Near Monroe in Walton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Harris Smokehouse

circa 1822-1825

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 26, 2024

1. Harris Smokehouse Marker

Inscription. The smokehouse was an important outbuilding for farms in the nineteenth century. It provided for the curing and storing of meat for the family in the days before refrigeration.

This rare brick smokehouse was constructed of red clay bricks formed and fired nearby on the property. It is an enclosed shelter, in which a fire could be kept smoldering for a few weeks to smoke and cure the meat, not cook it.

After slaughtering animals in the beginning of winter, cuts of meat were packed in tubes of salt, sugar, and saltpeter, which were worked into every inch of the fresh meat, for about six weeks, drawing most of the water from the meat. Then the salted meats were hung from the rafters in the smokehouse, built without windows and a flue. A “cold” fire (green wood, corncobs, fruitwood) was started, and the salted meat was smoked for 1 to 2 weeks. The result was long-lasting smoke-flavored meat, that could be aged for two years before it was eaten.

Erected 2015 by Georgia Piedmont Chapter XXXIII, Colonial Dames of America.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture •

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Architecture. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the The Colonial Dames of America series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1822.

Location. 33° 53.719′ N, 83° 43.329′ W. Marker is near Monroe, Georgia, in Walton County. It can be reached from Winder-Monroe Highway (State Highway 11) 0.1 miles south of Emmett Doster Road Northwest, on the right when traveling south. Marker is on the grounds of the William Harris Homestead Museum & Education Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3636 GA-11, Monroe GA 30656, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont

and in Metro Atlanta.

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

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 26, 2024

2. Harris Smokehouse Marker

are within walking distance of this marker: King Cotton (within shouting distance of this marker); Boll Weevil Eradication Program (within shouting distance of this marker); Harris Family Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); The William Harris Homestead (within shouting distance of this marker); Harris Blacksmith Shop (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Soil and Water Conservation Districts (about 300 feet away); “Improved” Land (about 300 feet away); a different marker also named William Harris Homestead (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Monroe.

Also see . . .
1. William Harris Family Farmstead (PDF). National Register nomination for the property, which includes the main house, this building and three other outbuildings and was listed in 1982. (Prepared by Richard Cloues, Historic Preservation Section, Georgia Department of Natural Resources; via National Archives) (Submitted on March 10, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. William Harris Homestead Museum & Education Center. Homepage for the farmstead, which is

Harris Smokehouse interior image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 26, 2024

3. Harris Smokehouse interior

owned and maintained by the non-profit William Harris Homestead Foundation, Inc. (Submitted on March 10, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 150 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 10, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.