Judd House: Extract from Daily Citizen News (Supplement, 2001)

The Judd House
and garden estate







Originally called Oneonta (Indian for "a resting place")


Historic House in Dalton, Georgia: not open to the public

Location: Walnut Avenue. Built: 1921. Original Owner, assisted in designing the home: Lenna Judd
 

Renovated in ???? by Evelyn Huffaker Myers, of Dalton, Georgia. She bought some original furnishings, dishes, and books that had belonged to Lenna and Morton Ellis Judd from their grandson, Morton Judd. (article, p.2) She and Judd developed a friendship. She became interested in the history of the Judd family. She finally photographs and family documentation. She came to admire Lenna Judd and her taste.

Morton Judd sold most of the family property (except the house and immediate grounds) to Bill Young, a developer. Myers subsequently bought the Judd barn about 1998 from Young and converted the barn to a house. Myers wanted the house, but at first, Judd did not want to sell it. Later, he did decide to sell, and Myers bought the house August 11, 2000 [from article, p.2].

Evelyn Myers
Majorette, then drum majorette in school. Later: "She worked in the local Wink, Crescent and Dalton theaters as an usherette, and was the cover girl for the centennial edition of The Dalton Citizen" (article, p.2).
Before marriage, Evelyn Myers owned a beauty salon.
 
Married in 1945 to Gene Myers; previously, he had served in the Navy. He is now deceased.

The couple owned/operated a "area-rug business," which "has grown into" Myers Carpet (branches in Dalton, Atlanta, and Nashville)


Children: Ray, Rick, and Vicky Myers.

Evelyn Myers allowed the house to be opened to the public briefly as a Designer Showcase house (sponsored by Whitfield-Murray Historical Society) from Oct. 28 to Nov. 11, 2001.

[Article: "Celebrating the legacy of Oneonta" p.3]:
Features: 22 rooms, seven bathrooms.


The grounds include "formal boxwood gardens, spring house, tea house, pond, and 'barn'" (from article, p.3)
 Gardens on the hillsides. Large pond in front yard. Outdoor amphitheater. Rock teahouse. [Restoration of the gardens in 2001 by Ryan Gainey, Atlanta landscape designer.]


Main gate on Walnut Avenue, erected by Manly Steel (Dalton company). The gate has gilt lettering, "Oneonta," at the center.

Interiors: original millwork and architectural elements. (American Craftsman or English Arts and Crafts style). Library. Music room (w/pipe organ, grand piano).

My own memory: oak-paneled library. Rooms staggered, not central hallways. One bathroom had a mini-tub for feet! Rectangular bay windows. Stucco exterior.

Closed and barricaded about 1994.

Evelyn Myers' converted-barn home was featured in Veranda Magazine, November, 1988.

Lenna Judd: husband died 1921. "She was the first woman board member of the Georgia Forestry Association and an early leader in the state's Red Cross and parent-teacher organizations." Known for her gardens, she also landscaped other gardens in Georgia. (from another article, locals remembered seeing her work w/tools in her garden, hands-on gardening). She cooked, sewed, gave to needy (hands-on charity--took food in her roadster to needy families).  Lenna Judd died in 1938.

"...in 1924 she designed the gardens at what was then Yenching University in Beijing."

Myers was inspired by Minnie Pearl's historic home, which she had toured (p.20, continuation of article, "Legacy..." from page 2).

Note: At the time of publication of the supplement, there were plans to feature the restoration of the Judd house on HGTV as part of its Before and After series (telecast date unknown at time of writing).

Reference: Supplement to the Daily Citizen newspaper, Dalton, Georgia, Wed., Oct. 24, 2001: [The Judd House]. (Article): Kelly, Chris A., "Building on the past, facing the future," page 2