- Collection:
- Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Presentation Slide Collection, 1968-2000
- Title:
- Brumby House
- Creator:
- Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
- Contributor to Resource:
- Church, Alonzo, 1793-1862
Waddel, Moses, 1770-1840
Harris, Sarah H., 1851-
Crawford, William Harris, 1772-1834 - Date of Original:
- 1972-04
- Subject:
- Architecture
Historic sites--Georgia--Clarke County
Historic buildings--Georgia--Clarke County
Architecture, Domestic--Georgia--Clarke County
College presidents--Dwellings--Georgia--Athens
Wooden-frame houses
Cultural property--Protection
Historic preservation--Georgia
Historic buildings--Conservation and restoration - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Clarke County, Athens, 33.96095, -83.37794
- Medium:
- color slides
federal
historic preservation
historic buildings - Type:
- Still Image
- Format:
- image/jp2
- Description:
- [Detail, front doorway, Church-Waddel-Brumby House]. From the National Register of Historic Places inventory form prepared by Mrs. Patricia Irvin Cooper, Staff Researcher, Historic Preservation Section, Dept. Natural Resources March 28. 1974:The Church-Waddel Brumby House was built circa 1820 by a professor and the home of an illustrious president of the University of Georgia. The Church-Waddel-Brumby house is a rare symbol of the early days of Athens, the University of Georgia, and a rare example of Federal architecture. The house offers visitors the experience of a dwelling of dignified simplicity; of modest size, fine proportions and careful workmanship. In addition to these considerations, the house is a notable survivor and symbol of the early decades of Athens and the University of Georgia. The house has been the subject of much misinformation, including an erroneous date. In synopsis, its history, as discovered in research for this nomination, is that Alonzo Church (1793-1862), professor at the University of Georgia (UGA) and later its president (1829-1859), had the house built; never lived in it but sold it to Moses Waddel (1770-1840), who lived in it nine years while president of the University; the 1820 United States Federal Census listed 16 enslaved people in the household of Moses Waddel, eight women, and nine men, including nine children under the age of fourteen. UGA, founded in 1785, first opened its doors to students in 1801. It consisted then of one school, Franklin College, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. An energetic president, Josiah Meigs, the erection of a fine large brick building (Old College), and a growing student body and community marked the first decade. Dr. Waddel sold the home after his retirement to Mrs. Sarah H. Harris, whose descendants occupied it until the death of the Misses Brumby in the mid-1960s.For several years the College had been declining in students, funds and enthusiasm. The Trustees spent 1817-19 searching for a new president, but their choices either declined or died. The College dwindled to seven students, and the little town of Athens stagnated. In March, 1819, the Trustees unanimously elected the Rev. Moses Waddel, a Presbyterian minister and educator. After teaching in several other places, in 1804 Dr. Waddel had opened Willington Academy, near the little town of Willington, South Carolina; the site is now covered by the waters of Clark Hill Reservoir. Here in the backwoods the boys built little cabins in which they lived and did their own housekeeping; they pursued the frontier sports of hunting, running, wrestling; there was also dancing and debating. They had surely one of the earliest forms of student self-government, with Dr. Waddel, however, having the final word. There were daily prayers, church on Sunday; and plain fare at the table except for occasional peach brandy. The intellectual fare was a rigorous classical curriculum of Greek, Latin, history, geography, and grammar. Among the students at this remarkable school were: vice president of the United States (1825-1832) John C. Calhoun, U.S. senator William H. Crawford (U. S. senator), humorist, educator, and journalist Augustus Baldwin Longstreet (1790-1870), and Georgia governor George R. Gilmer (1790-1859). The school graduated seven governors of South Carolina, Georgia ,and Alabama, as well as numerous senators, judges, lawyers, and clergymen. Variant names include: Brumby House, Church-Waddel-Brumby House. See ref # 75000578 (Church-Waddel-Brumby House), https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/national-register-listed-20240710.xlsx
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gthp_gthp-slides_352
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gthp_gthp-slides_352#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gthp_gthp-slides_352/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- Please contact holding institution for information regarding use and copyright status.
- Holding Institution:
- Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
- Rights:
-
