The Elisha Winn House

The Elisha Winn House, Gwinett County, Georgia

The Elisha Winn House at 908 Dacula Road, Dacula. Built circa 1812, it is the oldest surviving structure in Gwinnett County and very likely the oldest building in metro Atlanta. The first Gwinnett County elections were held at this house, and for a time in the early days it served as the county courthouse. An 1820s log jail and several outbuildings are also on the property. 

The house was built in what was then Jackson County. Six years later, when Gwinett County was formed, much of the planning took place in the Winn house.

Elisha Winn was an interesting man. He and his wife Ivy had 13 children, so he obviously needed a large house. He was a leader in the early years of Gwinnett County, a Justice of the Peace, an Inferior Court judge, and later, a State Representative and State Senator.

Although larger than most of its kind, the Winn House is an outstanding example of the "Plantation Plain" style, with two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs. Constructed of heart pine, the house has a gable roof and a chimney at each end. A kitchen attached to the rear was removed in 1860.

The Elisha Winn House is managed by the Gwinnett County Historical Society, and is open for tours from March to September on the third Saturday of the month from noon to 4:00 p.m. The Elisha Winn Fair is held on the first weekend of October, with the house and all the out-buildings open. 

    The Benjamin Gachet House, built in 1828 near Barnesville, is another beautiful example  of Plantation Plain design.

This post was adapted from my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia. A Canon EOS 6D with the EF 28-105mm lens was used for both photos.

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Photography and text copyright 2026 David B.Jenkins.

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Tags:   photography      travel photography   Canon EOS 6D camera      Canon EF 28-105mm lens    digital photography   Georgia    Dacula, Georgia    Gwinett County, Georgia    Elisha Winn    Elisha Winn House    Plantation Plain houses    Benjamin Gachet house