Historic House May Open to the Public in Late 2013

A historic Braselton Highway home took a six-mile trip to the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center (GEHC) last week.

According to GEHC Director of Programming and Development Jason West, the house may be open to the public in the fourth quarter of 2013.

"Now that the Chesser-Williams House has arrived on the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center (GEHC) campus, our intent is to make sure that it is re-stabilized on its new foundations and piers but at the same time, we must preserve the historic nature of the original, gravity defying rock piers," West wrote in an email to Buford Patch. "This initiative will be done very slowly and methodically until such time as the re-stabilization is complete.  Simultaneously,  as this effort is being conducted, the GEHC education staff will be working on developing K-12 and special event programming to support Gwinnett Public School’s Academic Knowledge Skills and the Georgia Performance Standards." 

The . The paintings are believed to be the work of a German artist who painted in exchange for room and board. 

The house was initially donated to the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center Foundation by Jerald and Sue Williams. Earlier this year, the GEHC Foundation gave the house to Gwinnett County along with a $25,000 donation.

SPLOST sales tax funds will cover the rest of the $319,130 cost to move the structure to the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center campus.

Visit 11 Alive.com for video of the move.