COMPANY

The continuation of the above deed reads in part:

in trust nevertheless that said Charles Estes will hold the above described premises upon the Trust limitations and conditions set forth in a certain instrument in writing dated 1873

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 3A, p. 528.

AUGUSTA LAND COMPANY

TO

NOVEMBER 18, 1876

AUGUSTA REAL ESTATE AND BUILDING ASSN. [Mortgage]

.. Lots 39, 40 and 41 fronting Broad Street or Washington Road bounded north by Broad Street or Washington Road, east by Lot 42, south by an alley and west by Lot 38 .

Signed by Charles Estes, President of the Augusta Land Company and witnessed by Patrick Walsh.

See also: Plat of the Augusta Land Company, Book 3C, pp. 298-301.

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 3E, pp. 625-626.

AUGUSTA REAL ESTATE AND

TO

BUILDING ASSOCIATION

ELIZA WALSH

OCTOBER 13, 1886

.. Lots and parcels of lots lying and being in the County aforesaid and designated on a plat of the Augusta Land Company recorded in Book 3C, pp. 2YH-302 as lots 1, 46, 39, 40, and 41.. ,lots 39, 40 and 41 fronting Broad Street 130 1 aggregate, and extending back of equal width all, 144' to an alley first, north of Ellis Street. Bounded north by Broad Street,

105
east by Lot 42 of said plat, south by an alley and west by lot 38 of said plat ...
Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 3V, pp. 147-148.

ELIZA WALSH

TO

TRI-PARTITE DEED OF AUGuST 27, 1901

THOMAS ALTON ET AL [grandson of Eliza Walsh]

. Lots 39,40, 41, 42, 44, 46 bounded north by Broad Street, south by Walsh Alley, east by Crawford, west by Lot 38

's Lots 39, 40 and 41 became Lots 3 and 4 of the division of the Walsh Estate
and these were left to Thomas Alton. Lots 40 and 41 Lot 4 and Lot 4 .the site of the house according to the plat of 1901.

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book SW, pp. 499-501.

THOMAS ALTON

TO

BENNETT W. BURNS

SEPTEMBER 3, 1901

Thomas Alton .swapped his Lot 4 to Bennett W. Burns for Burns' Lot 50.

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 5W, pp . 548-549.

J. G. ALLEN

TO

BENNETT W. BURNS

SEPTEMBER 6, 1901

Burns also purchased lot 3 on the south side of Broad street [formerly part

of the Walsh estate]

.

(

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book SW, p. 545.

BENNETT W. BURNS

TO

ESTHER C. BEARDEN

NOVEMBER 1, 1911

Lots 3 and 4 on the south side of Broad Street

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 7L, p. 554.

DR. G. W. SHACKELFORD

TO

A. P. PADGETT

JULY 2, 1914
This deed ref'ers to the Burns to Bearden deed of 1911 for a description of the property.

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 8B, p. 469.

106

A. P. PADGETT

TO

ANNIE NASH

OCTOBER 7, 1915

Lots 3 and 4 on the south side of Broad Street

Georgia, Richmond County Sup~rior Court, Deed Book 8J, p. 212.

ANNIE NASH

TO

JAMES T. NASH

NOVEMBER 30, 1917

1/2 interest in Lots 3 and 4 on the south side of Broad Street

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 8T, p. 253.

ANNIE NASH

TO

JAMES T. NASH

JUNE 10, 1927

Lots 3 and 4 on the south side of Broad Street. James Nash was the heir upon the death of Annie Nash.

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 11;...0, p. 232.

JAMES T. NASH

TO

LOUISE B. BARRETT

FEBRUARY 11, 1929

Lots 3 and 4 on the south side of Broad Street

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 11-0, p. 232.

LOUISE B. BARRETT

TO

JOHN SCOTT JOHNSON

JUNE 29, 1939

Lots 3 and 4 on the south side of Broad Street

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book 13X, p. 147.

JOHN SCOTT JOHNSON

TO

JANUARY 1, 1948

RICHMOND COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Lots 3 and 4 on the south side of Broad Street, between Crawford Avenue and Eve Street, bounded on the south by Welch (Walsh) Alley, and nqrth by Broad Street.

Georgia, Richmond County Superior Cour:t, Deed Book 16P, p. 78.

107

RICHMOND COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO

STATE OF GEORGIA

OCTOBER 23, 1956

. Fronting 100' on the south side of Broad Street between Crawford Avenue and Eve Street, extending back to Welch (Walsh) Alley, known as Lots 3 and 4 or 1822 Broad Street

Georgia, Office of the Secretary of State.

App~ndix B

108

The Thomas Red Tract 1757-1822

Previous research on the White House Tract has led to the belief that the original owner, that is the person who received the CroWn. Grant to the propeljty, was Thomas Red. The following is a trace of title to the Thomas Red Tract that will, when compared to the trace of title found in the 'main body of this paper, substantiate the fact that the original own~rs of the the White House Tract are Daniel Clark and Lachlan MacGillivray.

KING GEORGE II TO THOMAS RED

SEPTEMBER 30 ~ 1757 ..GRANT

500 acres in the District of AugUsta; Bounded: N.E. by the Savannah River, S.E. by the larids of Thomas Goodale, and N.E. by thetownship lir,i.e of Augusta.

Hemperly, Marion R., ~nglish Crown Grants in St. Paul 1 s Parish in Georgia, 1755-1775, Surveyor General Department, State of Georgia, State Printing Office, Atlanta, Georgia, 1974, p. 158.

THOMAS RED . TO JOHN FRANCIS WILLIAMS JANUARY 27, 1761 ONE YEAR LEASE

500 acres in the District of Augusta; Bounded: N.E. by the Savannah River, S.E. by the lands of Thomas Goodale, and N.E. by the town~hip line of Augusta.

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book H., p. 422. (Microfilm Drawer 138, Box 5, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta-, Georgia)

THOMAS RED ~ TO JOHN FRANCIS WILLIAMS JANUARY 28, 1761 DEED

500 acres in the District of Augusta; Bounded: N.E. by the Savannah River, S.E. by the lands of Thomas Goodale, N.E. by the township line of Augusta. Originally granted to Thomas Red. on September 30, 175 7.

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book E, pp. 1-8, Recorded July 1794. (Microfilm Drawer 138, Box 2, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

JOHN FRANCIS' AND CATHERINE WILLIAMS TO THOMAS NETIIERCLIFT OF SAVANNAH MAY 26, - 1774 ONE YEAR LEASE FOR 5 SHILLINGS

500 acr'es in the District of Augusta; Bounded: N.E. by the Savannah River, S.E. by the lands of Thomas Goodale, N.E. by the township lin e of Augusta. Originally granted September 30, 1757 to Thomas Red who by 'deed of lease and release dated January 27 and 28, 1761, sold and conveyed the same to John Francis Williams.

Red Tract 109

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book H, p, 480, (Microfilm Drawer 138, Box 5, Georgia Department of Ar_chives and History, Atlanta, . Georgi~)

JOHN FRANCIS AND CATiiERINE WILLIAMS TO THOMAS NETHERCLIFr OF SAVANNAH MAY 27, 1774 DEED

500 acres in the District of Augusta; Bounded: N.E. by the Savannah River, N.E. by :the township line of Augusta, and S.E. by the lands now or lately belonging to Thomas Goodale. Originally granted to Thomas Red on September 30, 1757 and conveyed by deed of lease and release to John Francis Williams dated January 27 . and 28, 1761 and the same cqnveyed by lease to Thomas Netherclift -on May 26, 1775.

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book D, p. 512. (Microfilm Drawer 138, Box 1, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia:)

THOMAS NETHERCLIFT . TO WILLIAM GLASCOCK JANUARY 3, 1775 DEED

500 acres in the District of Augusta; Bounded N.E. by the Savannah River, S.E. by the land of Thoma~ Goodale, N.E. by the township line of Augusta and which said plantation or tract was originally granted on the 30th day of September in 1757 to Thomas Red, who by deeds of Lease and Release, bearing dates respectively the 26th and 27th of May, 1774, sold and conveyed the same to Thomas Netherc1ift, party hereto.

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book H.; pp. 476-480. (Microfilm Drawer 138, Box 5, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

WILLIAM GLASCOCK TO WILLIAM GREENWOOD, JR. DECEMBER 21, 1792 MORTGAGE

First payment made on this date. Next payment due Janu.ary 1, 1794.

All that plantation tract or parcel of land containing by estimation 500 -acres, be the same more or less, situate, lying and being in the township of Augusta; Bounded: N.E. by the Savannah River, S.E. by land of Thomas Goodale (now Macartan Campbell), N.E. by the township line of Augusta. Originally granted to Thomas Red on September 30, 1757 and conveyed to John Francis Williams on January 28, 1761 and by Williams and wife Catherine to Thomas Netherclift on May 27, 1774 and by +'Jetherclift and wife Ann to William Glascock on January 3, 1775.

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book D, p. 86. (Microfilm Drawer 138, Box 1, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

WILLIAM GLASCOCK BY THE SHERIFF PETER DONALDSON TO FELIX MC KINNE

OCTOBER'

31,

1811 .

DEED

$11,300.00

500 Acres in the township of Augusta; Bounded: S.E. by lands lately of Thomas Goodale, N.E. by Townsll.ip Line of Augusta and N.E. by Savannah River.

Red Tra.c t

110

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book M., p. 158. (Microfilm

Drawer 138, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta,

Georgia)



..JOHN MC KINNE BY THE SHERIFF TO WADE HAMPTON, JR. JULY 2, 1822

DEED

$15,000~00

500 Acres more or less, Richmond County, near the city of Augusta butting and bounding to the Southeast by lands formerlY of Thomas Goodale, and on the Northeast by the township line of Augusta and Savannah River being the same formerly William Glascock's and conveyed to the said John McKinne and Felix McKinne by the then Sheriff of Richmond County Peter Donaldson, also lots 5 andl5 in the township conveyed to the McKinnes by the Telfairs and Courses, Also lot 6 (50 acres) in Augusta.

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book S, p. 153. (Microfilm at the Georgia. Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

Red Tract

llO

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book M., p. 158. (Microfilm Drawer 138, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

.JOHN MC KINNE BY THE SHERIFF TO WADE HAMPTON, JR . JULY 2, 1822

DEED

$15,000.00

500 Acres more or less, Richmond County, near the city of Augusta butting and bounding to the Southeast by lands formerly of Thomas Goodale, and on the Northeast by the township line of Augusta and Savannah River ' being the same formerly William Glascock's and conveyed to the said John McKinne and Felix McKinne by the then Sheriff of Richmond County Peter Donaldson, also lots 5 and 15 in the township conveyed to the McKinnes by the Telfairs and Courses, Also lot 6 (50 acres) in Augusta.

Richmond County Superior Court, Deed Book S, p. 153. (Microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia)

Appendix C

111

The Tax Laws of 1792 and 1795

The tax law of 1795 set the tax at 6 shillings for every hundred pounds of \ralue of land granted to or surveyed. For real property in the country, the law of 1795 referred to the tax law of 1792. The following tax table was set by the law of 1795 for real, town property and personal property.

Negroes and other slaves under the age of 50
Every 100 pound value of every lot or for other lands or buildings of any city, town or village
All 4-wheel carriages, coaches, and stagewagohs
All .fernale Negroes
Every 100 pounds value on a person's stock
Doctors and Lawyers

1 shilling 2 pence 3 shillings

4 shillings 8 pence

1 shilling 3 shillings

2 pence

18 shillings 8 pence

The tax law of 1792 taxed real, country property as follows:

High River Swamp McBean's Swamp and as high as Rae's Creek
All other oak and hickory lands throughout the state
All other pine land

26 shillings per acre 5 shillings 6 pence per acre 1 shilling per acre

Horatio Marbury and William H. Crawford, Digest of the Laws of the State of Georgia, Savannah, 1802.

112
The 1795 Tax Record of Dr. John Hartford Montgomery (owner of Lot 4 of the White House Tract)

Property

Value

24 Negroes

46 acres 2nd quality 26/acre

swamp land

300 acres 1st quality

oak & hickory 5/6 acre

1300 acres pine land

207.6

1/ acre

1 town lot

700.0

Professional tax

1 four-wheel

carriage

Tax Rate 1/2

Pounds Shillings Pence

6/1
3/1 18/8
4/8

4

4

974

The 1795 Tax Record of Ezekiel Harris (owner of Lots 2 and 3 of the White House Tract)

ProEerty
15 Negroes 322 1/2 acres 2nd
quality swamp land 26/0 acre 6 town lots

Value 419.5 35

Tax Rate
~1/2
6/1
3/1

Pounds Shillings Pence

2

3

874

Georgia, Richmond County, Tax Digests of 1795, On Microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia.

Appendix D

113

Deed of Division of the Estate of George Pearson De~d Book S, 1822-1826, Pages 101-106 Richmond County, Georgia

Georgia

Richmond County

In obedience to an order of the Honorabie the Court

of Ordinary for said County, dated the third day of March in year of our

Lord Otle thou~and eight-hundred and twenty three: We the undersigned

being a majority of the Conunissioners appointed by said order "to divide

and separate the estate of George Pearson deceased or so much thereof as

had not before been divided into three equal parts, between Lucy M. Yamold,

the widow, Mary H. Jones and Arabella L. Pearson, thechildren of the said

George Pearson." We do therefore certify that after being duly sworn, we

proceeded to make said divisions, and having examined and valued the land

and lots shown to us by John H. Mann Esquire, the Administrator, we caused

the same to b.e surveyed and laid off into convenient divisions or lots

which being appraised weremade into three portions as near in :value as
to could conveniently be done; the aggregate valuation amounting eighteen

thousand three hundred and seventeen dollars, making, therefore the value

to be assigned to each portion, Six thousand one hundred and five dollars

and Sixty Six and two thirds cents; which portions were set apart to each

by lot, and the same areas follows: vis

Portion No. 1 drawn by and assigned to Mrs. Mary H. Jones the Parcel

of Land above Harrisburgh, on which is the mansion and other out buildings

of the deceased George Pearson, containing seven and one fourth acres,
according to a plat made by J. c. Winter, Esquire hereunto annexed, signed $4,500.00

by him. and dated the 4th April 1823, being the No. 4 of said plat and is

bounded on the north by Broad Street, on the West by a Road leading from

Campbellton Ferry to the Sandhill Village, on the south by Washington Street

and on the ectst by thetract or lot No. 5 of said survey drawn by Mrs.

Yarnold



Also the western moiety of a lot of land in Springfield whereon John

Holcombe's Warehouse and other buildings are erected, bounded on the North

by Broad Street on the West by property now or late R. V. Lang's on the

South by Ellis Street, and on the East by a lot belonging to the Estate of

David McKinney a part of which entire lot as so bounded, was purchased

from Hanunond and the remainder from the admistrators of Meirs; the said

western moiety of the above described entire lot to be bounded on the

East side by a line running through the Center from Broad Street to Ellis

Street which shall divide the said entire lot into two equal parts, so that

the Eastern moiety in this division set apart and allotted _to Miss Arabella

L. Pearson, shall contain the same quantity of ground ~ ...... $2;250.00

$6,750.00

To Pay to Portion No. 2 .. $338.66 2/3 To Pay to Portion No. 3 $305.66 2/3

644.331/3

Portion No. 2 drawn by and assigned to Miss Arabella L. Pearson

$6,105.662/3

The Eastern moiety of the entire lot in Springfield on which is Holcomb's Warehouse and other buildings as particularl~ described in Portion No. 1 and which Eastern moiety is bounded

Pearson Estate 114

on the North by Broad Street on the East by a lot belonging to the estate

of David McKinne, on the South by Ellis Street and on the West by the

other moiety of said entire lot, in this division set apart and assigned

to .Mary H. Jones in the Po.rtion No. 1 ... $2750.00

Also the lot or parcel of land containing fifteen and three fourths

acres and known in J. C. Winter's plat aforesaid by the No. 2 and is

bounded on the South by Broad Street, on the East by Free Ferry Street,

Harrisburg, on the North by Savannah River in part and by the United

States Arsenal land on the other part, and on the West by said Arsenal

Land, as said plat will more particularly show and set forth $1575.00

Also the lot or parcel of land laid down in Winter's plat afore-

said distinguished by the No. 3 containing three and a half acres, and

bounded on the North by the Warehouse lot Harrisburgh now claimed by

P. Kelly, on the East by Liberty Street and a lot claimed by the heirs

of George Walker, on the South by Broad Street and said Walker's lot,

and on the West by Free Ferry Street, having such shape as said plat

represents .. ._.............................. ~ ........................... $ 350.00

Also the. lot or parcel of land laid down in Winter's plat aforesaid

distinguished by the No. 6 containing two acres, and bounded on the

North by the old Washington road or Washington Street, on the East by

Liberty Street, on the South by the lot or parcel of land No. 8 in said

plat also assigned to this Portion, in part, and by another lot of

ground lying between these two parcels on Free Ferry Street, and on

the West in part by the said lot lying between as aforesaid and by

Free Ferry Street on the remainder having such shape as said plat

represents ................................,. ................... . .- -.... . $ 100.00

Also the lot or parcel of ground as represented in Winter's plat

aforesaid by the No. 7 containing two and one fourth acres, bounded

on the North by Washington Street, on the East and South by other

lands or lots, and on the West by Liberty Street .. $ 112.00

Also the lot or parcel of ground as represented on Winter's

plat aforesaid by the No. 8 containing five acres, bounded on the

North by the Lot No. 6 in this portion mentioned above and by a lot

lying on Free Ferry Street and between the said lots No. 6 and No. 8

on the East by Liberty Street on the South by other lands, and on

the West -by Free Ferry Street ...... .... _....... .................... -

$ 50.00

Also that lot or parcel of land represented in Winter's plat

aforesaid by "Original No. 4 and Division No. 9" containing thirty

three and one tenth acres, bounded on the North by the lot or parcel

of land also assigned to this portion and distinguished in Winter's

plat aforesaid by "Original No. 5 Division No. 10" on the East and

South by other lands and on the West by a parallel line with the roaJ

leading from the Campbellton Ferry to the Sandhill Village having

such form and shape as is laid down in said plat, hereunto annexed

as aforesaid .....................................................

$ 330.00

Also that lot or parcel of land represented in Winter's plat

aforesaid by "Original No. 5 Division 10" containing nineteen and

one fourth acres, bounded on the North by other lands, on the East

by other lands, on the South by lot or parcel of land also assigned

to this Portion and distinguished in Winter's plat aforesaid by

"Original No. 4 Division No. 9" and on the West by a parallel or

corresponding line with the road leading from the Campbellton Ferry

to the Sandhill Village ............................................ .

$ 200 .00

Pearson Estate 115

Also all that tract or parcel of land lying to the South, bounded on

the North by Washington Street (Harrisburg) containing thirty nine

acres, purchased by the said George Pearson in his lifetime from

Thomas C.. Crawford ...............................................

$ 300.00

$5767.00

To Receive from Mary H. Jones

338.66 2/3 $6105.66 2/3

Portion No. 3 drawn by and assigned to Mrs. Lucy M. Yarnold

The lot of land in the Village of Springfield with the improve-

ments thereon, bounded on the South by Broad Street, on the East by

Marbury Street, on the North by

and on the West by a lot belong-

ing to the estate of David McKinney deceased $3500.00

Also the lot or parcel of land represented in Winter's plat

aforesaid by the No. 1 containing thirteen acres, bounded on the

North by the United States Arsenal land, on the East by the arsenal

road dividing this lot from the lot known in Winter's plat aforesaid

by the No. 2 in this division assigned to Miss Arabella L. Pearson

on the South by Broad Street, and on the West by the road leading

from the Campbellton Ferry to the Sandhill .. $1300.00

And also the lot or parcel of land as represented on Winter's

plat aforesaid by the No. 5 containing ten acres, bounded on the

North by Broad Street on the East by Free Ferry Street, on the

South by Washington Street, and on the West by the lot or parcel

of land kn,,wn in said plat by the No. 4 assigned in this division

to Mrs. Mary H. Jones ............................................ $1000.00

5800.00

To Receive from Mary H. Jones

305.66 2/3 $6105.66 2/3

Now therefore we, the undersigned by virtue of the power in us vested

by the Honorable the Court of the Ordinary aforesaid, do declare the

foregoing to be a final and complete division of the real estate of

the said George Pearson, deceased, as shown to us by the Administrators;

and we do hereby set apart and decree to each of the said heirs and

distributees, their heirs and assigns forever, these lots and tracts of

land with the improvements and appurtenances thereon and thereunto be-

longing or in any way appertaining, as allotted, set apart and described

in severalty, in the Portions aforesaid, from this day, henceforth and

forever. And inasmuch as a considerable part of the said property is

now under lease, having been rented out by the Administrators, we do

adjudge that the administrators shall not be bound to deliver the

possession of such rented property until the first day of January next

and to be accountable for receipts and expenditures in the meantime.

Given under our hands and seals at Augusta in said State, this ninth day

of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty three,

and in the forty seventh year of the Independence of the United States of

America.

Asaph Waterman

B. H. Warren

Greene B. Marshall

James Primrose

Pearson Estate

116

State of Georgia
We the undersigned; heirs and distributees of George Pearson, deceased having reviewed and examined the foregoing and annexed allotments and portions of said estate as made by the Commissioners under their hands and seals in conformity to an order of the Honorable the Court .of Ordinary of Richmond County dated the third day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty three, and do approve of and assent to the same. And the said Mary H. Jones for herself and her heirs doth hereby relinquish and forever quit claim to all the lots and parcels of land in said Division apportioned to Arabella L. Pearson and Lucy M. Yarnold, .theirs and each of their heirs and assigns forever; and the said Arabella L. Pearson for herself and her heirs doth hereby relinquish and forever quit claim to all the lots and parcels of land in said division apportioned toMary H. Jones and Lucy M. Yarnold their and each of their heirs and assigns forever; and the said Lucy M. Yarnold for herself and her heirs doth hereby relinquish and forever quit claim to all the lots and parcels of land in said division apportioned to Mary H. Jones and Arabella L. Pearson their and each of their heirs and assigns forever.
In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this thirteenth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty three.
Mary H. Jones Seal L. M. Yarnold Seal Arabella L. X Pearson
her mark

I assent to and approve of the foregoing the day and year above written

Signed Sealed and

John H. Mann Seal

acknowledged by all

Guardian A. L. Pearson

the parties, in presence

of

John Lamkin

R. Bush JP

Georgia Richmond County

In the Court of Ordinary 5 May 1823

The Commissioners appointed by this court on the 3rd day of March last to divide the real estate of George Pearson, deceased having made a report of the performance of the duties assigned, under their hands and seals of date of . 9 April last, and the same being approved of by the parties in interest, as appears by their act to that effect attached to said division dated 30 April: It is now on notion, made the Judgement and decree of this Court, the proceedings ordered to be recorded and affected.
Taken from the minutes Isaac Herbert Clerk of the Court Ordinary
Recorded 5 May 1823

Appendix E

117

The Walker Family

Four Walker brothers moved to Richmond County prior to 1800.

Freeman

George

Valentine

Robert

Freeman Walker *
Born October 25, 1780 Charles County, Virginia Married Mary Creswell of Oglethorpe County, Georgia Married at Bellevue Plantation, Augusta, Georgia on
April 29, 1803 by George Walton Died September 23, 1827, age 47 Accomplishments: Major in Georgia Militia
Attorney 1st Mayor of Augusta Georgia House of Representatives
1804-1806 Georgia State Senator 1809-10
1813-14 Judge Court of Common Pleas U.S. Senator December 15, 1819-
August 8, 1921

Children of Freeman and Mary Walker

General W. H. T. Walker B. November 26, 1816 M. Mary Townsend Served in: Seminole
War, Mexican War, and Civil War and as Commandant of West Point Academy

General John David Walker B. January 9, 1825 Batchelor

Ann Eliza Amanda Walker B. March 1, 1809 M. Adam Johnston

Sarah Wyatt Walker B. October 18, 1822 M. Dr. Walter E. Johnston

George Augustus Beverly Walker* B. April 7, 1805 M. Arabella Lucinda Pearson*
April 4, 1832 (B. Oct. 30, 1815D. Nov. 1, 1900) D. Sept. 23, 1864

George Augustus Beverly Walker

Born Summerville, Richmond County, Georgia 1805 Married Arabella Lucinda Pearson, daughter of
George Pearson of Harrisburg, Richmond County, Georgia Lawyer and Farmer Purchased Tranquilla Plantation, Dallas County, Alabama
around 1832 and moved there Returned to Richmond County, c. 1850 and was employed
as a Clerk

118

Children of George Augustus Beverly Walker artd Arabella Pearson Walker

Freeman Walker* B. August 26, 1833 D. March 25, 1849

John P. King Walker* Originally named
Beverly King B. 1835 M. Anna Laurie Mitchell

Elizabeth Mary Walker B. 1837 M. Lawrence Adams
Milligan Oct. 7, 1856

Zemula Creswell Walker Lucy Pearson Walker* Bivilina Walker W. H. T. Walker*

B. 1839

B. D~~. 22, 1841

B. 1843

B. June 2, 1845

M. William Pendleton M. Clarence Valentine

D. March 25, 1849

of Richmond, Va.

Walker, Sept.

Sept. 24, 1862

29, 1859

D. Dec. 29, 1873

George R. V. Walker* Beverly Pearson Walker* Cornelia M. Walker* Sarah Wyatt J.

B. Oct. 18, 1847

B. Jan. 22, 1851

B. July 8, 1853

Walker

D. Nov. 4, 1874

D. Sept. 9, 1853

D. Aug. 28, 1870 B. July 17, 1859

D. Mar. 14, 1878

John Pendleton King Walker Born in 1835 at Tranquilla Plantation, Dallas County, Alabama Married Anna Laurie Mitchell on December 22, 1856 in Summerfield,
Dallas County, Alabama Named for John Pendleton King of Augusta, close friend of George
A. B. Walker and owner of King Mills of Augusta Moved to Augusta (Harrisburg), Richmond County, Georgia, c. 1860
and lived at 1822 Broad St. at the home of his mother, Arabella Pearson Walker. Profession: Doctor

Children of John Pendleton Kirtg Walker artd Anna Laurie Mitchell Walker

George Beverly Walker B. 1864, Harrisburg, Ga. D. 1904

Arabella Pearson Walker* B. Oct. 11, 1863, Harrisburg, Ga.
M. Joseph Milligan D. Det. 12, 1954

Archibald Walker B. 1858, Dallas Co., Ala. D. 1888

Anna Laurie Walker B. 1869, Harrisburg, Ga. D. 1958

William Freeman Walker B. 1866, Harrisburg, Ga. D. 1931

Mrs. E. S. Wolfe, the former Laurie Milligan, is the granddaughter of Arabella Pearson Walker Milligan and Joseph Milligan. As of July 1975, she is residing at 3638 Bermuda Court, East, Augusta, Georgia.

Mrs. H. W. Hankinson, granddaughter of John P. King Walker, resides at St. John's cTowers, Augusta, Georgia as of July 1975.

Mr. Porter Carswell, grandson of Arabella and Joseph Milligan, resides at Bellevue Plantation, Waynesboro, Georgia.

* Buried at the, Walker Family Cemetary on the Augusta College Campus, Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia.

119 Appendix F
The drawings on the following pages were done for the Historic American Buildings Survey by the United States Department of the Interior. They were drawn prior to the restoration of the house by the Georgia Historical Commission.

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128
Appendix G
THE WHITE HOUSE IN AUGUSTA
Archeological Investigation for the Georgia Historical Commission, February 1953
By Clemens de Baillou
The WHITE HOUSE at 1822 Broad St. is the oldest house standing in Augusta, Georgia. It was built about 1747, and legend as well as established fact make it an important historical landmark. The Richmond County Historical Society, which had acquired this property, was eager to protect and to develop it. In preparation for so doing, it seemed advisable to look for further proofs of its identity, and to collect more information with reference to the famous and tragic battle fought there in 1776. The Georgia Historical Commission was therefore approached by a committee of members of the Richmond County group (Miss Terence Battey, President of the Society, Mrs. Mary Carter Winter, Mr. Joseph R. Cumming and Mr. Barry Fleming) and asked to provide for an archeological survey of the place. As a result of this meeting, excavating on the grounds of the WHITE HOUSE began on Feb. 16, 1953.
A city lot of 100 X 144 feet does not offer much possibility for an archeological survey, especially when a quarter of it is covered with buildings. The slope in front of the house had obviously nothing to offer, and we expected most from the back yard. Moreover the finding of a reported well and its possible contents might prove especially interesting, and therefore in view of these facts we started work in the back yard where the well was said to have been located. A large trench (5' wide, 2' deep and 52' long) was put through the middle of the yard. The ground here is composed of four layers: 1) 211 of black humus. 2) 1 1-2" of quartz sand which represents the old surface of the old sanded yard. This white sand was identified by Mr. Davenport, Director of the Augusta Museum, as having been imported from South Carolina. 3) 1" of humus. 4) 1" of sediment containing brick fragments and all kinds of material which gave evidence of human habitation. There is altogether a layer of almost a foot and a half that shows some traces of having been occupied, and which is spread uniformly over the yard. Below this one meets a heavy, hard clay of undetermined depth, but which goes down at least six feet.
We never found any well, but much material was unearthed in our trench, including some uniform buttons of English origi~, and a very early, heavy, iron musket ball. Glass and chinaware were found all broken into small bits. Many animal bones (kitchen refuse) were present. And there was a number of hand wrought nails. There was one strange disturbance, the examination of which led us to the conclusion that it could only have been produced by a decayed wooden pipe. This proved to be what it was, as we found that Augusta used woodt:!l.L water mains in the last century.

129
In the western part of the trench there appeared a largedisturbance which on being further explored developed into a small cellar 10' X 10' and 6' deep. This was' neatly cut into the hard clay, and a part of the old brick wall was preserved on the western side. The structure clearly belonged to some free . standing building which had been burned. The fill showed many traces of cha~red 'Wood as well as loose bricks. It nbw
seemed important to -determine the age of the bricks in order to find out
whether the cellar was contemporary with the house. To this end we asked the opinion of Mr. Ernest Mary, who is the authority on. local brick and
masonry work. Mr. Mary was inclined to date the bricks as late as 1820
that is, among the first products of Augusta's first brick yard; established
by Mr. dE! L'Aigie. But the bricks varied much in size and in thickness
(between 7 1-2'' and 9'' in length and 2" to 3" in thickness). They were all definitely .made of local clay, but could easily date back to an earlier time inasmuch as builders used to make their own bricks on the spot lbng before 1800. Moreover the bricks in the cellar seemed to us tobe of the same kind as those used in the chimney of the house. ' As was frequently the case in the eighteenth century, the masonry of the cellar was a very poor piece of work. The first course of bricks lay flat on the floor instead of being embedded, the wall was only one brick thick, and instead of mortar, raw clay was used. The walls were whitewashed indicating that the cellar was used for food storage lime wash has always been the simplest preventive of mould.
The building above .the cellar could have been a kitchen, but it was more likely the smoke-house mentioned in some reports. The finding of this dellar seems to be the most significant point in this small excav~tion. It elucidates an old story concerning which there has been much skepticism. In 1775 Fort Augusta was stormed by the Americans. The WHITE HOUSE (at that time McKay's Trading Post) was the last fiercely defended outpost. The British defenders were ultimately freed by liberation forces. Thirteen Americans were hanged and the rest massacred by the Indians. One of the Americans, who later told the tale, escaped through or into a cellar. This last part of the story has been the doubtful part, because the WHITE HOUSE is a cellarless, frame structure, and no indication of any cellar was ever found. Thus the whole story was discredited. Now that we have a cellar the story is more convincing.
Several smaller trenches were dug around the house and inside one of the sheds, with yery little result. In the second week, we asked Camp Gordon for the use of a mine detector in the hope of locating more metal objects. This, with the requisite personnel to work it, was supplied to us in the kindest and most generous way by Colonel Schuyler. With the detector we found metal underground at about thirty-five different places, but this sensitive instrument registered the presence of any oldbottle cap and the thirty-five holes we dug produced very little of interest. In
this connection we found northeast of the house a square pit 4 X 6' and
2 1-2 1 deep. Further investigation, however, indicated that it belonged to a recent greenhouse that had stood at the spot.
With reference to the problematical location of the well, we would like. to call attention to the fact that the present lot is only a fraction

130
of the original yard. It is therefore very likely that the old well remains outside the pres~nt lot, especially as certain historical papers state that the defending soldiers were cut off from all water. It is of course passible that another well was made close to the house after the larger part of the yard was sold. The nearest well that we could find was on the second neighboring lot 110' east of the corner of the WHITE HOUSE. It is of interest that the water table here is approximately 30 feet below the level on which the house stands, but we were told that at this depth the water supply is neither pure nor reliable. For this reason all old wells in this area are 120 to 180 feet deep.
The battle fought at the WHITE HOUSE in 1776 [actually 1780] must have been fought all over the elevation on which the house stands. There was at the beginning of the battle one company of Florida Rangers defending the house. In addition some fifty Indians were employed in the river bottoms, altogether some 250 to 300 men. To these there came in the course of the battle of Augusta, the retreating garrison in the strength of a company, thus about 200 to 250 men. In spite of losses, the combined numbers could never have been tactically employed in an area even four times as large as the present lot. Thus the battle field extended also down to the river.
We have inspected the area around the WHITE HOUSE within a radius of about half mile, and examined old maps of the location, and we have no doubts whatever of the authenticity of this site and this house. Details of structural design of the house confirm its authenticity. This was a beautiful house. The entrance hall still reflects its early elegance. We hope that it will be preserved.

Note:

This is a complete copy of the article as it appeared in Early Georgia in 1953. Dr. de Baillou was in charge of the limited archeological excavation and study conducted at the site. He is now with the Augusta Museum, Augusta, Georgia.

131
The following report was prepared for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources by the Director of Architectural Research for Colonial Williamsburg in August of 1975 following an on-site inspection of the- Mackay House or Harris-Pearson-Walker House in Augusta, Georgia. This copy is a duplicate of the original received from the architect. Typographical errors are in the original.

132
ARCHITECTURAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MACKAY HOUSE -AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
by Paul Buchanan, P.O. Box 2 Williamsburg, Virginia
I was requested by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Section, to investigate the above noted building and give a probable construction date.
I have thirty-seven years experience studying and working with historic American arthitecture. For the past twenty-six years I have worked in this field for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and am the Director of Architectural Research.
I arrived in Augusta in the early afternoon of Thursday, July 31, 1975 and left mid-afternoon Friday, August 1, 1975. I investigated the house Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Thursday night I reviewed the photographs of the house, the Historic American Building Survey measured drawings, a few restoration drawings by Thomas Little and E.M. Frank, and a two page archaeological report. All of these items were from the files of the Department of Natural Resources. I did not read any historical data on the house, other than the signs on the grounds, as I wanted only the building and grounds to guide me in dating the building. On Friday afternoon I met with five local citizens of Augusta and explained the results of my investigations and answered their questions. I was accompanied
by Ms. Martha Norwood and Mr. Alston C. Waylor of the Department of Natural
Resources during these two days.
In my opinion, this house was built c. 1800 plus or minus five years; that is, between 1795 and 1805. Some of the observations that I base this opinion on are listed below:
1. The house was built as a unit, three "piles" or timber spans deep. Three pile isolated residences were rare in Georgia before 1800.
2. The front porch first floor framing has been rebuilt at least once and probably twice before its recent restoration.
3. The front porch columns are all new although they are accurate reproductions of the original columns. The origina 1 columns were boxed-in during the "Greek Reviva p period, c. 1830-45, as shown in the record photographs.
4. When the columns were boxed-in, the present front and

133

Architectural Investigation

The Mackay House



page 2 of 5

rear cornices were installed replacing the original cornices. Also, the original corner boards were replaced. The first corner boards were on the front and rear elevations. These Greek Revival features, cornices, and corner boards were :netained in the recent restoration. I verified the corner boards by removing a weatherboard on the side of the house and finding nail holes for the original weatherboards behind the Greek Revival corner board.

5. The corner posts and partition posts in the framing
system are L & T shaped, hewn from a solid post. I have
not seen this in southern architecture before 1780. It is more common from 1800-1820.

6. The corner braces slope up from the corner posts.
Colonial southern buildings had corner braces that slope down from the corner post. Seldom are up sloping braces
found in the South before 1800. They were common in the Colonial Period in New England.

7. The main roof slope is based on a proportional ratio of

the slope to the span. This method of determining roof

pitches was always used in the eighteenth century build-

ings but gradually disappeared in the 1820's. Around

1820 the carpenter's framing square was mass produced

and by its use the roof slope was based on a proportional

ratio of the rise to the span.



8. The interior panelling up to chair rail height is low, about 30 inches to the top of the chair rail on the first floor and from 32 to 34 inches on the second floor. In the colonial period chair rails were about 36 inches from
the floor to their centers. After the Revolution, chair rails were lowered to fit the latest design of chairs. Chair rails in the early nineteenth century were as low as 28 inches, but they were usually 30 to 32 inches high. I saw nothing to indicate that the panelling and chair rails
were installed later, and I believe them to be original except where they were patched in the recent restoration.
If earlier chair boards or rails had been installed there would have been marks on the door and window trim, and I saw no such marks.

9. The east chimney is built in American bond, three courses of stretchers and one course of headers. The west chimney is built in Flemish bond, alternating headers and stretchers in each course. American bond did not occur ;in southern

134

Architectural Investigation The Mackay House

page 3 of 5

architecture until after the Revolution. It started about 1790 with three stretcher courses, then ha.d four stretcher courses about 1815. Later, the stretcher courses increased to as many as seven. Flemish bond was used throughout the eighteenth century and continued into the nineteenth century. Both chimneys have sloping weatherings above the second floor fireplaces. If the chimneys were colonial, I would expect them to also have sloping weatherings above the first floor fireplaces. Sloping weatherings on chimneys started disappearing about 1800 but some older masons continued using them until about 1820. The sloping weatherings on these chimneys have been replaced in the recent restoration incorrectly, causing the bricks to slide off the chimneys. I gave Mr. Wayler a sketch of how to repair them and showed him how they were built originally, in the record photographs. Both chimneys and the foundation piers have been completely repainted or rebuilt in the recent re~toration so that I was unable to see any original mortar samples. Both chimneys have stepped footings and flagstone foundations but they look to me to be later underpinning, probably c. 1835-1850; both appear to be original with the house. From the above I would date them between 1790 and 1815, with later underpinning.
10. I studied the underside of the first floor framing for evidence of the house ever having been jacked up and moved. If it had been moved there would have been wedge marks on the underside of the framing. Th~ only marks of this kind that I saw were impressions of modern screw jacks used when the foundation piers were repaired or rebuilt in the recent restoration.
11. The hand-made wrought iron nails used in the construction of this building were typical of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, with the exception that the heads were thinner and smaller. This is typical of the period of c. 1800 and later.
12. The woodwork mouldings were of the period of the later part of the eighteenth century. Moulding planes started changing about 1805 and none of the mouldings in the house are of the nineteenth century, with the exception of the cornices and corner boards.
13. The exterior front entrance doorway is not typical of

135

Architectural Investigation The Mackay House

pege 4 of 5

southern architecture. The use of fluted pillasters, pulvinated frieze and modillion cornice were common in the interior of fine southern houses. But their use on the front entrance is more typical on New England houses, especially Connecticut.
14. The shape of the gambrel roof on this house was common
in northern regions in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In the eighteenth century the gambrel roofs in the South had steeper, lower slopes. The gambrel roof type on this house, however, had been built in Charleston and Savannah Qy 1800.
15. The floor plan of this house would be out of place
north of Georgia. It has front and rear porches, exterior (but covered) stair. Each room has three exterior walls and excellent cross ventilation. It is a very good house,well designed for its locale.
16. The barrel plaster vault in the thru-passage on the first floor is an unusual feature but it appears to be original. I would not expect to see this feature in a colonia1 house.

I told the group of five local citizens most of the above, with some points being pointed out in the house itself. This group consisted
of: Mr. Heard Robertson, Dr. Ed Cashin, Mr. William R. Mitchell, Jr.,
Mr. Ray Rowland, and Mrs. Ann Powell. During my presentation I was asked a few questions which are not covered in the above numbered items;
A. If the building was constructed after the Colonial period, why did Mr. Little and Y~. Frank say that the building was the finest Colonial Building in the region?
I stated that I did not know what Mr. Little had said but that after Mr. Frank had visited the house to work
on the stair, he told me that he was uncertain whether the house was an eighteenth or early nineteenth century building. He did not have time to thoroughly investigate the building as he was busy measuring the rear porch area.
B. Did you see any evidence of war battle damage?. I stated that I had been in buildings in Yorktown, Virginia that had been damaged in the revolution and I saw no evidence of this type of damage in the Y~ckay House.
c. Did you see any evidence of fire in the building?

136

Architectural Investigation '!'he Mackay House

page 5of 5

I stated that in the attic I saw some timbers that were dark in color as if they were open timbers in an exterior kitc.hen building, re-used in the recent restoration. It was so dark in the attic that these timbers could have been treated with a wood preservative, but I did not return to the attic to check this out. I did not see any evidence of a fire or charred or burned timbers.
D. By only architectural investigations, can you accurately date a house? I stated that architectural investigations can only give a dating range. This should be further defined and verified by historic research and archaeological investigations. The historical research and archaeology should only be done by competent organizations with trained professionals, preferably not local citizens. Archaeology will be very expensive and should not be attempted without proper funding.
After my presentation to the local group, I was informed that my findings on the date of the building were within the date of construction established by the research of the Department of Natural Resources.

~ August 29, 1975