Youth Community, Loganville, Georgia

A cornerstone of the Youth Community is a stately white farmhouse with its twin chimneys is now known as “Heritage Hall”. Heritage Hall was constructed in 1850 and has been a part of the Youth Community for 150 years. The house has been owned over the years by several important families in Walton County history and government. Heritage Hall was a family home during the Civil War and served as a center point of the area when “cotton was king” and the entire community was involved in the cotton business. The narrow dirt road now known as Highway 81 ran past a cotton gin, grist mill and general store at the crossroads of Centerhill Church road and Youth-Monroe road.  Though no longer working, the old cotton gin up the road and Heritage Hall are the only reminders left of that bygone era.

The original home was believed to be constructed for A.B. Whitehead and his family. Allan Bond Whitehead (1809-1886), served as a postmaster for Walnut Grove in 1854 and was an Inferior Court Justice in the 1800’s serving the Northern District of Walton County. The original house was a double pen log home that is still the nucleus for the current structure. The land on which the house sits was given to Whitehead as compensation for fighting in the “Indian Wars”. A copy of Mrs. Louisa Whitehead’s widow’s pension is on display in the parlor. Judge Whitehead died in 1886 and is buried in the Corinth Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

The house was later occupied for many years by another notable Walton County figure, Mr. John T. Byrd, (1898-1977). Affectionately known as, “Mr. Johnny”, he was a State Representative and a very active community leader for many years. He represented the area proudly during his term in the State House of Representatives. He owned the home and the country store across from the house until the early 1970’s. Many members of the local community have shared memories of his store and his generosity. He is credited with building up the community during the “cotton era”. He and his wife, Fannie Carter Byrd, having no children, opened their home to the community for parties and the 1940 US Census indicates Egbert Wallace, a teacher at the local school, as a boarder.

The home was sold to the J.A. Hall family in the 1970’s and still remains in their care. Mr. Hall was a mayor of Loganville from 1974 to 1984 as well as a council member and Chief of Police for a short period. He is retired and continues to live in the Loganville area.

The house has remained relatively the same in appearance since the early 1940’s. In 1995, the Hall family opened the house as a special events location and ran that business for 10 years. Currently, Steve Hall continues a party and event rental business from the location.

(References: Georgia Archives, Ancestry.com, Walton County Historical files)