Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site, Historic plantation and agricultural complex in Jones County, Georgia

Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site is a former cotton plantation in Jones County, Georgia, now a 200-acre state historic site. Its buildings include a farmhouse, sawmill, cotton gin, gristmill, shingle mill, planer, sugar cane press, syrup evaporator, workshop, barn and outbuildings. The main photograph shows a two-story wooden building with dark horizontal siding, a steep white roof, a small gable window and a large four-spoked wooden wheel at its base.

John Fitz Jarrell established the plantation in 1847, developing it into a working agricultural property. The estate remained under family ownership for over 140 years before being donated to the State of Georgia in 1974.

The site keeps the Jarrell family's own buildings and artifacts, among them a sugar cane press and a syrup evaporator, since the farm processed sugarcane from 1864. Dick Jarrell added a mill complex with a steam-driven sawmill, cotton gin, gristmill, shingle mill and planer. The 1895 family home and the 1920 heart-pine house, built with his five sons and two nephews, still stand.

The site is open Thursday through Sunday. The buildings stand apart on the grounds, so plan to walk between the farmhouse, the mill complex and the outbuildings. The 1895 family home and the 1920 heart-pine house are separate stops on the route.

The buildings on the property were constructed over many decades, with each structure added or modified at different times to show how the operation changed. This gradual development means you can see several generations of farming and building methods in one place.