Pomegranate Hall – Now a Crumbling Mansion
One of my favorite houses in Hancock County is Pomegranate Hall. Built in 1830 by Judge Nathan Sayre, this beauty was destroyed by fire in 2008. Efforts are underway to restore this historic home, but given that restoring historic homes, with all the codes, requirements and permits, I am not sure it can be done. It is located at 322 Adams Street, Sparta. Ga.
Judge Nathan Sayre, never married, had several children with
one of his slave women and later lived with, but never married, Susan Hunt, who
was part Cherokee, African, and Caucasian.
Here is an artist’s rendition of how that house have looked
in its heyday.
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| Artist: Sterling Everett |
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| College of Environment and Design, University of Georgia |
It is said that the house was built in NJ and brought down
to Georgia. The porch is mounted by stairways on either side, and a balustrade
runs along the front of the porch and down each stairway. Over the entrance is
a graceful fanlight. Four Doric columns on square pedestals, not round or fluted
but having 14 sides, support the porch.
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| Georgia Archives |
Often called the "Half House," it may have received that name because the public only saw half a house. The house has false walls and a very unusual layout. Judge Sayre, retained his bachelorhood to the public eye while living with his common law wife Susan Hunt and their children in other parts of the house.
Hancock County is one of the poorest counties in
Georgia but is rich with history and numerous historic sites, such as Glen Mary. See my post on Glen Mary here.
References:
Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves
Georgia in Black and White: Explorations in Race Relations of a Southern State
Ambiguous Lives: Free Women of Color in Rural Georgia, 1789-1879
Georgia in Black and White: Explorations in Race Relations of a Southern State
Ambiguous Lives: Free Women of Color in Rural Georgia, 1789-1879
Who owns this home now?
ReplyDeleteThis house is sidewall in design. Legends often develop that people built half a house planning to add the rest later. These were usually City homes and when they were on corner lots there could be grand entrances on both streets. Often there was a perpendicular wing across the back. The potential loss of this house is tragic. It is a mansion that could have been perfectly at home of Fifth Avenue in the1830s, extraordinarily fine.
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