1928 Generator House

[oldhouseman]

I visited a place this past Sunday that is up for sale. Three houses built in the 1820 to 1840 period, 28 acres and a store building from the 1890's. The store building has electricity from this generator house. And inside...next pic..

 

[oldhouseman]

The generator

Myself and one of my boxers inspecting the motor.

 

[oldhouseman]

Information on

the system.

 

[oldhouseman]

The bank

of batteries.

 

[oldhouseman]

And the

Store building that is powered from this generator.

 

[oldhouseman]

And an

inside shot

 

[maytagbear]

Wow!

Greg-

Fascinating!

Thank you for posting these snapshots.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[oldhouseman]

The main house

on the property.

 

[oldhouseman]

And my

favorite house on the property, an 1830 plantation plain style house.

 

[oldhouseman]

And the

guest house. I wish I had the pockets to afford the place but I count my blessings for what I have (I just wish the restorations was finished).

 

[oldhouseman]

Way off topic

but I thought the club would be interested to see the generator house and works. No appliances were in the houses or I would have posted pics of them. I understand from the real estate agent the houses were furnished with antiques and vintage appliances. Sadly the owner was murdered a few years ago while on a trip to Atlanta. The heir to the estate saw dollar signs and sold everything off. The heir never set foot in the store building I am told and that's why it's in tact. Now the land and houses are up. I hope they get a caring buyer who will put the place back in shape.

 

[gyrafoam]

I spot all the signs of a draughty and chilly old house. Of course since the climate has mellowed over the years it isn't as bad now, but you just can't get those memories of bitterly cold Georgia winters out of me. A lot of folks who were tougher stock than I headed off down the path to the privy on a blustery day.

Fun to see the old places----thanks for sharing.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Hi Oldhousman,

WOW ... that generator is fascinating!

So, there is a generator house, a store, a main house, a guest house and an "1830 plantation house all on the same property of 28 acres? Can you tell me the price and location?

Thank you.

Rob.

 

[gizmo]

Thanks oldhouseman.

Would that generator and battery bank have originally been kept in the same room like that? Those lead-acid batteries give off hydrogen gas when charging, any spark from the generator could have set them off. It would be a big bang.

I live with the 21st century equivalent of that system - solar power with petrol (gasoline) backup charger. I can post pics in a day or two if anyone is interested. My DC generator is a home-made unit consisting of a Briggs Vanguard 6hp petrol motor, belt drive to a 24 volt DC Bosch truck alternator with a home-made voltage regulator (made to someone else's design.) Interesting that the old generator in the photos is huge yet only produdes 1500 watts, mine produces 1000 watts and is tiny by comparison.

I'm a bit confused, the one in your photo says it auto-starts when load exceeds 300 watts. So what is the system - did the house run from the battery bank and the generator recharge the batteries, or did the house run direct from the generator?

thanks

Chris.

 

[oldhouseman]

Hi Rob

Yes, it looks like the place was put together in the 1980's. The houses have some issues with how the work was done. The front steps and porches are all very poorly constructed and need to be replaced. Some features of the houses are boogered up. I do not believe the mantels are original in the plain style and guest house. The main house and plain style are great inside. The guest house needs work inside. It was never completely finished inside (upstairs sleeping loft, 2 rooms) The price has been lowered to 650K which I think is a steal. It's located not to far outside Madison. In Bostwick I believe. Email me or give me a call at the office 678-364-3736 if you want further information on the place. I will post some interior shots of the houses.

 

[oldhouseman]

A view of

the interior of the main house. The pups had a great time looking around.

 

[oldhouseman]

And

another shot. Fortunatly all the fireplaces were rebuilt when the houses were moved and all are working and in great shape.

 

[oldhouseman]

And there

is a pond by the plainstle house.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

... it looks like the place was put together in the 1980&#3

Really????? Did this guy buy houses and just re-assemble them on his property? If so ... interesting hobby, no?

Chirs: Yes, those batteries do give off hydrogen gas, but I'm sure the house is drafty-enough to prevent the gas from building-up and BLOWING up. Can you post pix of your generator as well. This is fascinating stuff.

Now, 12VDC stuff is easy to find, but what about 24 and 32 volts. I know that when incandescent Christmas lighting came out (they weren't called Christmas lights nor were they used specifically for the occasion -- "festoons of coloured light" actually) -- the strings were available in 120 v. and 32 v. "for farm generators."

Anyone interested in electric Christmas lighting? EMAIL ME!!!!!

Rob.

 

[oldhouseman]

And inside

I do not believe the mantels are original. No other surfaces in this house were painted as was the custom of the region and time the place was built. There is not a kitchen or bath in this house but there is electricity.

 

[oldhouseman]

And

another of the same house.

 

[oldhouseman]

The guest

house interior. It does have a bath and kitchen, badly fitted, but it does have them at least.

 

[oldhouseman]

There are

several outbuildings behind the main house and a modern workshop. Call or email me if I can give you any further info. on the place Rob

 

[oldhouseman]

Hey Chris

The store building is/was supplied from the generator. It was in operation until the owner died. The store building and the generator were moved to the property and restored. This was moved from a nearby small town/settlement. The family that owned it closed the place up during the depression and it just never got put back into use. It all sat closed up for years until it was moved to the current location.

I would like to see your set up, I have been thinking about doing something similar for my place.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

wow wow wow ...

That last pix on the RHS ... is that a library or an old office building?

 

[oldhouseman]

Yes Rob

The guy bought old places that were in danger of being torn down and moved them to the property. None of the buildings were on the property to start with. If I had deep enough pockets I would buy it in a heartbeat and correct some aspects of the houses. The whole story about the owner and property and how he was killed fits right into classic southern gothic tales. The price is cheap for what it is but considering I'm about to be laid off and still have my own restoration going on I'm just glad I got to visit the place.

 

[oldhouseman]

That is

an office house from a plantation Rob. It is plain inside, never painted and measures about 24' X 24' I would estimate. The person who gave us the tour is a friend and knows the real estate agent, she wanted me to see the place to consult about some of the issues like the porches and a modern deck that was put on back of the main house (yes, a deck, with all the trouble and expence of moving the place and rebuilding it they put a modern deck on it -can we say "taste", oh well, to each his own). All things considered that's not a lot of work the place needs, kitchen update or restoration and rebild the porches. That deck would have to go and the correct type of back porch and gardens added.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Chimneys

Perhaps it's me, or perhaps there is a style of house in your area that I am not familiar with, but those chimneys are funky ... blocks and bricks together? That's not as bad as the amount of space between the chimney and the side of the house on the 2nd floor!

All-in-all, I'm impressed what what I have seen thus far.

 

[sudsmaster]

Were any of those structures originally slave quarters?

 

[autowasherfreak]

Nice Pictures

If I had the $ and would buy it and move there in a second. I love old houses, especially old farm houses that are way out in the country, where you neighbor is about two or three miles down the road. Thanks for sharing them.