Off the winding Little Neck Road, where new development continues its march into Chatham County's rural outskirts, sits a snapshot of Savannah's mid-1800s countryside.
Likely built between 1825-1850, the Jacob Fox Gould House is an antebellum cottage still standing on 20 acres of its original 650. A staff report from the Chatham County Historic Preservation Commission states the home is the oldest in its vicinity.
It's framed by two red brick chimneys on its sides, and inside, a trove of sturdy, hand-hewn pine boards provide the home's walls and floors ― vernacular architecture once familiar to these rural outskirts. Where deep porches and well-placed windows allowed for shade and cross-breezes.
"That in itself makes it a relative rarity for Chatham County, which really begs that it be preserved, if possible," said Carl Lounsbury, a prominent architectural historian in the Southeast who did a site analysis of the home.
Until recently, however, the home had no local preservation protections. That changed in late June when the Chatham County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to place the house on its historic properties list.
The petition was led by the home's current owner, Chica Arndt, who has lived in the house since 1995. Her residence is only a few miles from the burgeoning subdivisions of New Hampstead, and a large-scale multi-use development is planned a few miles west across from Compassion Church.
A look around the area's suburbanization was part of Arndt's push to gain the local preservation protections. Any future attempts at demolition or significant alterations will have to go through the Chatham County Historic Preservation Commission and the Chatham County Board of Commissioners.
"It does help us being a part of that listing," Arndt said. "I think the people will take the preservation a bit more seriously."
Arndt said she feels most of the historic preservation in the region has focused on Savannah's downtown, which has significantly grown in new development and tourism over the years.
With that focus, Savannah's agricultural outposts have been somewhat forgotten, Arndt said. Eva Joseph, Arndt's daughter, noted that the home rests on "one of the last rural areas" in Chatham County
"I think it's nice for people to recognize that this is where the food came from, to feed Savannah and the suburbs," Arndt said.
History of property shows enslaved labor made Gould family wealthy
The history of these acres illuminates what life was like in west Chatham in the mid-19th century, prior to the Civil War.
The HPC staff report states that, according to the 1840 census, the Gould plantation housed five family members and another 15 family members worked in agriculture on the land. That same census showed that 26 enslaved people worked on the farm at the same time, growing rice. Research undertaken by Arndt showed that the unpaid labor accounted for Gould's financial success.
Arndt gathered oral histories through neighbors and previous owners, one being the grandson of Georgia Foster Fawcett. Fawcett first owned the house in 1945, and scans of original photographs of the home from the Fawcett family hang on the wall in the dining room.
Arndt first found the property with her husband when the couple was on a search for a new home with acreage. A real estate agent showed the family a nearby property and happened to mention the Gould property.
Arndt remembers first seeing the home, which has a meandering entrance with a signature oak canopy overhead, and it instantly reminded of her rural upbringing.
"I saw this beautiful house, like a house that my parents bought when I was a teenager," Arndt said.
The road to protection
Before Arndt submitted the petition to gain local protections, she tabbed Lounsbury, the architectural historian, for a full assessment of the house. His work resulted in a near 6,600-word report.
Lounsbury came down from his home in Virginia and spent about two and a half days on the property. He went through the house taking notes and photos of the home's features, some distinctive ones being the hand-hewn timber and other traditional construction techniques.
Timber frames in the upstairs bedroom show engraved roman numerals from the structure's original construction. The builders of the time would mark the beams because each had notches custom fit for their shape, Arndt said.
"These are the kinds of houses that well-to-do farmers out around Savannah were building in that period of time," Lounsbury said.
Arndt, who focused on local historic preservation during her graduate history program at then-Armstrong State University, has plans to submit an application to the National Register of Historic Places.
The house is closed to the public, but the family arranges visits for local organizations interested in the architecture and history. Groups interested in a visit can contact Eva Joseph, Arndt's daughter, at eva@jacobfoxgouldhouse.org .
Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Chatham County Commission moves to protect oldest home in west Chatham
Most Popular
Comments / 0