John F. Beavers House
By: Laurie Searle, May 2017
John F. Beavers House, 8655 Cochran Rd. SW, Chattahoochee Hills, GA
The John F. Beavers House (circa early 1800s) is the last remaining home in the town square of Campbellton. It is located just past the intersection of GA-154 Cascade Palmetto Hwy and GA-92 Campbellton Fairburn Rd, in the City of Chattahoochee Hills, GA. For GPS purposes, use the address 8655 Cochran Rd SW, Fairburn, GA 30213. The following FACT SHEET is available as a PDF file.
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istorical Displays When the City of Chattahoochee Hills acquired the Beavers House in 2017, Laurie Searle created a series of displays to document the history of the home and its surrounding area. The following displays are presented in chronological order:
Beavers House Location Map Beavers-Lee House Summary of Findings Georgia State University Historical Assessment (circa 2021) |
ORIGINS
No deeds have yet been found that show the date of the home’s construction or its original builder.
It has been written that the house was constructed before Campbell became a county in 1828. Others believe the house was constructed shortly after the town was plotted in 1835. What is known for sure is that the Beavers family was living in the house in 1861. An autobiography from Annie Jaine Beavers confirms she was born in the house in 1861 while living there with her mother Georgia, and her great-uncle Reuben Beavers and his wife Jane. Mostly like Annie’s father, John F. Beavers II, lived there at some time, as he inherited the home when Reuben died.
CHRONOLOGICAL OWNERS OF THE BEAVERS HOUSE
CONSTRUCTION
Family historians say originally the house had only two rooms. Later the house was turned on its axis, remodeled and enlarged, and chimneys rebuilt. A peek in the attic confirms that the two rooms on the left are original; the hallway and rooms on the right are newer construction.
When the Lee family lived in the house, it did not have an indoor bathroom, and the kitchen was configured differently.
When the investment group owned the house it showed two rooms on the right, where today there is only one (inside wall likely removed).
When the Fountain Family owned the house, they completely remodeled the house, updating it to modern standards so their adult children could live there.
MORE HISTORY
Campbell County
Campbell County was created by an act of the Georgia Legislature on December 20, 1828, and took lands from Carroll County, Coweta County, Dekalb County, and Fayette County. The General Assembly act specified that the Beavers House was to be used until a permanent courthouse could be constructed. However, some researchers believe that was a house across the Chattahoochee River.
Campbell County was named in honor of Colonel Duncan Campbell who, along with James Meriwether, negotiated the Indian Springs Treaty with Chief William McIntosh which ceded Creek Indian land to the government on February 12, 1825.
Campbellton
Campbellton was an early settlement, much like the other crossroad communities in Chatt Hills. Judge France Irwin, who lived there, wanted this settlement to become the county seat, so he offered 80 acres of his undeveloped land on the Chattahoochee eight miles to the north with an added incentive of free lots for prospective builders and inhabitants.
Campbellton was chartered as a town and the county seat of Campbell County by the state legislature on December 23, 1829.
By 1835, streets and lots in Campbellton were surveyed and staked out and construction had begun on a brick courthouse and jail for the county.
By 1836, town lots in Campbellton, Campbell County, would be offered for sale to the highest bidder.
Also in Campbellton Town Square
Beaver Family
Joseph and Sarah Beavers and their 9 children were early pioneers in the Campbell County area. Joseph died @ 1826. His will indicated he had been living in Coweta, (now Campbell County), when he died.
National Register
In 1984, an application was submitted and approved to place the “John F. Beavers House” on the National Register of Historic Places. A historical narrative is included in the application; however, recently the Old Campbell County Historical Society completed additional research, indicating the Beavers House was built at a later date.
No deeds have yet been found that show the date of the home’s construction or its original builder.
It has been written that the house was constructed before Campbell became a county in 1828. Others believe the house was constructed shortly after the town was plotted in 1835. What is known for sure is that the Beavers family was living in the house in 1861. An autobiography from Annie Jaine Beavers confirms she was born in the house in 1861 while living there with her mother Georgia, and her great-uncle Reuben Beavers and his wife Jane. Mostly like Annie’s father, John F. Beavers II, lived there at some time, as he inherited the home when Reuben died.
CHRONOLOGICAL OWNERS OF THE BEAVERS HOUSE
- 1800s-1920 Beavers Family
- 1920-1970 Lee Family
- 1970-1985 Investment Group: Randy Seckman & Associates
- 1985-2003 Fountain Family
- 2003-2016 Fulton County (via Trust for Public Land)
- 2016-Present City of Chattahoochee Hills
CONSTRUCTION
Family historians say originally the house had only two rooms. Later the house was turned on its axis, remodeled and enlarged, and chimneys rebuilt. A peek in the attic confirms that the two rooms on the left are original; the hallway and rooms on the right are newer construction.
When the Lee family lived in the house, it did not have an indoor bathroom, and the kitchen was configured differently.
When the investment group owned the house it showed two rooms on the right, where today there is only one (inside wall likely removed).
When the Fountain Family owned the house, they completely remodeled the house, updating it to modern standards so their adult children could live there.
MORE HISTORY
Campbell County
Campbell County was created by an act of the Georgia Legislature on December 20, 1828, and took lands from Carroll County, Coweta County, Dekalb County, and Fayette County. The General Assembly act specified that the Beavers House was to be used until a permanent courthouse could be constructed. However, some researchers believe that was a house across the Chattahoochee River.
Campbell County was named in honor of Colonel Duncan Campbell who, along with James Meriwether, negotiated the Indian Springs Treaty with Chief William McIntosh which ceded Creek Indian land to the government on February 12, 1825.
Campbellton
Campbellton was an early settlement, much like the other crossroad communities in Chatt Hills. Judge France Irwin, who lived there, wanted this settlement to become the county seat, so he offered 80 acres of his undeveloped land on the Chattahoochee eight miles to the north with an added incentive of free lots for prospective builders and inhabitants.
Campbellton was chartered as a town and the county seat of Campbell County by the state legislature on December 23, 1829.
By 1835, streets and lots in Campbellton were surveyed and staked out and construction had begun on a brick courthouse and jail for the county.
By 1836, town lots in Campbellton, Campbell County, would be offered for sale to the highest bidder.
Also in Campbellton Town Square
- Campbellton Lodge No. 76, F&AM, chartered on November 1, 1848, constructed 1847-1848.
- Campbellton Baptist Church, originally constructed in 1828 adjacent to the Beavers House where the old cemetery is now.
Beaver Family
Joseph and Sarah Beavers and their 9 children were early pioneers in the Campbell County area. Joseph died @ 1826. His will indicated he had been living in Coweta, (now Campbell County), when he died.
- Robert O. and John F., two of the Beavers’ sons, were living in Coweta in 1827. Robert O. purchased land in Carroll County. This property, across the river from later Campbellton, may be the property where Campbell County’s proceedings were initially held while the courthouse was being built.
National Register
In 1984, an application was submitted and approved to place the “John F. Beavers House” on the National Register of Historic Places. A historical narrative is included in the application; however, recently the Old Campbell County Historical Society completed additional research, indicating the Beavers House was built at a later date.
- National Register Information System ID: 84001075
- National Register Asset ID: b8ddcf53-e5eb-4e88-8d0a-668f2d93a45b
- Link: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=b8ddcf53-e5eb-4e88-8d0a-668f2d93a45b