|
|
HISTORY
Original Owners: Doctor Thomas and Mary Hoxey lived in Columbus as early as 1833. He was a man of culture and refinement and also a soldier leading an expedition against the Indians in 1836. During 1839 he organized the Columbus Lyceum Society, dedicated to the entertainment and interest of the people. Dr. Hoxey was a pioneer leader in a very young Columbus. He served for many years as the City Physician and he served as the President on the Board of Health, being compensated only $200 dollars per year for his services.
Doctor Hoxey also was a landowner and Planter raising cotton. An excerpt from the book Columbus, Georgia, 1827 to 1865, compiled by John H. Martin, states that "the first bale of new cotton was brought in on the 16th of August (1839) by Doctor Thos. Hoxey, and sold to Terry and Moody for 12 cents".
Thomas and Mary had a son, Dr. John J.B. Hoxey who also was active as a city leader. He served as the commander of 38 men, styled the "Coon Hunters", who traveled to the Texas Army in 1842 in support of President Houston in his fight against Mexican Leader Santa Anna. J.J. B. Hoxey also served as an officer on the City's Board of Health and served as a City Physician. He died while serving as a City Physician from cholera morbus caused by eating bad oysters, in 1852.
Thomas passed away in August 1856 and Mary passed away in 1860.
Subsequent Owners and use:
1872---Augustus M. Allen, Family Dwelling
1879---Sally Allen, Family Dwelling
1893---Emily C. McDougal (noted Georgia Suffragist), Family Dwelling
1895---Duncan McDougal, Family Dwelling
1899---Lavinia and Corrine deLaunay, Family Dwelling
1920---Miss Mozelle deLaunay Worsley, Family Dwelling
1935---Lloyd Bowers, rental as family dwelling until 1945---Offices and Apartments
1985---Howe D. Whitman, Vacant, Fire Damaged
1986---Historic Columbus Foundation, Vacant, Preservation Project and Boarded up
1995---Major Brian T. Luedtke, Family Dwelling, Restoration and Renovations
The Lion House served as a family dwelling for many years as it passed through families in Columbus. In 1935 Lloyd Bowers purchased the property and used it as a rental home in which the Cargill Family lived. The last surviving member of the Cargill family who lived in this house is Louisa Clinkscales. She was married in the double parlors of this house in March 1940 to Crawford Clinckscales. She is a lovely woman and has shared many of her wedding photos, taken in this house
In the 1940's the house was converted into apartments and offices. It served as office space for the School District in the early 50’s, as a women’s modeling school, and some piano recitals were heard in the double parlors. The area around the Lion House was falling to commercial progress in the downtown area and many of the grand homes succumbed to progress and were destroyed. The Lion House remained somewhat by accident. The Bowers family continued to own the house despite the fact that the property was worth more monetarily as a commercial plot rather than as a residential dwelling.
The house suffered the worst abuse in the 1960’s until 1985 when it served as apartments in a deteriorating downtown. The house became known as a "pimp house". Many police reports were taken here. Drugs and vagrants dominated the area and the house fell into disrepair. Interior doors had been kicked in, windows broken walls damaged and the banister on the grand circular staircase was destroyed. Termites were using the house as a smorgasbord and did significant damage to the main structure.
A policeman, who served as a rookie cop 1977, said he reported to the house on a call of a man being killed when he fell out of an upstairs window. He was apparently trying to get away from a pimp (after refusing to pay for services rendered). He locked himself in the bathroom in the upstairs southwest room and attempted to use a lamp extension cord to scale out of the window. The cord broke and so did this guys’ neck.
Howe Whitman, the owner of the hotel adjacent to the Lion House told me that the problems were so bad that residents were afraid to stay at his hotel. So, in 1985, he bought the property from Llyod Bowers out of self-defense, and vacated the property, using it as storage for hotel furniture. The house was not well secured though, and vagrants apparently entered the house and set it on fire in October 1986. Damage to the roof was the most significant. Rain and weather came in.
The Historic Columbus Foundation, understanding the significance the Lion House has architecturally and historically, acquired the property in December, 1986 and set out to do a preservation project on the building. They had the roof repaired, fire damage removed, windows repaired, paint, and they secured the property from further damage. They held on to the property in search of a sympathetic owner who would restore the property. It took them almost nine years. I made an offer on the property in December 1994 that the Board of Directors accepted and I took possession on February 3, 1995.
I spent 18 months preparing the house for basic occupancy. I was able to move into the upstairs rooms in September 1996. I have since been working my way down in the restoration process. There are three finished bathrooms, a fine kitchen, a living room, three bedrooms, and an office. The grand hall and the double parlors are yet to be finished.
My restorations of the exterior include a 100% repair and repainting of the crown moldings, the exterior walls, including stucco of the front façade and the brick on the above ground basement. The columns have been completely restored as well as the entrance to the front door.