Known as Valdosta’s oldest house, a residential structure has stood on the property at 206 Wells Street since at least 1845. This home is located in the Fairview Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
William Wisenbaker, a farmer and Lowndes County pioneer, purchased the property on December 5, 1840, and built the original house between 1843 and 1845. It was a one-story, four-room, wood frame dogtrot cabin constructed upon a raised, brick pier foundation. Wisenbaker’s family were Salzburger emigrants who settled in Georgia during the 1730s. Wisenbaker married Lydia Ann Crews in 1839, and they had 11 children, all of whom were born at this house. In 1850, Mr. Wisenbaker owned three enslaved people, and in 1860, two enslaved people. In 1859, the family sold 144 acres of land to the Georgia Assembly commissioners to establish a new town on the new Atlantic & Gulf Rail line. Many residents of Troupville moved to Valdosta to take advantage of the opportunities brought by the railroad. The new town of Valdosta was chartered on December 7, 1860. Between 1859 and 1863, the house was enlarged into a two-story, ten-room “planter’s home” or Plantation Plain house, featuring a two-story front porch with columns running the entire height of the house. On August 29, 1863, Mr. Wisenbaker sold the house to William N. Peacock and moved to what would later become Lake Park.
William N. Peacock was a retired Presbyterian preacher who lived in Mississippi before the American Civil War. In Valdosta, he was possibly a teacher, as it is thought he ran a school in the house. According to the 1860 U.S. Census for Madison, Florida, he was married to Anna M. Peacock, and they had at least four children. Peacock likely died in the house, as his widow sold it in 1866 after his death.
Berry Wells, Jeremiah W. Wells (son of Berry Wells), and Isaiah Tillman bought the property in 1866, while Jeremiah W. Wells lived in the house. The younger Wells was a merchant, farmer, saloon owner (northeast corner of Hill Avenue and Patterson Street), a CSA captain during the Civil War, a land developer, and an elected state representative. Representative Wells was one of the two elected officials from Lowndes County who voted in 1861 for succession from the Union. Wells was Mayor of Valdosta from 1881-1882. Wells Street in the Fairview neighborhood is named for him. He married Mary A. Wells, and they had at least six children.
John Taylor Roberts (1850-1920) and Francis “Frank” Devane Roberts (1860-1915) bought the property on August 5, 1891, and the older Roberts lived in the house. He was a merchant and owned a prominent buggy/harness business and building downtown. He served on the City Council from 1892 until 1906 and was Mayor of Valdosta from 1906-1916. In 1895, Roberts began renovating the house into the Folk Victorian/Queen Anne style house that is present today. Locally prominent architect Stephen Fulghum designed and led the renovation. Roberts was married to Kate (Catherine) Margaret Young and had nine children. The house was owned by Roberts’ descendants until 1982. In 1996, it was purchased by two of Roberts’ granddaughters and subsequently donated to the Valdosta Heritage Foundation (VHF) in 1999.
Along with donations, VHF received several grants to restore the house, which had fallen into disrepair in the 1980s-90s. With restoration 85% complete, on January 26, 2011, the house was nearly destroyed by fire caused by an electrical short. From May 2011 to August 2012, VHF had damaged parts of the exterior, and the roof was rebuilt. The interiors and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and other building systems remained unfinished for many years. Over the last few years, VHF has worked on developing a plan to rebuild the interiors. In 2019, VHF received permission to convert the house into a bed and breakfast, which will be leased to a live-in manager. The Alfred Willis Historic Preservation Library will be located in Valdosta’s Oldest House for the public to enjoy. Work on the restoration is currently underway. (Information provided by the Roberts Family, the Wiregrass Region Digital History Project, and the Lowndes County Historical Society)