Inside This Old House

In 1859 Preston Rose Scott bought many acres of farmland in East Texas. When the Texas and Pacific Railroad built laid the tracks through his land, he saw the opportunity before him and sold lots on streets named after his first four children – Thomas, William, Buckner and Hiram.

Hiram street ran East-West through the town and wound its way into the countryside where stately homes were built by local business owners, politicians and friends of Scott and his second wife Mary Ritchie Scott. Several acres of land were cleared and a parcel was sold to a land agent and his wife, Aguillar and Alice B. Miles of Alabama.

Today, there remains a two-man crosscut timber saw embedded in an old oak tree beside the house. Perhaps it belonged to Mr. Miles, and left, forgotten, leaned up against that tree long enough for the tree to grow around it.

Just off Hiram Street, beside the old sidewalk, a late 19th century hitching pole is still embedded in the front lawn. Just as old is the original mail slot opening into the front room from the wide wrap-around porch.

In September 7, 1884 the Miles sold a portion of their land to John T. “Red John” Chamblee and his wife Nancy Isabella for $140.00. The couple were born on Hog Mountain in Hall County, Georgia. John was 23, Isabella was 19, when the 1870 census shows they owned a 300-acre farm in Douglassville, along with 2000 wooded acres, 34 horses, and 5 mules.

The couple had five young daughters when they built their home on the corner of Hiram and Bogie streets close to the Atlanta downtown area. The Chamblee’s eventually had two more daughters before their son, Governor Hogg Chamblee, was born in 1892.

Chamblee owned the first electric power plant in Atlanta, which was located on North West Street where the old ice house had been. The franchise had been granted in December 1902. He was also a director of Atlanta’s Citizens Bank.

John died in 1917, and Nancy in 1923. Both are buried in Pinecrest Cemetery. Their only son, Governor Hogg, bought out his sisters share of the home in 1925 and continued living there with his wife, Oma Spiva Chamblee.

Governor was a WWI veteran, oil producer, and rancher. His death certificate says he had a coronary thrombosis and passed away at home on December 1, 1971. Oma was a homemaker. She passed away on September 3, 1979, approximately 3 hours after arriving at the hospital, from a cerebrovascular accident.

Governor and Oma had no children of their own. Her first cousin, George Freeman Glass and wife Lillie Price Glass, were named executors of Oma’s estate and sold the property on February 8, 1980, to E.B. & Helen Woods, co-owners of Wood’s Home Furnishings.

On March 8, 1984, the Woods sold the home to their son Eddie Woods and wife Cindy, who raised their two sons, Ben and Blake, there. The home is currently for sale.