Archibald Smith Plantation Spring House - Roswell, GA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

A sign at the spring house tell us:

Springhouse

When dairy products such as butter, cream, and milk were to be stored they were placed in the Spring House. Traditionally build into the side of a hill, these buildings had at their base, a pool of cool water, usually about two feet deep, supplied by a natural spring.

The placement of Springhouse of course was dependent upon the location of the spring thus it might not always be near to hand -- such is the case of the Smith plantation Spring House.

More on the Archibald Smith Plantation:

In 1830, Roswell King passed through the area of what is now Roswell and observed the great potential for building a cotton mill along Vickery Creek. He invited several friends to settle in the area with him. One of those families was Archibald and Anne Smith. They built this house about 1 mile north of the city square. A sign located in front of the house proves the following history.

The Archibald Smith Plantation Home, Outbuildings, and Grounds

"In 1838, Archibald and Anne Smith left their home and coastal Georgia, along with five other families, became founding citizens of the tiny community of Roswell, located on what was then the Georgia frontier. In 1845 they constructed their plantation-plain style home and outbuildings on land approximately one mile from the town square.

In the 1985, the Smith Plantation was sold to the city of Roswell by Josephine and James Skinner, the Smith family heirs. The sale provided Mr. and Mrs. Skinner with life rights to the home and surrounding area. The remainder of the real property was used to build the City of Roswell municipal complex. Furnishings and artifacts remained the property of Mr. and Mrs. Skinner and their heirs until 2004, when they were purchased by the City of Roswell. The site is operated by the City of Roswell, Department of Recreation and Parks, Historical and Cultural Affairs Division.

Today, the Smith plantation site includes approximately eight acres and 10 original outbuildings, including the Cook House, Corn Crib, Covered Well, Servants House, Carriage House, Spring House, and Barn. Other buildings existed on the site, including a Smoke House.

The artifacts on the site belonged to three generations the Smith family who lived on the site. The wide range of objects and time periods represented by the collection make it a valuable resource for educational programs and study, and contribute to the site's significance is one of the best examples of architectural, cultural, and historical interpretations found in the region.

The mission of the Smith plantation is to conserve and communicate the multi-generational history of the site and its residents through the preservation, interpretation and promotion of the properties and collections."

Tour information:

Monday – Saturday:
Tours start on the hour
First tour: 10:00 am
Last tour: 3:00 pm

Sunday: Tours start on the hour
First tour: 1:00 pm
Last tour: 3:00 pm

Closed all major holidays.

More information:
Wikipedia - Roswell, Georgia
Archibald Smith Plantation Home - Our History

Group that erected the marker: City of Roswell, Department of Recreation and Parks, Historical and Cultural Affairs Division. Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 935 Alpharetta St. Roswell, GA USA 30075 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   04/11/2012 Lat34North visited it