With an eye toward its bicentennial in 2018, Gwinnett County will buy and preserve one of its oldest and most historic homes.
On Tuesday the county Board of Commissioners agreed to spend $161,200 to buy the Maguire-Livsey House on Anderson-Livsey Lane south of Snellville. The county also acquired 1.5 acres of surrounding property.
The home was built in the 1820s on the 1,000-acre Thomas Maguire Plantation that later became known as “The Promised Land.”
According to the Gwinnett Historical Society, Maguire grew cotton, wheat, corn and other crops on the plantation. In November 1864 Union soldiers burned his gin house, stables, barn and fences while he hid in the woods, but they spared the house.
The Livsey family bought the property in the 1920s. Their descendants still live in the area and call the home the “Livsey Family Big House.”
“With our bicentennial celebration coming up in 2018, this is a perfect time to preserve an important piece of Gwinnett’s history for the benefit of future generations,” said County Commissioner Tommy Hunter, who represents the area.
“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to acquire this house with all of its unique history,” said commission Chairman Charlotte Nash.
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