Sims, George R., House

Set on a high knoll about four miles east of Palmetto in Coweta County, this two-story wood-frame house was built around 1850 for planter George Redding Sims, one of the county's largest antebellum landowners. Its Greek Revival design rests on an unusual modified Georgian plan, which created a projecting front gable and a two-story L-shaped portico with five fluted Doric columns. The main entrance has a transom, sidelights, pilasters and Greek key detailing. Inside, a central hall holds a dogleg stairway with turned balusters, along with heart-pine floors, original mantels and dog-eared door and window surrounds. A major renovation around 1940 added a brick foundation, a kitchen, baths and some Neoclassical Revival mantels and moldings. A c. 1850 carriage house and a 1939 water tower also contribute, while a moved tenant house and a deteriorated barn do not. The property was recognized for its architecture, as an excellent and unusual example of Greek Revival design in a plantation setting.