The Rankin House
SIDE 1: The Rankin House
James A. Rankin came to Columbus from Yrshire, Scotland and in 1839 married Agnes Affleck. Mr. Rankin was a planter and owner of the Rankin Hotel and Rankin Realty Co. This high style Italianate mansion was built between 1860 and 1870. Lawrence Wimberly Wall was the architect. In 1898, the Rankin House, valued at $18,500, was the finest home in Columbus. After the Civil War, Mr. Rankin returned to Scotland and turned the home over to his eldest child, Mrs. Emma Jane Rankin Lockhart. Two of his sons, Edwin and John A. became prominent local businessmen. Granddaughters of James A. Rankin, Mrs. George Walden and Mrs. Albert Driver, lived in the home until the 1950´s.
SIDE 2: The Rankin House
Miss Emily Woodruff donated the house to the Historic Columbus Foundation, Inc. as a memorial to her father, James Waldo Woodruff, Sr. The courtyard is a memorial to Charlie Frank Williams, Sr. Restoration and furnishing were accomplished through the Foundation, the Junior League of Columbus and the Columbus Town Committee of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America. The fence formerly surrounded the Broadway townhouse of Civil War General Henry Lewis Benning.
Erected by the Historic Columbus Foundation, Inc.; Descendants of James A. Rankin; and the Historic Chattahoochee Commission, 2000
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.