This Greek Revival house was built by Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph Jeremiah Prather about 1854. It is a classic example of perhaps
the most favored architectural style of the antebellum era, and notable
exteriorly for its boxed columns, low wrap-around porch, and small
veranda with decorative balustrade overhanging the approach to the main
doors.
Riverside had a brief, but noteworthy, role in Confederate history. In
April of 1865 General (and first Confederate Secretary of State) Robert
Toombs sought refuge at Riverside when pursued by the Union Army. His
arrest had been ordered after the assassination of Lincoln, as had that
of other high-ranking Confederate officials, including Judah Benjamin,
Alexander Stephens, and President Jefferson Davis.
Gen. Toombs had been at Riverside between one and two weeks when
awakened from a nap on the upstairs veranda one afternoon by the sound
of hoofbeats on the wooden bridge leading up to the house. It was
already too late to reach the stables, saddle Alice Grey, and ride
away. Thinking quickly, the General donned nightdress and cap belonging
to Sarah Jarratt Prather (Mrs. Joseph J.) and hid in a bedroom closet.
Most unusually for the time, and most fortuitously for the General,
Riverside actually did have closets. (They were considered a room, and
property taxes were often based upon the number of rooms in a dwelling.)
Toombs waited in the closet, pistols ready, determined to take out as
many Yankees as possible before he was captured or killed. He was never
discovered, most likely because the closet door was mistaken for a
connecting door to the next room.
General Toombs left Riverside shortly thereafter, and made his way out
of the country, remaining in exile for two years. He returned in 1867,
and was eventually asked by Senator Oliver Morton why he had not asked
for a pardon. In response Toombs exploded with one of his most famous
statements: "Pardon for what? I have not pardoned you all yet!"
The War interrupted life at Riverside only temporarily, and Joseph J.
and Sarah Prather finished raising their family there. Miss Toccoa
Prather (daughter of Joseph J. and Sarah, named for Toccoa Falls or
Toccoa Creek) is said to have died on the eve of her wedding and to
have been buried wearing her wedding dress in the family cemetery on
the grounds at Riverside. The estate is still in the hands of
descendants of her brother, and remains a private residence, but is
occasionally opened for special events. In 1990, because of its
historic significance, Riverside was selected as the site of ceremonies
reactivating the Currahee Rangers Camp #935, Sons of Confederate
Veterans.
Source:
?Riverside?.
