Gwinnett Daily Post

Sprinkled among bustling subdivisions and busy intersections, glimpses of Gwinnett’s past stand in the metropolitan landscape. Some are private homes that sit along the county’s major thoroughfares, and others are preserved landmarks.

After nearly 200 years, these 18 destinations, compiled from the Gwinnett Historical Society’s driving tour and the Gwinnett and Environmental Heritage Center’s Heritage Sites, are the oldest homes and buildings present in today’s cities. Here’s a look at the sites throughout the county and their historical significance.

---By Graphics Editor Nicole Puckett and Staff Intern Stefanie Still

Historic Courthouse

185 Crogan Street SW in Lawrenceville

The Gwinnett Historic Courthouse has been rebuilt twice since the building’s original construction in 1824, once after the courthouse burned down in 1871 and again in 1885 due to poor construction. Today, concerts and gatherings are held on the lawn.

Lawrenceville Female Seminary

455 South Perry Street in Lawrenceville

The Lawrenceville Female Seminary building was completed in 1838, where Martha Wells served as first principal. After the original structure burned down, the present building was built in 1855 and continued being used until 1886. The Seminary building is now host to the Gwinnett History Museum.

Isaac Adair House

Behind Female Seminary in Lawrenceville

The house of Isaac Adair, built in 1827, is one of the oldest houses in Gwinnett County. The house was moved from its original location in 1984 to a more rural area, and then moved, by the county, again to its current location in 2006 due to a construction project. The Isaac Adair House stands now with only a few alterations to the original structure.

Methodist Campground

722 Braselton Highway in Lawrenceville

The Lawrenceville Methodist Campground was created in 1832 as an area for spiritual renewal and community outreach. The Campground is also host to youth activities, scouting functions and spiritual retreats.

Fort Daniel

Fort Daniel was built in 1813 as a protective measure during the War of 1812. This is the oldest site of Gwinnett County. The famous Peachtree Road connected Fort Daniel, presumably named for General Allen Daniel, to Fort Peachtree. There are efforts being made to save the site, which is on privately owned land.

2505 Braselton Highway in Dacula

Elisha Winn House

908 Dacula Road in Dacula

The Elisha Winn House served as host to Gwinnett County’s first elections as well as sessions of the Inferior Court, where Winn himself served as a justice. The Superior Court held meetings in Winn’s barn. The house and grounds are open to the public for the Elisha Winn Fair on the first weekend of October.

Freeman’s Mill

1564 Alcovy Road SE in Lawrenceville

The Freeman’s Mill is the last operating gristmill in Gwinnett County. The Mill provided staples such as wheat flour and feed meal to the county from the 1860s to 1886, as well as a Baptismal for a nearby church. The mill itself is being restored and is the center of Freeman’s Mill Park.

Hudson House/ Yellow River Post Office

3459 Five Forks Trickum Road in Lilburn

The Hudson House belonged to Thomas P. Hudson, a farmer who served in the Georgia General Assembly from 1853-54, 1855-56 and 1861-62. Hudson, who originally opposed secession, was one of the three Gwinnett delegates who participated in the secession convention in Milledgeville where the decision was made for Georgia to withdraw from the union. Across from the Hudson House is the Yellow River Post Office, where Hudson was postmaster from 1846 until his death. The Post Office site was bought by the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center and has been converted to a park.

Charles Livsey House

Privately owned: 4040 Mink Livsey Road SW in Snellville

Charles Livsey, a native of Georgia, lived in his house along with his wife and seven children. When Livsey died in 1891, he left the house to his wife, Rebecca, along with 60 acres of land. The remaining property was divided amongst the children. When Rebecca died, the land was passed to the oldest son, Green H. Livsey.

Thomas Maguire House

Privately owned: 4533 Anderson-Livsey Lane SW in Snellville

The Promised Land, nicknamed by Thomas Maguire due to the fertile soil, is actually the 1,000 acres that made up Maguire’s 1860 plantation. Maguire represented Gwinnett County in the legislature and was also appointed to the first school board after Georgia gained a public school system.

David Anderson House

Privately owned: 3690 S. Rockbridge Road SW in Stone Mountain

David, son of Elijah and Celia Anderson, inherited his land in Rockbridge District after his parents passed away. Anderson married Edney Minor and garnered a plantation of 670 acres, and he built a complex called Pleasant Valley. His sister married Thomas Maguire, owner of the Promised Land.

Wynne-Russell House

4685 Wynne Russell Drive in Lilburn

Thomas Wynne built the Wynne-Russell House when he moved to Gwinnett County with his wife in 1826. The home is thought to be one of the oldest pioneer homes in Gwinnett County. The Lilburn Woman’s Club has restored the House.

Robert Craig Plantation

Privately owned: 1504 Five Forks Trickum Road in Lawrenceville

According to legend, the plantation belonging to Robert Craig got its name “Little Egypt” from Craig frugally choosing to store his grain during the War Between the States just as Joseph from the Bible did. Craig is thought to be one of the most successful planters that ever lived in Gwinnett County.

Fairview Presbyterian

869 Duluth Highway in Lawrenceville

Fairview Church is the oldest standing church in Gwinnett County. The cemetery near the church holds several of Gwinnett’s early settlers.

Strickland House

2956 Buford Highway in Duluth

Henry and Alice Strickland built the Strickland House in 1898. Alice was elected mayor of Duluth at age 62 a year after women were given the right to vote. She opened her house to the public, and it became the first medical facility in the area. She also began a humane society and donated land for the first community forest in Georgia. The home is now host to the Duluth Historical Society’s museum.

Goodwin House

Privately owned: 1471 Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee

Joseph Goodwin gained this house and the surrounding property from his father-in-law, William T. Graham, in the 1830s.

After Joseph’s father died, his mother came to live with him and his wife. Since that time, seven generations of descendents of Goodwin have inhabited the home. The pine interior remains unpainted.

John Bowman House

Privately owned: 2699 West Rock Quarry Road NE in Buford

Originally from North Carolina, John Bowman worked as a courier for Andrew Jackson’s staff during the Seminole War period. Cherokee Chief Major Ridge, a friend of Bowman’s father, bequeathed 2,700 acres of tribal land to Bowman rather than lose the land in the war. Bowman built a large plantation and a log house in both Gwinnett and Hall counties. The Bowman house was moved to Gwinnett by a great grandson of Bowman.

Chesser-WIlliams House

2020 Clean Water Drive in Buford

This home, originally off Braselton Highway, was built in the 1850s and is historic for its period architecture and it’s more unique stenciled paintings inside and outside the home. The art was done by a German artist in exchange for room and board at the time. The house has been moved to the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center campus and will be restored.