850-acre hunting farm south of Atlanta sells for $4.6M
Credit: Courtesy Oakwood Realty Group/David Cannon Photography
A good hunter knows patience is a virtue since it takes time to line up a clean shot.
More than a year of patience paid off earlier this month when Allen Franklin, former CEO of Southern Co., sold his longtime hunting mansion south of Atlanta for $4.6 million. The 850-acre Whitewater Farms property near LaGrange was bought by David Casey, president of construction company the Walsh Group’s heavy civil division.
Franklin first put the property on the market in March 2024 at $6.9 million, but it was readvertised at a discount last summer. Hunter Brant, president and broker at Oakwood Realty Group, represented Franklin in the sale and said it took several attempts to find the right buyer.
“It took persistence,” Brant said. “But I believe we found the right person who will love it like (Franklin) did.”
The expansive abode includes a 7,400-square-foot mansion, a 4,500-square-foot guesthouse and several other on-site amenities. The six-bedroom, seven-bathroom main home was offered fully furnished.
Franklin served as Southern Co.’s chief executive from 1999 until his retirement in 2004. He moved to his home state of Alabama with his family, prompting the sale of Whitewater Farms.
Located about an hour southwest of downtown Atlanta and an hour north of Columbus, it’s within a portion of West Georgia known for upscale hunting properties. The property runs along Whitewater Creek and features swathes of timber, internal roads and a maintained wildlife habitat.
Casey and his wife, Renee, a LaGrange native, were drawn to Whitewater Farms for its expansive natural landscape, Brant said. The land is under a conservation easement with the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust. Brant added that Casey was able to strike a deal with the land trust to allow him to have cows on the property, a callback to his childhood growing up on a farm in central Florida.
Casey was represented by Benjamin Carter Jr., owner of real estate agency Carter Legacy Lands.
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
