This gothic revival/folk vernacular home was built facing the railroad about 1855. During the Civil War years in 1862, the Great Locomotive Chase passed by the house as it chugged through Dalton. In the winter of 1863-64, General Joseph E. Johnston, commander of the Army of the Tennessee, located his headquarters in the home as he regrouped the 40,000 troops who were wintering in the Dalton area and preparing for what we now know as the Atlanta Campaign. Here, in the dining room, General Patrick Cleburne proposed to officers the arming of slaves in the manpower shortage facing the Confederacy. This proposal was disregarded until very late in the War.
Mrs. Lida E. Huff bought the house in 1890 and soon afterwards had the home turned around so that, along with newer homes, it would face Selvidge Street. This was accomplished by placing the house on a log turnstile powered by mules, a process taking two weeks while the family still lived in the home. The home, noted to be the active social center in Dalton of three school teachers and their families, stayed in the Huff family until the death of the last daughter in 1971. These educators were well known in the community.
The Huff House Committee has been working actively since early 2014 to rehabilitate the home, keeping its charming features and history, and repurposing it once again to be welcoming "home" for many types of social and business events: parties, meetings, and weddings. Furnishings appropriate to the 1855 to 1971 long era bring warmth, comfort and delight to visitors. An exciting display of railroad memorabilia and working model trains fills upstairs rooms. The adjacent Davis home is to be renovated for a Civil War research center housing many resources, displaying authentic Civil War artifacts and telling the story of the Civil War's significance in Dalton and its resulting devastation.
Parts of the home, the meeting space, the living spaces, or the entire facility, are available for rental by calling or emailing the Huff House and leaving a message for the committee. The phone number is 706-529-8082 and email address is huffhouse314@gmail.com
