Marsh-Warthen House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Marsh--Warthen House
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HABS photo from 1936, with no Colonial Revival details evident
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 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Location | N. Main St., Lafayette, Georgia |
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| Area | 1.6 acres (0.65 ha) |
| Built | c.1836, c.1895-1910, c.1935 |
| Built by | Marsh, Spencer |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 04001467 |
| Added to NRHP | January 12, 2005 |
The Marsh-Warthen House in Lafayette, Georgia is a very old and important house. It's built in a style called Greek Revival. This house is so special that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it's a historic house museum where you can learn about history, and it's also used for events. The government of Walker County, Georgia owns it.
The house was first built around 1836. It was made bigger between 1895 and 1910. Later, around 1935, some changes were made to give it a Colonial Revival look.
Contents
About the Marsh-Warthen House
The Marsh-Warthen House was built in 1836 by Spencer Stewart Marsh and his wife, Ruth Terrell Brantley Marsh. The first house had eight rooms, four on the top floor and four on the bottom. There were wide hallways in the middle of both floors.
A large porch with square columns was on the south side of the house. Above this porch, a balcony was built on the second floor. The first kitchen was in the basement. Food was brought up to the main floor using a dumbwaiter, which is like a small elevator for food.
Around 1900, Spencer Marsh's grandson, Spencer Marsh Warthen, added a new two-story section to the house. The new kitchen and a large pantry were on the first floor of this new part. The second floor was used for servants' rooms.
Architectural Style and History
The Marsh-Warthen House is an early example of the Greek Revival style. It also shows later Colonial Revival style details. The Greek Revival style was popular in towns and cities from the 1840s to the 1860s. This house is an early example of this style in Georgia.
The house still has many of its original features. These include its balanced shape, a low, sloped roof, and a central hallway. It also has strong square columns and a front door with narrow windows on the sides and a rectangular window above.
It's believed that enslaved African-Americans helped build the house. This was common during that time in Georgia.
Spencer Marsh's youngest daughter, Sarah Adaline, married Nathaniel Green Warthen in 1859. After the American Civil War, the Warthens and their children moved into the Marsh-Warthen House around 1875. Their son, Spencer Marsh Warthen, added the Colonial Revival elements, like the roof dormers, in the early 1900s. The Colonial Revival style was very popular in Georgia from the 1890s to the 1940s.
Marsh Family Business and Influence
After moving to Northwest Georgia, Spencer Marsh started a business in the town square. He also bought large areas of farmland and forests.
In 1845, Spencer Marsh, Andrew Perry Allgood, and W.K. Briers started the Trion Factory Company. This was the first cotton mill in Northwest Georgia. The mill was built about twelve miles south of La Fayette on the Chattooga River. Spencer Marsh and Andrew P. Allgood, who married Marsh's oldest daughter, Mary Ann, were among the richest men in the area. By 1857, they both owned equal parts of the Trion Factory. Today, the Trion Mill is known as Mount Vernon Mills.
The Marsh Family Story
Spencer Marsh was born in Chatham County, North Carolina, in 1799. His father, William Marsh, was a soldier in the American Revolution. A local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is named after William Marsh.
Around 1835, Spencer Marsh moved his family to a settlement in Georgia called "Chattooga." Soon after he arrived, the name of the settlement was changed to La Fayette. In 1835, Northwest Georgia was still Cherokee territory. The Cherokee people were moved west of the Mississippi River in 1838. By 1835, the Cherokees were peaceful, and the Marsh family became friends with many of them.
Spencer and Ruth Marsh raised their six children in this large house. They sometimes rented rooms to boys who wanted to live in La Fayette during the week to attend Chattooga Academy. This was a brick school just south of the Marsh House. One of the boys who lived with the Marsh family was John B. Gordon. Years later, Gordon became a well-known leader in Georgia and the South. During the Civil War, Gordon was an officer under Robert E. Lee. After the war, Gordon served Georgia as governor and a U.S. Senator.
The Civil War and the Marsh House
In 1863, when the Civil War reached Northwest Georgia, the Marsh family moved south to Cassville, Georgia. This is now in Bartow County, Georgia. General Braxton Bragg planned his strategy for the Battle of Chickamauga near the Marsh House in September 1863.
While the family was away, Union troops occupied the house. It became an important location during The Battle of La Fayette in June 1864. After the war, the family returned home to find that all their furniture and belongings had been taken. The floors were stained and marked with hoof prints. Many bullets were found in the outer walls, and there were bullet holes in the glass around the upstairs south door.
The house stayed in the same family for over 150 years. The last family member to live there was Miss Addie Augusta Wert, Spencer and Ruth Marsh's great-granddaughter.
The Marsh House Museum Today
The Patrick R. Clements family owned the house from 1992 to 2002. Then, the Walker County, Georgia Historical Society bought it. In 2003, Walker County bought the house from the Historical Society.
Today, the Walker County Historical Society manages the building. They work with the Marsh House Community Task Force (Board of Trustees) to raise money. This money helps operate and maintain the house and its surrounding grounds.
The Marsh House is open to the public on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons. The museum aims to be a major educational and cultural place in Northwest Georgia and the greater Chattanooga area. They offer detailed tours led by trained guides. They also have historical reenactments and work with local schools. The museum hosts exhibits and events that help people understand the history of Northwest Georgia. More than 10,000 people visit the house and grounds each year. Many visitors come after visiting the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, which is only 12 miles away.
The Marsh House Museum Board also manages the Chattooga Academy. This is Georgia's oldest brick schoolhouse, located across the lawn. Spencer Marsh helped to start this academy.
Why the Marsh-Warthen House is Important
The Marsh-Warthen House is important for understanding the European settlement of North America. In the early 1800s, the Cherokee Nation included the area that became Walker County. The Georgia Land Lottery of 1832 and the removal of the Cherokee people opened the area for white settlers.
Spencer Marsh moved his family to La Fayette around 1835. He became one of the county's first settlers. In his early years on the frontier, Mr. Marsh had many dealings with his Cherokee neighbors. The Cherokee people gave him the name Estachee. Marsh House history notes that one of his servants, Ninatoya, was a Cherokee woman. She was forced to move west on the Trail of Tears in the late 1830s. The home he built around 1836-1837 is one of the few houses still standing from that early time.
The Marsh-Warthen House helps us understand social and cultural history. This is because of Spencer Marsh's efforts to improve the La Fayette area. As a community and business leader, Marsh helped the economy, education, and religious life of the community. Besides his work as a local merchant, Mr. Marsh helped start the Trion Factory in 1845. This was the first cotton mill in northwest Georgia. He also served as a judge and a state senator.
He donated the land for the Chattooga Academy, which is just south of the Marsh-Warthen House. He also served as a trustee for the academy and for the La Fayette Female Academy. Mr. Marsh was an active member and a major supporter of the First Baptist Church of La Fayette. His family and enslaved people attended this church. The Marsh household was a typical wealthy Southern home in the mid-1800s. The family lived and interacted closely with the enslaved African-Americans on the property. Later, they interacted with African-American servants who lived in the main house. Spencer Marsh was a great example of the pioneers who helped settle Georgia's western frontier. He contributed a lot to the community's social, economic, and cultural life.
