The James and Lily Gaines House was built by Prussian architect, John Schmitz, in 1901 as a “Honeymoon House.” Schmitz relocated to Bartow County after serving in the Civil War as a Union soldier. His architectural work can be seen throughout Bartow County.
The home is a rare example of a brick Queen Anne home in Georgia. Built into a hill, the home faces downtown and the rail line. It is believed the bricks came in via the rail since there isn’t a record of a brick manufacturer in the area until 1906.
A long-rumored story about the home is that it was a hospital with a tunnel to the nearby funeral parlor. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be verifiable. It did serve as a hotel at one point.
Information on the house was culled from Maggie Ball’s research of the home.