Elisha Winn House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Elisha Winn House
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 Location in Metro Atlanta
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Dacula, Georgia |
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| Built | 1812 |
| Architectural style | Plantation-Plain |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000728 |
| Added to NRHP | December 18, 1979 |
The Elisha Winn House is a very old and important building located near Dacula, Georgia, in the United States. It was built in 1812, which is six years before Gwinnett County was even created! This house is the oldest building still standing in Gwinnett County, and probably the oldest in the whole Atlanta area.
In 1809, a man named Elisha Winn, along with Roger Pugh and Elijah Pugh, bought a huge piece of land (about 7,300 acres) by the Apalachee River. On December 15, 1818, the Elisha Winn house and its land officially became part of the new Gwinnett County.
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History of the Winn House
Because it was part of the brand new Gwinnett County, the Elisha Winn house became very important. Many of the first plans for the new county were made right here. The first government meetings for Gwinnett County happened inside the house and in its backyard.
Early County Government
From 1819 to 1822, important court sessions for Gwinnett and other nearby counties were held in Winn's barn, on the third floor. This was where big decisions were made for the new county. Sadly, this was also a place where a very difficult part of history happened: the first sale of an enslaved person in Gwinnett County took place here.
The first county elections were held in the parlor of the Elisha Winn House. In 1819, Gwinnett County had all its first elected officials ready to serve. The first jail for Gwinnett County was also built on the property. It was a small barn in the backyard, but it was torn down in 1933. Serious legal decisions, including punishments, also happened at this location. Elisha Winn himself was one of the first five judges for the county.
In 1820, a new town called Lawrenceville was created to be the main center for the county government. A wooden courthouse was built there, and the county government moved. The Winn family also moved to Lawrenceville in 1824, where Elisha Winn continued to be involved in the county government.
About Elisha Winn
Elisha Winn was born in Lunenburg, Virginia in 1777. He passed away on March 4, 1842, and is buried in the old Lawrenceville cemetery. He was married to Judith Cochran and they had 13 children!
Elisha Winn was a public servant for many years. From 1815 to 1817, he was a judge in Jackson County. Then, from 1820 to 1825, he served as a judge for Gwinnett County. He was also a state senator for Georgia, representing Gwinnett County in 1830, 1833, and 1837.
Other Buildings at the Site
The Elisha Winn House property has several other interesting old buildings that have been moved there to show what life was like long ago.
- The original barn, which was used as Gwinnett County's first courthouse and jail, was taken down in 1945. Its old wood was used to build a new barn. This second barn later fell down in 1997.
- The Lawrenceville Jail is a log jail built in the 1820s. It was moved to the Winn property in 1986, to the spot where the first county jail used to be. It looks very similar to the original jail. Some famous people held in the original jail were missionaries involved in a big court case about the Cherokee Nation.
- The cotton house was given to the historical society in 2001 and moved to the Winn property in 2002. It shows how cotton was processed.
- The Walnut Grove School was a one-room schoolhouse built in 1875. It was moved several times before being donated to the historical society in 1985. It was then placed in the backyard of the Winn house and restored to look just like it did in 1875.
- The Clack Blacksmith Shop was donated in 2000. This building was built in 1910 and shows where a blacksmith would have worked.
- An outhouse was donated in 2001. A historical society member used the design of the original outhouse to build a new one using old wood.
Annual Elisha Winn Fair
Every year, on the first weekend of October, there is an Elisha Winn Fair. The Gwinnett Historical Society puts on this fair to help raise money to keep the house in good shape. It's a fun way to learn about history and support the preservation of this important site.
The Elisha Winn House is officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's recognized as a very important historical site in the United States. There is also a special Georgia Historic Marker at the site.
