Historic houses along the Cave Spring-cedartown road
Cave Spring Road in Cedartown begins at Big Spring Park, which was donated by Asa Prior, and merges with Cedartown Road in downtown Cave Spring at the square’s traffic light, where a gazebo built by GSD students stands. Many of the houses have connections to Cedar Valley Academy and Georgia School for the Deaf.
Harris House: Built in 1873, the house is located near the start of Cave Spring Road. The eldest of the Harris children that grew up in the house, James Coffee Harris, was the GSD superintendent from 1916 to 1937. His brother, William, was a US senator. The house still stands today.
Peek House: Built in 1866, the house has been the home of the Peek family for generations. They still own and live in the house today. One interesting fact: Julius Algernon Peek married his second wife, Lula Harris, a cousin of James Coffee Harris, on Dec. 27, 1887. Their wedding took place at the Harris
House at 5:30 a.m. Also, their descendant Asa Peek was my 1975 Mccarty Kindergarten classmate.
Peek-pickett House: The house, built in 1843 by William Winfrey Peek (1799-1884) on Asa Prior’s land, was his family’s home for years. William played a key role in helping CVA and Moseley School in the mid1840s. His son Julius Algernon Peek inherited the house. The house was also known as the Pickett House from 1947 to 2015.
Potts House: Asa Potts, the eldest son of Angeline and Samuel Potts (both GSD alumni), and his wife Louisa, owned the Potts House for over a century. It was built around 1840. The house no longer exists. It was close to the Potts Hollow Trailhead, which honors the Potts family. The Pinhoti is near the border of Cave Spring Road and Cedartown Road.
King House: Elzaphan Renshaw King, who taught Deaf Prior children, built his house in the 1840s on the property that James Sanders bought in 1836. Several prominent people bought the land and the house over the years, including Seaborn Johnson, an early GSD student, and Alfred Shorter, who founded today’s Shorter University in Rome. King’s daughter Mattie and her family lived at the King House until her death in 1931.
Simmons House: Built in 1828, the Simmons House is the oldest surviving house in Cave Spring and belonged to Richard and Frances Simmons. The house predates Cave Spring, which was established in 1832. Their granddaughter, Editha (who became Mrs. Connor), lived there later. The plaque on the house shows that it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Connor House: The Connor House, built in 1869 by GSD students, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It
was home to GSD Superintendent Wesley Olin Connor and his wife Editha, a cousin of Ellen, James Harris’ first wife. The house stands next to the Simmons House.
Mckinney House: Built in 1919, the house belonged to William and Ella MCKinney. William was GSD’S doctor from 1908 to 1936. The house received National Register of Historic Places listing and still stands across from the Connor House. Mckinneys resided in this house until William’s death in 1936. Their daughter, Willie Ruth Hughes, lived there until her death in 1983.
Sewell House: After Isaac Sewell (1872-1908) and his wife, Nobia, married in 1901, they lived next to the Connor House. He was a doctor at GSD from 1902 until his death in 1908. They had three children, including Marie Sewell, a long-time GSD teacher. She and her husband lived in the Sewell House from 1926 to 1979. The Sewell House still stands today.
Fannin House: Built around 1850, it was the first home of Oliver Porter Fannin, a GSD teacher and superintendent, not far from the Hearn Academy. Alfred Jamieson King, a teacher at Hearn Academy and a brother of Elzaphan King, lived there next. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It no longer exists.
The Cave Spring-cedartown road has a rich history connected to two Deaf schools — CVA and GSD. I would love to see a landmark sign honoring both schools at each end of the road between Polk and Floyd counties, and a building halfway along the road. The building would display the pictures and stories of the “Hall of Historic Houses.” It would link the road and Pinhoti and attract hikers and tourists from across the nation, while preserving Georgia history. That’s my dream!
Adonia K. Smith is a Cedartown native who resides in Cave Spring. She owns ASL Rose, a company that serves the heart of Deaf education, and is active in the Georgia School for the Deaf Alumni Association.
Email her at adonia@aslrose.com.