The Elisha Winn House, it’s out buildings, and the 19.2 acres on which they sit make up the Winn House.  The buildings are a rehabilitation project of the Gwinnett Historical Society. The Gwinnett Historical Society purchased this old home, in then rural Gwinnett County on 3 acres, in 1978 for $12,000 from the Olyn Sims family and the Baptist Association of Texas, mortgaging the property for 10 years for a $9,600 note.  The Society then sold the property to Gwinnett County.  In February 1979, the county made a 25-year lease of the property to the Gwinnett Historical Society for restoration purposes.  The lease was renewed in February 2004 for an additional 25 years.

The house was unique for its age because it contained the original fireplace mantels, doors, and stairs.  When purchased, the Society estimated a 2.5-year rehabilitation period at a cost of $60,000.

The Society sought designation of the house as a historic site in a request in December 1978.  A Historic Preservation Team toured the home in March 1979, and the house was entered on the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1979.  On April 25, 1987, a Georgia Historic Marker was dedicated at the site by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (the seventh such marker in the county at that time).  On November 20, 1999, Atlanta Chapter #18 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated a historical marker for the interior of the house.

The Gwinnett Historical Society is a non-profit all volunteer, educational organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of Gwinnett County.  Its preservation efforts are funded by donations and grant fund efforts. 

The Society’s offices are on the second floor of the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse on the square in Lawrenceville where the Gwinnett History Center is open 10:00 to 2:00 Monday through Friday and 9:00 AM to 12:00 on the second Saturday of the month.  The history center includes a 1600-volume genealogy and history library, an archive collection, several microfilm and computer research stations, a conference room, and administrative offices.  The center maintains a large collection of family history files, cemetery and church information, microfilmed newspapers and court records, and historical site information, and sells a variety of Gwinnett County publications related to historical and genealogical research.

The Historical Significance of the Elisha Winn House