Columbus in Muscogee County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Elms

Photographed By David Seibert, April 17, 2004

1. The Elms Marker

Inscription. In 1844, Lambert Spencer built a simple Greek Revival home detailed with Doric columns and acanthus leaves. In 1868, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Bowers enlarged and beautified the home. Mr. Bowers added two hexagonal wings and hired an itinerant painter to paint three ceiling frescoes. Mrs. Bowers, with the help of an English gardener, laid out a formal butterfly-shaped garden. The kitchen was a separate building, joined to the house by a covered porch. Other outbuildings included a two-story servant house, smokehouse, well, wash house, barn and cow shed. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Reverse Side
Lambert Spencer moved to Columbus from Talbot County, Maryland in 1828. He purchased twelve acres from William L. Wynn in 1844. Henson G. Estes later received the property from Spencer. In 1862, Lloyd Guyton Bowers, a cotton broker, traveled from Massachusetts to Macon, Georgia where he married Sarah Tabitha Bartlett. The Bowers soon moved to Columbus and purchased The Elms. The house remained in the Bowers family until 1966 and was then purchased by Allen M. Woodall, Jr. In 1999, Mrs. Maxwell C. Harden, daughter of a local builder, Thomas Watson Cooper, returned to Columbus and purchased The Elms for her home.

Erected 2004 by The Historic

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Chattahoochee Commission, Mrs. Maxwell C. Harden , and the Historic Columbus Foundation, Inc.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Architecture • Horticulture & Forestry • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1844.

Location. 32° 27.977′ N, 84° 57.946′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Georgia, in Muscogee County. Marker is at the intersection of Buena Vista Road and Jeanette Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Buena Vista Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1846 Buena Vista Road, Columbus GA 31906, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The First Breech Loading Cannon (approx. half a mile away); The Columbus Museum (approx. half a mile away); The Cedars (approx. half a mile away); Wynnton Community (approx. half a mile away); Wynnton School Library (approx. half a mile away); The Bradley Olmsted Garden (approx. 0.6 miles away); Carson McCullers (approx. 0.8 miles away); He Helped Bring And Keep Fort Benning (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.

Regarding The Elms. From 1967 to the late 1990s the house was used as the home of radio station WDAK, a major station in the Columbus area.

Reverse Side of The Elms Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By David Seibert, April 17, 2004

2. Reverse Side of The Elms Marker

Photographed By David Seibert, April 17, 2004

3. The Elms

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 10, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,828 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 10, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.