Jarrell Plantation
Encyclopedia
The Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site is a cotton plantation and state park in Juliette, Georgia
. Located in the red clay hills of the Georgia piedmont
, the site stands as one of the best preserved examples of a “middle class" Southern plantation. The Jarrell Plantation's buildings and artifacts all came from one source, the Jarrell family, who farmed the land for over 140 years.
, the Jarrell’s farm was one of the half-million cotton farms in the South that collectively produced two-thirds the world's cotton. Like many small planters, the Jarrell family benefited from the development of the cotton gin
in 1793 by Eli Whitney
, which made it practical to cultivate heavily seeded, short-staple cotton
even in hilly, inland areas of Georgia.
John Fitz Jarrell built the first permanent structure on the site in 1847. Typical of antebellum cotton plantations, John Jarrell ran the farm with his family and slave labor. By 1860 John Jarrell operated the 660 acres (2.7 km²) farm with the labor of 39 slaves. Although primarily a cotton plantation, the farm also provided food crops and grazing for livestock. During the turbulent decade of the 1860’s, the farm survived a typhoid fever
outbreak, General Sherman, Emancipation
, and Reconstruction. After the Civil War, John Jarrell continued to farm with the help of former slaves and he increased the farm to nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) . The former-slave laborers began leaving the farm in John Jarrell’s final years.
After John’s death in 1884 one of John’s sons, Benjamin Richard “Dick” Jarrell, gave up a teaching career to return home and build his family home in 1895. Although the farm had been processing sugarcane since 1864, Dick Jarrell expanded the industrialization of the farm by adding a mill complex that eventually included a steam-driven sawmill, cotton gin, gristmill, shingle mill, and planer. In 1920, with the labor of his five sons and two nephews, Dick Jarrell completed a second home, fit for his large family. The Jarrell 1920 House is a 5000 square feet (464.5 m²), 1850’s-style home built of heart pine.
In 1974, Dick Jarrell’s nine surviving adult children donated the plantation site to the State of Georgia for the preservation of the farm and the education of future generations about their heritage. The State of Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources operates the now 200 acres (809,372 m²) historic site and opens it to the public Tuesday through Sunday. The site's buildings and structures include the farmhouse, a sawmill
, cotton gin
, gristmill
, shingle
mill, planer, sugar cane press, syrup evaporator, workshop, barn and outbuildings.
Juliette, Georgia
Juliette is an unincorporated community in Monroe County, Georgia, United States. Named for Juliette McCracken, daughter of a railroad engineer, the town formed with the merging of Brownsville and Iceberg. The film Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed there, and the town has been the focal point of two...
. Located in the red clay hills of the Georgia piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
, the site stands as one of the best preserved examples of a “middle class" Southern plantation. The Jarrell Plantation's buildings and artifacts all came from one source, the Jarrell family, who farmed the land for over 140 years.
History
Before the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Jarrell’s farm was one of the half-million cotton farms in the South that collectively produced two-thirds the world's cotton. Like many small planters, the Jarrell family benefited from the development of the cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
in 1793 by Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney was an American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the Antebellum South...
, which made it practical to cultivate heavily seeded, short-staple cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
even in hilly, inland areas of Georgia.
John Fitz Jarrell built the first permanent structure on the site in 1847. Typical of antebellum cotton plantations, John Jarrell ran the farm with his family and slave labor. By 1860 John Jarrell operated the 660 acres (2.7 km²) farm with the labor of 39 slaves. Although primarily a cotton plantation, the farm also provided food crops and grazing for livestock. During the turbulent decade of the 1860’s, the farm survived a typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
outbreak, General Sherman, Emancipation
Emancipation
Emancipation means the act of setting an individual or social group free or making equal to citizens in a political society.Emancipation may also refer to:* Emancipation , a champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse foaled in 1979...
, and Reconstruction. After the Civil War, John Jarrell continued to farm with the help of former slaves and he increased the farm to nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) . The former-slave laborers began leaving the farm in John Jarrell’s final years.
After John’s death in 1884 one of John’s sons, Benjamin Richard “Dick” Jarrell, gave up a teaching career to return home and build his family home in 1895. Although the farm had been processing sugarcane since 1864, Dick Jarrell expanded the industrialization of the farm by adding a mill complex that eventually included a steam-driven sawmill, cotton gin, gristmill, shingle mill, and planer. In 1920, with the labor of his five sons and two nephews, Dick Jarrell completed a second home, fit for his large family. The Jarrell 1920 House is a 5000 square feet (464.5 m²), 1850’s-style home built of heart pine.
In 1974, Dick Jarrell’s nine surviving adult children donated the plantation site to the State of Georgia for the preservation of the farm and the education of future generations about their heritage. The State of Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources operates the now 200 acres (809,372 m²) historic site and opens it to the public Tuesday through Sunday. The site's buildings and structures include the farmhouse, a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
, gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, shingle
Shake (shingle)
A shake is a basic wooden shingle that is made from split logs. Shakes have traditionally been used for roofing and siding applications around the world. Higher grade shakes are typically used for roofing purposes, while the lower grades are used for siding purposes...
mill, planer, sugar cane press, syrup evaporator, workshop, barn and outbuildings.
External links
- Jarrell Plantation Historic Site - official site