The home of Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb is of Greek Revival style. The original part of the house was a four over four “Plantation Plain” built about 1834. The house was a wedding gift in 1844 from Joseph Henry Lumpkin, the first Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, to his daughter Marion and T.R.R. Cobb. Cobb is one of Athens’ most controversial figures: lawyer, author, educator, politician, military leader, slave owner, defender and promoter of Southern Nationalism. The restored house, operated by Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., opened in 2007 as a historic house museum. Through careful restoration, judicious recreation and responsible interpretation, the stewards of the house aim to create a sense of time and place, provide a reference for accomplishments made long ago, and provide an opportunity for broader understanding of the ideas of the past and how they influence our present.
