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2006 Places in Peril
Cowen Farmstead
The
Story:
While the popular image of a rural antebellum South
revolves around sprawling Tara-like plantations, in
reality, the majority of Georgia’s pre-Civil War
farms had fewer than 500 acres. The Cowen Farmstead,
built between 1854 and 1855 by Stephen D. Cowen in
Acworth, was one such property. While much of the
area was torched by Sherman’s troops, the Plantation
Plain house survived. Still, through the years, the
farmstead was reduced from 479 acres at its peak to
3 acres by 1959. For more than 140 years, the house
continued as a private owner-occupied residence
until the mid-1990s. Slated for demolition to make
way for townhomes, the house was saved by Acworth
preservationists, who encouraged the developer to
deed the house and 1/3-acre of land to the Acworth
Society for Historic Preservation in 1998.
Threat:
The building has suffered damage through the years:
the front porch has been lost to time and the window
sashes destroyed by vandals. While listed on the
National Register, the farmstead’s owners could no
longer maintain the property, and the city is being
pushed to condemn the land. The property is just one
of several significant historic properties
throughout the rapidly developing metro Atlanta that
were formerly in rural areas but are now threatened
by impending development and sprawl.
Solution:
The Georgia Trust was approached to receive donation
of the property, and took ownership in October 2005
as part of the Trust’s Revolving Fund, In coming
months, the Trust will be seeking cash and in-kind
donations to initiate exterior restoration work,
including the foundation, roof and window repair and
painting, and the house will be resold. Located
between I-75 and downtown Acworth, the house could
be rehabilitated for office use, with the purchaser
completing the remaining interior restoration work.
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Left:
The Cowen Farmstead outside Acworth has been
acquired by The Georgia Trust, which will do
exterior repairs, but a new owner is still
needed to complete the interior work and find a
new use for the house.
Local
Contact:
Frank White, 404-885-7807,
fwhite@georgiatrust.org
and Glen Bennett, 404-885-7804,
gbennett@georgiat.trust.org
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