The Spruill Center for the Arts

Stephen Thomas Spruill

When Thomas' son, Stephen Thomas Spruill (1870-1967), married Miss Mollie Lee Carter (1872-1932) of Sandy Springs in 1889, the Homeplace was presented to them as a wedding gift. Stephen was to live in the Homeplace and farm the land his family had farmed for generations, until his death in 1967. It was Stephen who, in 1905, tore down the original Homeplace because it was infested with termites and rebuilt the Homeplace as we know it today. Throughout the early twentieth century, Stephen acquired land from neighboring farms, and by the time of his death was one of the most prosperous farmers and largest land owners in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. Most of Stephen and Mollie Lee's descendants continue to live in the Dunwoody area.

The Box House

In 1905, Stephen Spruill (1870-1967), Thomas' son tore down the log house built by his grandfather, and using the 1867 addition as an anchor, he then built the "box house." The "box house" consists of the four rooms and a central hallway which runs the length of the house. The hallway and high ceilings (14 ft.) facilitated air circulation during hot Southern summers before air conditioning. With its simple architecture, the Spruill House is a fine example of Southern farmhouses from this period.

The house rests on a brick pier foundation and uses a typical floor joint and wall stud system. The walls are constructed of sawn wood studs, and the roof exhibits a combination of both hip and roof gable roofing. The exterior is composed of mill cut lap-board siding, which may very well have been supplied by the Spruill's Mill in North Fulton County.

The front facade has six columns and two pilasters. It features Victorian detailing, such as spindle work and flat jig-saw cut trim, which give the house its special charm. (This trim was added a few years after the house was built, perhaps because woodworking machinery and the growth of the railroad system made precut Victorian detailing more accessible in those years.) The shutters on the front facade can swing open or remain shut. The side and the back porches are informal and less ornate. Similar to the railing currently found on the back porch, the original facade railing was comprised of horizontal strips of lumber.

In 1937, Stephen and his second wife, Ethel Warren Spruill, remodeled and updated the house. During the remodeling, the wall which separated the living room and hallway was removed to make the living room more spacious, and a modern kitchen and bath were installed.

Smokehouse & Seed House

There are two outbuilding still standing along with the house. The smokehouse was built in the 1840s, at the same time as the original log house. Iron hooks, upon which meat was hung to be dried and cured, can still be seen along the smokehouse's walls. The smokehouse is constructed of large round logs similar to those in the original house.

The second outbuilding is a seed house. Here, staple farm supplies, such as corn, wheat, and cotton seed were stored. The seed house was built in the early twentieth century and is made up entirely of mill cut lap-board siding, with no rounded logs. For additional information about the Spruill Center for the Arts please visit
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