Eatonton in Putnam County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Birthplace of Joel Chandler Harris

Site of Barnes Tavern

Photographed by Mark Parker, November 22, 2021

1. Birthplace of Joel Chandler Harris Marker

Inscription. Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus stories, was born at Willian Barnes Tavern in December 1845. He was named for his great uncle Joel Chandler Turman (c.1780-c.1836 Richmond Co., Ga.). The inn stood on lots #5 (on Madison Ave,) and #2 (on Washington Ave.) in Block E, Eatonton Town Map. His mother, Mary Ann Harris, born in 1816 in Richmond Co., moved here by 1826, after her father Michael Harris' death in TN. Other family included sister Ellen, mother Ann Mary Turman Harris (1789-1863) and grandmother Tabitha Turman (1770-1851), widow of Rev. War veteran John Turman, who founded the Richmond Co. plantation. Mary Ann, 12, and Ellen, 7, were first listed in the Poor School Fund in 1828. Joel's mother, and aunt Ellen, lived and worked at the Tavern as seamstresses, managed the linens and did fancy sewing for the five Barnes girls. Barnes bought the inn in 1826 from William Wilkins owner of Eagle Tavern, now part of The Bronson House. The first tax list with Barnes as owner is 1826 valued at $600, increasing to $1,600 in 1840, indicating a fine inn. Barnes was successful until his death in 1845. His widow Elizabeth,

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estate administratrix, ran the inn until it was lost by sheriff's sale in 1858. She lost her home in 1854 and left Eatonton leaving several married daughters. Mary Ann Harris, her mother and Joel moved from the Tavern in 1853, to a rent-free two room house behind the 114 N. Madison Ave. Andrew Reid Mansion. His mother was a seamstress for the large Reid household. After Reid's 1865 death, she lived here with her friend Mrs. Ann Eliza Barnes Suther. She moved to her son's Atlanta home in 1877 and died in 1891 at The Wren's Nest, his home in Atlanta's West End.

Erected 2016 by The Madison Town Committee of The National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia; The Eatonton-Putnam County Historical Society Inc. The Uncle Remus Museum of Eatonton, GA, Inc. and Friends.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1845.

Location. 33° 19.587′ N, 83° 23.408′ W. Marker is in Eatonton, Georgia, in Putnam County. It is on North Madison Avenue north of West Marion Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or

Birthplace of Joel Chandler Harris Marker in front of Blackwell Furniture store image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, November 22, 2021

2. Birthplace of Joel Chandler Harris Marker in front of Blackwell Furniture store

near this postal address: 102 N Madison Ave, Eatonton GA 31024, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Antebellum Trail

and in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Putnam County Confederate Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of John C. Mason's Dwelling House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Bronson House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Stoneman Raid (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Putnam County Court House (about 300 feet away); Childhood Home of Joel Chandler Harris (about 300 feet away); Putnam County (about 300 feet away); The March to the Sea (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map

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of all markers in Eatonton.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 2, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 279 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 2, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.