Benjamin Gachet House
|
Benjamin Gachet House | |
|
Gachet House | |
   Location in Georgia | |
| Nearest city | Barnesville, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°03′41″N 84°12′30″W / 33.061515°N 84.208354°WCoordinates: 33°03′41″N 84°12′30″W / 33.061515°N 84.208354°W |
| Area | 65 acres (26 ha) |
| Built | 1828 |
| Architectural style | plantation plan |
| NRHP Reference # | 97000301[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 17, 1997 |
The Benjamin Gachet (English: /ɡæ'ʃɛɪ̯/) House (historically spelled Gachette) is a historic residence on GA 18, 3 miles west of Barnesville, Georgia. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1997. The home is located at the crossing of Towns Road and old Alabama Road, now known as the Milner Cross Roads, originally used as trails by Native American tribes.[2]
The General LaFayette connection
Benjamin Gachet was a French nobleman who fled from a revolution in San Domingo and settled in what is now Lamar County. A historical marker dedicated by the Lamar-LaFayette Chapter of N.S.D.A.R. is at the site,[2] stating that General Marquis de LaFayette stayed with Gachet at the home on March 19, 1825, during an official visit to Georgia.
However, the general was still in Savannah on March 19, 1825. It has been determined that this visit to the Gachet House never occurred. LaFayette maintained detailed diaries of his travels and no record exists of this visit. The Indian trails that were traveled were more than 50 miles away, a considerable distance at the time.
Additionally, Benjamin Gachet lived in Jones county adjacent to Baldwin county, where Milledgeville was being visited by General LaFayette in 1825. Historians surmise that the general visited Gachet around that time and location. [3]
So a family connection existed between the Gachets and the LaFayettes.
The home
The home was placed on the register, in part, due to it being an almost pristine example of plantation plan[4] architecture. The chimneys and much of the clapboards are original. The kitchen, on the back of the house, off of the porch, was rebuilt. The two front bedrooms originally had separate entrances for each. The rooms have been referred to as "traveler's rooms", "preacher rooms" and "stranger's rooms". The Gachet house was known as a stagecoach stop in its history.[5] Benjamin Gachet died at age 36 leaving several minor children and Mrs. Gachet likely earned a living to support her children by operating this stagecoach stop.[3]
Caroline M. Gachet
Mrs. Gachet eventually sold the property to her son-in-law, Benjamin M. Milner, and moved to Alabama.[3]
The gravesite of Caroline M. Gachet (November 12, 1792 USA - December 24, 1876) is believed to be at the Enon Cemetery in Bullock County, Alabama.[6]
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lamar County, Georgia
- Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States
- Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
Notes
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"In conclusion, it should be reiterated that on March 29, 1825, when the Marquis de Lafayette left Milledgeville for Macon, Benjamin Gachet was (a) a legal resident of Jones County, adjoining Milledgeville's Baldwin County; (b) did not own lot 9 on which his house survives today and (c) lot 9 was owned by the estate of Dr. Nicholas Bayard of Savannah and was not sold until 1826. Also, the route of Gen. Lafayette through Georgia is clearly delineated in the journal/diary of his travels and places him no closer than 50 miles to this property."— United States Department of the Interior[3]
Photos at NRHP induction
Line Drawings
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References
- ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- 1 2 Gachet Home Historical Marker Georgia Info (Historic Marker: GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1954)
- 1 2 3 4 "Gachet, Benjamin, House" (PDF). pdfhost.focus.nps.gov. United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "Modern Plantation style homes". Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ↑ Hester, Conoly (Spring 1989). "Gachet's House Was Also Stagecoach Stop". archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Georgia Journal. pp. 13–15. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "Caroline M Gachet". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 6 June 2015.