Built by John Hamilton in 1840, the Hamilton House is the oldest brick home in Dalton and actually predates the formation of the city of Dalton (1847).

John Hamilton was civil engineer from White Plains, New York. John left New York and traveled to Kingston, Tennessee where he met Rachel. The couple were soon married and after spending five years in Tennessee, moved to Northwest Georgia. John and Rachel purchased the land that the house now sits on from Absolum Holcomb who had purchased the property during the Cherokee Land Lottery. The land previously belonged to a Cherokee native named Red Bird who was killed after being thrown from his horse racing down what is today known as Thornton Avenue.

As a civil engineer, John would work on the culverts for the railroad that would soon connect Chattanooga to Atlanta. In addition to his service with the railroad, John would run a large plantation and serve as judge on the Inferior Court during the formation of Whitfield County.

During the winter of 1863 and 1864, Confederate General, Joseph H. Lewis, commander of the Kentucky Orphan Brigade, made camp next to a spring located near the Hamilton House. Hamilton’s wife, Rachel, had been sent to Middle Georgia.

Rachel Hamilton died in 1876, and by 1884 the house was sold to the Crown Cotton Mill Company to house the companies superintendent. The home was occupied by three different families from 1904 until 1983, including famous Poet, Robert Lovemen, who wrote several of his poems in the home. 

In 1997 the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society purchased the home and placed it on the National Register of Historical Places. Today, the house stands as a museum displaying items related to the textile industry, as well as notable figures from Dalton, including Robert Loveman.

The Hamilton House is open for tours every Friday from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. and is also available for event rentals. To take a tour, or to rent the Hamilton House for an event, contact the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society at 706 278-0217 or by email at wmhs@optilink.us. 

Tours open Fridays 10AM-4PM
Small Admission for Guided Tours