St. Joseph's Rectory
Marietta, GA
The Rectory of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church was originally built in 1852 as the home of John George Campbell (1826 – 1900), a publisher in the 1850s and later a grocer and merchant. Campbell also built the first street, aptly named Campbell Hill Street, and the house has been known locally as the Campbell Hill or Sugar Hill house.
During the Civil War, It is reported that Sugar Hill was used as a field hospital as well as a Confederate signal station, and was practically destroyed in 1864 when Sherman’s troops began to vacate the area. Although the sturdy masonry structure was gutted, it was quickly restored and continued to house the Campbell family into the 1930’s. It was then sold to the Suhr family of Ohio, who renovated and added the two side wings. Sugar Hill was subsequently sold to the church in 1952 and was reportedly used as a convent, a parish space and finally the rectory.
In late 2022, a frozen water pipe eventually led to a harmful mold situation which, coupled with the extensive asbestos present, prompted the decision to raze the house and rebuild the rectory on an adjacent lot. However, subsequent to the asbestos abatement we were able to reclaim many beautiful elements thanks to the suggestion by the new building’s architect, Mike Boland of Smith Boland Architects, to call us for recovering the salvageable components.
