Move that house! Westville sets date for historic move to Columbus

It has been discussed and planned for several years, but Historic Westville is now ready to begin moving its many structures to Columbus for the ultimate reopening of the 1850s-era living history museum next year.

The tourist and educational attraction said Tuesday the Wells House will be the first building making the 35-mile journey from Lumpkin, Ga., to its future home off South Lumpkin Road near Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center.

The relocation is scheduled for May 1, a Monday, if the weather cooperates, according to Darby Britto, Historic Westville’s public relations and marketing director. The route will include U.S. Highway 27 through Fort Benning to Columbus, with a left turn onto Fort Benning Road, right onto Torch Hill Road, then left onto South Lumpkin. No time of arrival has been set yet.

Those viewing the move along the way are advised to do so from parking lots along the route, Britto said. Historic Westville also will be broadcasting live via Facebook as the home enters Columbus, she said.

The Wells House itself dates to the early 1800s and is actually a log cabin inside with a shed. It is believed to have been constructed and lived in originally by Yuchi Indians, according to the living history museum. The Wells family later added on to the structure and occupied the house for more than 100 years.

The village of Westville opened in 1966, with it receiving various buildings from Jonesboro, Ga. The collection has grown to nearly three dozen structures, which will now be relocated from just over 80 acres in Lumpkin to about 35 acres off South Lumpkin Road. The cost of the move, funded by a capital campaign, is $9.5 million. The attraction is shooting to open by late 2018.

Being developed in four phases, Historic Westville in Columbus will include the traditional 1850s-era village, a Creek Indian settlement, a rural plantation farm, a frontier settlement, and an interpretive center to include entertainment.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Move that house! Westville sets date for historic move to Columbus."