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| Historic Hamilton House, 701 Chattanooga Ave. Dalton, Ga. |
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THE HAMILTON HOUSE is the oldest brick home in Dalton. It was built in 1840 and restored in 1984. The house originally belonged to John Hamilton of White Plains, Westchester County, New York. Born August 17, 1803, John was a civil engineer who came to Kingston, Tennessee to make improvements along the Tennessee River. John Hamilton married Rachael Loyd Wester in Tennessee on February 13, 1834. About five years later, the couple moved to Georgia where John helped construct the railroad system connecting Atlanta to Chattanooga. Hamilton purchased the land where the house now stands from an Indian named Young Bird. It is said that Young Bird was actually killed on what is now Thornton Avenue when he was thrown from his horse. The Hamiltons' names are found on rolls of the First Presbyterian Church along with the names of some of their slaves. After Mr. Hamilton's death in 1853, Rachael and the children continued to maintain the plantation.
Confederate General Joseph H. Lewis used the Hamilton House as the headquarters for the Kentucky Orphan Brigade during the Civil War Era while Rachael was away in Middle Georgia. Rachael died in June of 1876, and sometime later the house was sold to Crown Cotton Mills. The house was used by the thriving textile industry as the superintendent's headquarters. The Frank and Maud Hamilton family—no relation to the John Hamiltons—occupied the home from 1904 until 1983.
In 1997 the house was purchased by the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the historic home contains a variety of special collections including, Tufted Bedspread, Civil War, and Cherokee Indian displays.
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