2023 Places in Peril

The Story

Built in the late 1830s as the homestead of Brigadier General and State Senator Eli McConnell, the McConnell-Chadwick House was one of the earliest structures in Cherokee County. During this time, McConnell, also an enslaver, had been authorized to mediate conflict between Native Americans and white settlers in the area and to sell property after the 1838 Cherokee Removal. McConnell helped found the town of Hickory Flat and, as a state senator, advocated for the creation of Milton County, which is today part of Fulton County.

The Threat

The McConnell-Chadwick House, architecturally significant for its Greek Revival design, is unoccupied and threatened by rapidly expanding residential and commercial development. The house sits beside Highway 140, with thousands of motorists passing by daily. While structurally sound, water penetration and vandalism pose direct threats to the building. The preservation of this historic house has the potential to allow the public to understand a full history of the area, including McConnell’s role in the forced removal of native Cherokee, white expansion through the land lottery system, and development of the area through local and state politics.