The Hembree house and detached kitchen may be the oldest settler’s farmstead still existing in Fulton County. Amariah Hembree, along with his son Elihu, purchased 40 gold lots or 640 acres of land near Roswell during the 1830s and probably were some of the first white settlers in the area. The Gold Lottery drawings of 1832 occurred between October 22, 1832 and May 1, 1833 and applied to land once occupied by the Cherokee Indians. The Hembree farm grew cotton for the Roswell Manufacturing Company along with other crops including vegetables and sorghum. The Hembree family and other local settlers established the Lebanon Baptist Church at the Hembree home in July 1836. The home has remained in the Hembree family for at least eight generations. The Hembree family’s influence on the Roswell community is evident in the naming of two major thoroughfares, an elementary school, and two subdivisions for the family.
Many Roswell residents may remember that in the last few years several attempts were made by the owner, the City, and the Roswell Historical Society to preserve the historic Hembree Farm. Those attempts were unsuccessful. But there is good news. Due to the dogged determination of heir and owner Carmen Ford to preserve her family’s 8-generation history and heritage in Fulton County, a portion of the original farmstead and some of the buildings will now be saved.
In April of 2007, Hembree descendants Carmen Ford and her brother Bob Miller presented the Society with another opportunity to preserve a portion of the property. Around 50 members of the Society attended a June 7, 2007 special meeting to address the issues surrounding the proposal. The Roswell Historical Society voted, by an overwhelming majority of those in attendance, to accept the generous gift of the historic Hembree Farm’s circa 1835 house, detached kitchen, two hand-hewn log corn cribs, and one acre of land. Because the frontage of the property is slated for development, the historic buildings must be moved to the reserved 1-acre plot at the rear of the property near Elihu Hembree’s grave. The Society will then begin work to restore the structures and preserve them for future generations.
In accepting the Hembree Farm, the Society plans to demonstrate the power historic preservation can have on a community by providing a sense of our past, our culture, and our heritage. A strategic planning committee has been established to direct the moving of the structures and to begin the process of restoration. This committee will also guide the Society’s decisions on how the structures are to be used. Initial suggestions include a museum, a nineteenth-century educational center, and/or a meeting space for the Society and other groups.
In the coming weeks, Roswell residents will notice changes in the property near the intersection of Hembree and Upper Hembree roads as the chimneys are dismantled and the structures are readied for moving to their new site. The Society is already planning archaeological excavations at the site of the house and the kitchen after they are moved. The public will be invited to participate or just come by and observe. Volunteers under the direction of a registered professional archaeologist will carry out the excavations. The Society welcomes new members and volunteers.
Join us!
The Society has established a fund for the restoration of the structures. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to:
Roswell Historical Society
P.O. Box 1636
Roswell, Georgia 30077
