Historical Description

Summary Paragraph

  Bryan House, also known as Mulberry Grove, is one of the oldest houses in central Georgia and has remained in its original location since its construction in 1832. It is situated on twelve acres and is the oldest occupied dwelling in Houston County. The house exhibits remarkable architectural integrity, retaining its original materials and design over the years. It features a gabled roof with six dormers—three on the front and three on the rear—and four substantial side chimneys. The house is supported by a walled foundation of handmade bricks, standing four feet tall.  

 

  The property holds significant historical importance for various reasons. The house, undoubtedly crafted by a master, features advanced building technology from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, including highly skilled mortise and tenon joinery. Its design is a fusion of various architectural styles, resulting in a vernacular dwelling well-suited to its environment. While patterned after colonial homes common in the Tidewater Virginia region, it adopts the form of an Appalachian dogtrot with an open center hallway. Another notable feature is its unique recessed front porch, known as the Carolina Rain Porch, which is rarely seen in Georgia. The rain porch roof is supported by six ground-based brick stuccoed columns, which may serve as an early Greek Revival influence.

 

  Inside, the dwelling preserves its early nineteenth-century charm, having undergone minimal modernization. The rear rooms and central hallway feature smooth-board walls and ceilings, while the front parlors showcase lath and plaster finishes. Rail-topped wainscoting adorns all the first-floor walls, including the front porch. The doors are six-panel cross-and-bible style, complete with original rim locks and hardware.

 

  Historically, the property is a settlement homestead constructed soon after the signing of the Treaty of Indian Springs in 1821, which led to the subsequent removal of the Muscogee (Creek) Native Americans. James A. Bryan purchased Lot 242, comprising 202 ½ acres, in 1828 and began utilizing enslaved labor to build his plantation and increase his wealth. When James died in 1847, his family consisted of his wife and ten children; he owned 1,200 acres in the county and forty-seven enslaved individuals. All ten of his children, or their spouses, were involved in the Civil War effort. The Bryan House remained in the family from 1828 to 1954, a span of 126 years. Many family members are buried in Bryan Cemetery, located approximately four hundred feet south of the property. Five of these graves have markers from the Confederate States Army.

 

  James A. Bryan was a surveyor and lawyer who contributed to the layout of the city of Perry and the Houston Mill Factory. In the early 1840s, he also represented Houston County in the State Legislature. After the war, his family played a crucial role in the area's development, particularly in establishing the railroad and founding the town of Kathleen. Kathleen, Georgia, was named after Nancy Katherine Bryan, the granddaughter of James A. Bryan and the daughter of Dr. Robert C. Bryan. Dr. Bryan was honored with the naming of the town after he donated land to the railroad. Lynda Lee Bryan, the last descendant to own the property, was recognized in the 2004 Georgia State Legislature as the oldest living reporter, a title she held until she died in 1966.

 

 Before its purchase in 2020, the original section of the home had never been updated to include modern amenities such as a kitchen, bathroom, or any form of indoor plumbing; the nineteenth-century dwelling featured only electricity. In the 1920s, a north-facing side structure, believed to have been a covered porch, was replaced with a one-story detached kitchen and connecting open breezeway. In the 1950s, indoor plumbing was introduced into the detached kitchen along with modern appliances, and an indoor bathroom was installed in the breezeway.  

 

Site and Setting

 The Bryan House is located approximately 7 miles east of the city of Perry and 7 miles west of the Ocmulgee River on Sandbed Road. The 12-acre rectangular parcel is centrally located on a 3-mile-long dirt road, oriented north-to-south. Bear Branch Road is located 1½ miles to the north, while Highway 247 spur is located 1½ miles to the south. The property encompasses twelve acres of the original 1,200-acre plantation, which included land lots 237-238-239-240-241, and 242 (202 ½ acres each) in the tenth district of Houston County, Georgia; the house occupies land lot 242. Historically, the Bryan family owned the entire lot until it was sold to Johnny Foreman Sr. in 1954. The area remains rural and sparsely populated, preserving its original character. The house is situated within a pecan orchard on level, sandy soil, surrounded by cotton fields. The home’s front façade faces due west, overlooking a forested valley with a stream and natural spring, which provided for the original homestead. Although ancillary buildings were previously on the property, they no longer exist. Survey maps, historical aerial photographs, and foundation stones are now the only evidence of their presence. A 1933 survey map of Lot 242 indicates ten ancillary buildings located on the larger 202 ½-acre property. The last remaining outbuilding, a ten-foot by ten-foot mortise and tenon-framed shed, collapsed in 2023. The building was dismantled, and its materials were preserved.

 

General Building Description

  The house, distinguished by its combination of architectural features, is a 1½-story Tidewater cottage-dogtrot and stands out among the historic planter-class homes of the South. By blending elements from various house styles of the period, it achieves a harmonious design well-suited to the region's hot and humid climate. Unlike the Greek-Revival mansions typically associated with Southern plantations, the vernacular structure emphasizes practicality and functionality over opulence and displays of wealth. This distinction can be partly attributed to the era and location of its construction. The home was built during a transitional period of American expansion from the Mid-Atlantic regions into the inland Southeast. At that time, architectural practices focused on the functional aspects of homes and relied heavily on hand-crafted construction, unlike the mechanized methods that were beginning to emerge. Additionally, as a settlement home located in the wilderness, impressing neighbors was of little importance. This house features hand-hewn timber framing with mortise and tenon joinery, showcasing traditional old-world craftsmanship, as well as lumber processed in steam or water-powered mills.

 

 The house’s form is based on a log cabin dogtrot structure, which showcases an open central hallway. The dogtrot can be better understood by examining early pioneer dwellings. By 1660, Virginians moved southward in search of new lands, and by 1700, colonists were directly landing in the Carolinas. Many early settlers built small one-room log cabins for their immediate basic shelters. The open center-hallway design evolved when two log cabins were joined together under one roof. As a family's needs expanded, a second cabin was built alongside an existing one with a covered porch connecting them. The new, larger dwelling came to be known as a dogtrot or dog-run because of the open center hallway, where, as tradition has it, dogs love to linger. By connecting two pens with a covered porch, a natural breezeway is created in the center section. Air flows freely through the open hallway, ventilating and cooling the house. Additionally, the spacious hallway could be used as an outdoor sleeping area or living space where daily tasks could be performed. The dwelling is a dogtrot in form, but designed for its cooling benefits, rather than as an addition. The open center-hallway was enclosed around 1915. 

 

 

 The house’s style has architectural features found in the Tidewater Colonial homes in Virginia. These features include an elevated foundation, side gabled roof with dormers, and freestanding gable-end chimneys. The home features four substantial free-standing side chimneys, three front and three altered rear dormers, and cedar weatherboard siding. The home’s foundation is full brick, including the porch, with its walls measuring approximately thirteen inches wide and four feet tall. Ventilation is provided through equally spaced openings in the foundation walls, twenty-four and thirty-six inches in width. The house measures approximately fifty-two feet wide by forty-two feet in depth, with an overall elevation of thirty-two feet.

 

 Inside, the house reveals a blend of historical elements. Wavy glass nine-over-nine and transom windows illuminate the interior. Federal fireplace mantels, wainscoting, and original door hardware contribute to its authenticity. Some original faux bois trim further enhances the period ambiance.

 

 Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the house is the porch, also known as a Carolina Rain Porch. The design is associated with homes in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, and is rarely seen outside the area. It is fashioned with the porch deck recessed inward from the roof line to protect the structure and its occupants from adverse weather.  The full-width porch is attached to the front west-facing façade, and its roof measures approximately fifty-two feet wide and fifteen feet deep. The roof is supported by six ground-based brick stuccoed columns and shields the setting sun. The porch deck measures approximately 46 ½ feet wide and 10 feet deep. The porch deck is inset from the roofline approximately five feet in the front and three feet on the sides. The porch deck is on plane with the center-hallway, which provides an abundance of outdoor living space.