Wynne, Thomas, House - Lilburn, GA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Thomas Wynne and his wife, the former Mary Prince Benson, came to Gwinnett county and settled here in 1826. The house is called Wynne-Russell because it passed through both sides of the couple's families. The Wynne plantation purportedly consisted of several hundred acres and extended south along Jackson Creek. Now, the homestead sits on grounds comprising less than one acre.

Architecturally, the Wynne-Russell House is a good example of the Georgia farm homes of that era. Originally there were no interior dividing walls, each story being one large room broken only by the stairway. The kitchen, a small building to itself, stood away from the house as a fire safety precaution. The house has three arched fireplaces, a style not used much after the 1820s and the bricks are handmade from the Georgia red clay. The roof is cedar shake. The fieldstone and red clay brick chimneys were set and made by the slaves and the random width planked floors and blown glass window panes are typical of the farm houses of the area. Certain portions of the house were added as late as 1884, including the L-shaped kitchen and front porch.

FROM THE LILBURN CITY GUIDE OF 1988:
The Thomas Wynne House, long known as the Wynne-Russell House, was built in the 1820s by Mary (Prince Benson) and Thomas Wynne and is reported to be the oldest pioneer home in Lilburn with important historical significance.

The Wynne Plantation was a large one, between 400 and 600 acres. Thomas Wynne served in the War of 1812 and his father and his wife's father and grandfather all served with the colonists in the .Revolutionary War.

Thomas Wynne died in 1839. His wife, nine children and ten slaves farmed the area until Mary Wynne died a year after the Civil War. Mary Wynne was a remarkable pioneer woman to attempt this on such a large plantation with nine children under 18 years of age. The stamina, will and fortitude of Mary Wynne is evident in her successive generations.

One of their sons, James Wynne, died in the service to the Confederacy.

A daughter married Joseph Nesbitt, son of William Nesbitt, the first sheriff of Gwinnett County.

Their daughter, Emily Harriett Wynne, married James Washington Smith and moved to Decatur. The Smiths are credited with the donation of land for the Rock Springs Presbyterian Church that stood on what is now Rock Springs Road and Piedmont Road.

The Smith's son, William, married Mary Ella Mason and in 1888 the legendary "Miss Tullie Smith" was born of this union.

The old Smith landmark has been restored by the Atlanta Historical Society in honor of Miss Tullie Smith as the last descendant to actually reside in the 1830 Smith homestead for her unselfish community work and her determination to hold the land though alone, and her determination to interest people in the development of Decatur.

When Mary Wynne died, her son, Robert Reed Wynne, and his wife, Martha Ann Russell inherited the house and continued to live there where their twelve children were born. In 1878, they moved to College Park and sold the house to Nathan Russell, Martha Ann's younger brother and son of James Russell. James was the designer of Fairview Presbyterian Church in nearby Lawrenceville during 1878.

After the death of Nathan Russell, his son, George Allen Russell, and his wife, Mary, lived in the house. "Miss Mary" Russell lived in the house until 1971, when she died at the age of 97.

THE GRAVEYARD
The original location of the Wynne family cemetery was to the south, across Hwy 29. However, as previously stated, in 1985, the graves were moved to their present location next to the home. The property is now owned by the city of Lilburn.

The graveyard has 7 memorials with the oldest dating back to 1828.
The newest is dated 2018... belonging to the third great granddaughter of Thomas and Mary Wynne.

THOSE NOTED TO BE BURIED HERE ARE:
Karen Farris Petit (1942–2018)
James D Wynn (1838–1862)
Charles G. Wynne (1829–1873)
Martha A Wynne (1816–1828)
Mary Prince Benson Wynne (1796–1866)
Mary S Wynne (1836–1838)
Thomas Wynne (1788–1839)

Street address: 4685 Wynne-Russell Drive Lilburn, Georgia United States 30047 County / Borough / Parish: Gwinnett County Year listed: 1977 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture, Social History Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1825-1849 Historic function: Domestic, Single Dwelling Current function: Vacant/Not In Use Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] National Historic Landmark Link: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed

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