John Addison Cobb laid out 80 lots on his land in 1834 for a speculative development characterized as a “town in the woods.” In the antebellum period, wealthy Athenians built suburban villas on its expansive lots, but, by the time of the Civil War, lots became smaller, prompting many cottage-type homes. In addition to houses, several important institutional buildings were erected in the neighborhood, most especially academies to serve the children of Athens’s gentry, many of whom lived in Cobbham. The earliest was the Lucy Cobb Institute, a female academy founded in 1858. Another was the Athens Academy on Meigs Street, founded in 1886. After World War II, Cobbham underwent a transition, with many houses being purchased by speculators who subdivided the large homes into student apartments. Institutional intrusions on both ends of Cobbham caused the demolition of several homes and threatened others. History professor and preservation activist Phinizy Spalding was instrumental in a grassroots effort to protect Cobbham, ultimately achieved through its designation as a local historic district. Today Cobbham enjoys its place as one of the premier historic neighborhoods in Athens, and it contains some of the finest examples of Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Second Empire architecture in the Classic City. This tour will last approximately 2½ hours.
Your tour guide; Milton Leathers’ ties in Cobbham run deep. He is descended from Virginian John Cobb, who first purchased land in the Athens area in 1792. His father grew up in Cobbham, and Leathers lived in the Hill Street home built by his great-great-grandparents, Confederate General Howell and Mary Ann Lamar Cobb. Leathers is a consummate story-teller, and he traces his interest in Athens history to many years spent listening to the stories of his grandmother, Camilla McWhorter (Mrs. Andrew Cobb) Erwin. A graduate of Western Carolina University, Leathers’ varied career includes service as a Russian translator in the U. S. Army, as a teacher on Oahu, as president of L. M. Leathers & Sons and Erwin & Co., Inc. and, upon retirement, as an English teacher in China. He is former chairman of the Historic Cobbham Foundation, past president of the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation, and a former board member of the Athens Historical Society.
