Fannin-Trutti-Handley Place
Why it's listed
Just north of Interstate 85 near LaGrange, this Troup County farm district is built around a two-story white clapboard house begun between 1835 and 1837 for James W. Fannin. The house is said to have been designed by Collin Rogers in the Federal style. In 1909 James Madison Handley, Sr. remodeled it, adding a four-columned Ionic portico, a wraparound porch, oak floors and new interior details, while the original two-story entrances with sidelights and fan transoms were kept. Surrounding the house are a dairy barn, bottling rooms, hay and calf barns, a well house, a store, a tenant house, a slave house ruin and a family cemetery holding the graves of early owners. The place was a cotton plantation and later one of the earliest and largest dairies in the county under the Handley family. Its period of significance ends in 1924, when J. M. Handley died and farm development peaked. Eleven contributing resources survive from an original estate of about 800 acres.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the main house is a good example of a Federal-style antebellum house combined with Neoclassical Revival changes made in 1909. It is also significant in agriculture as the center of a large cotton farm and later one of the earliest and largest dairies in Troup County. The surviving outbuildings and acreage reflect the farm at its height in the 1920s.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 98001541, listed December 17, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2159 Whitesville Rd., GA 219, LaGrange |
|---|---|
| County | Troup County |
| Listed | December 17, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001541 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c1835-1924 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (the form's architect/builder entry is "Unknown," though the text says the original house is said to have been designed by Collin Rogers) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Neoclassical Revival (with earlier Federal style features) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The property remains in private family ownership and is used as a single dwelling and for agricultural outbuildings. The well house is somewhat in disrepair, and the slave house survives only as a ruin. |
| Acreage | 29 |
| Coordinates | 32.98899, -85.03152 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98001541.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.