VALDOSTA —
To better understand the historic significance of Wednesday’s fiery loss of the Roberts House, think of the place this way: It was the house that made Valdosta possible.
It wasn’t just that the Roberts House, also known as the Wisenbaker-Wells-Roberts House, was the oldest house in Valdosta. It pre-dated Valdosta’s 150-year history. It housed the man who made early Valdosta a reality.
In 1840, 20 years before there would be a Valdosta, a man named William E. Wisenbaker settled on a large tract of land in Lowndes County. In 1845, the Wisenbakers built their house.
When the house was built, Troupville was the Lowndes County seat. By the late 1850s, a railroad was being built from Savannah to Montgomery. Tracks would pass through Lowndes County but not through Troupville. Instead, the railroad would be four miles east of Troupville. Lowndes County wished to move its county seat closer to the railroad. In 1859, Wisenbaker sold 125 acres of his property to the Lowndes County Commission. These 125 acres became Valdosta, which was incorporated Dec. 7, 1860.
“This may be the most important event in Lowndes history,” according to the Valdosta Heritage Foundation, the organization that has spent years in work and dollars to restore the historic Roberts House.
In 1863, Wisenbaker sold the house to J.W. Wells, a businessman and Valdosta mayor, for whom Wells Street is named.
In 1891, Wells sold the land to John Taylor Roberts. He “was a successful businessman and political leader serving in city government as councilman and mayor from 1892-1914, a prosperous period in the history of Valdosta,” according to the Heritage Foundation.
It was during this period that Valdosta was the world’s largest producer of inland Sea Island cotton, as well as a regular host for the Georgia state fairs. This was the same period when Valdosta established its permanence as Lowndes County’s political and commercial hub. Landmarks such as the Lowndes County Courthouse, The Crescent, and numerous downtown churches were built during this era.
An old story claims that J.T. Roberts would step onto the house’s second-story porch to survey the growing city of Valdosta just east of his home. Reportedly, he claimed to have a “pretty fair view” of the town. At least that’s an old legend connected to the history of the Roberts House and its Fairview Historic District neighborhood.
“Roberts and his descendants lived there for over 100 years — reason enough to call the house ‘The Roberts House,’” according to the Heritage Foundation. Catherine Redles and Bootsie Smotherman, both Roberts granddaughters, donated the house at 206 Wells St. and five acres of land to the Valdosta Heritage Foundation.
In 1999, the Valdosta Heritage Foundation began restoration work on the Roberts House. Through the years, the Heritage Foundation had restored the roof, chimney and exterior.
The foundation restored the gingerbread house ornamentation along the porch. The exterior color-scheme became a subtle but elegant combination of grays, creams, and federal blue.
Phase II involved interior restoration, concentrating on the first floor. This phase required new wiring, the combination of period light fixtures with the contrasting modernity of running lights along the ceiling, as well as the installation of new plumbing and a central-heat-and-air-conditioning system, and a security-alarm system. Walls and ceilings were restored, plastered, painted. Wooden door frames and glass transoms are being cleaned and polished.
The second phase was completed three years ago.
Work continued on the upper floor and the grounds. Fire has now destroyed the Roberts House.
Top News
Roberts House at the heart of Valdosta’s origins
-
-
Wave of attacks kills at least 95 in Iraq
A wave of attacks killed at least 95 people in Shiite and Sunni areas of Iraq on Monday, officials said, pushing the death toll over the past week to more than 240 and extending one of the most sustained bouts of sectarian violence the country has seen in years.
-
Arias attorneys will put one witness on: Arias
Complaining that Jodi Arias’ sensational murder case has become a modern-day “witch trial,” her lawyers tried to quit in the middle of the death-penalty phase Monday, then said they will call only one witness: Arias.
-
Oklahoma twister tracked path of 1999 tornado
Monday’s powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the region in May 1999.
-
Dozens killed as tornado ravages Oklahoma City area
A powerful late-afternoon tornado leveled much of this Oklahoma community Monday, killing at least 51 people. Reporters on helicopters flying above the scene described the scene as “devastating.”
-
Today in History for Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Today is Tuesday, May 21, the 141st day of 2013. There are 224 days left in the year.
-
Several Republicans weigh challenge to Barrow
Now that Rep. John Barrow has turned down a campaign for the U.S. Senate, the challenge ahead for the Deep South’s last white Democratic congressman will be to defy the odds a second time by winning re-election in an eastern Georgia district that was drawn to ensure his defeat.
-
‘Trek’ does $70.6M but falls short of studio hopes
“Star Trek: Into Darkness” has warped its way to a $70.6 million domestic launch from Friday to Sunday, though it’s not setting any light-speed records with a debut that’s lower than the studio’s expectations.
-
Syrian troops push into strategic rebel-held town
Syrian troops pushed into a rebel-held town near the Lebanese border on Sunday, fighting house-to-house and bombing from the air as President Bashar Assad tried to strengthen his grip on a strategic strip of land running from the capital to the Mediterranean coast.
-
Taylor Swift wins 8 trophies at Billboard Awards
Another day, another domination for Taylor Swift: She was the red hot winner at the Billboard Music Awards.
-
Tornadoes level homes in Okla., 21 injured
One of several tornadoes that touched down Sunday in Oklahoma turned homes in a trailer park near Oklahoma City into splinters and rubble and sent frightened residents along a 100-mile corridor scurrying for shelter.
- More Top News Headlines
-
