Heritage of Beachton Place

BEACHTON PLACE was developed by Leonard R. Wells, Jr., Myrtice Tyson, Tommy Wells and Richard Wells, the children of Leonard and Margaret Wells and Billy and Lillie Mae Wells. This partnership expanded from a 42 year business association of the brothers Leonard and Billy. Leonard and Margaret resided at BEACHTON PLACE from October 30, 1939 until January 26, 1989. Its rich history, however, began in 1814.

Originally part of the Creek Indian Territory in 1814, this area was signed away by the Creeks in the Treaty of Fort Jackson as was most of their lands in Alabama and South Georgia. Subsequently, on December 15, 1818, the Georgia Legislature passed an act of dividing the land into first three counties (Appling, Irvin and Early) and later into eleven additional counties, which evolved from Early County’s subdivision. Grady County emerged from this latter portioning as did Baker, Calhoun. Decatur, Mitchell, Seminole, southern Clay and the western part of Thomas County.

With the land divided into counties, the legislature now turned to the Land Lottery as the system to decide ownership of the land in the new counties. The Justices of the Inferior Court of each of the other 39 counties in Georgia submitted to the governor the names of all persons eligible for such a lottery. Milledgeville, the state capital, became the scene for the drawing of lots in 1820. The process lasted several weeks. The land had previously been divided into lots, each of which was given a number. These lot numbers were then placed in a barrel. However, since there were more people who wanted land than there was land available, additional blank “land lots” were placed in the “Land Lot Barrels” so that not all people in the lottery were guaranteed land lots. First, a name would be drawn, then a “lot” number or “blank” would be drawn. When the lot number was drawn, the new owner was entitled to that particular land lot upon the payment of a grant fee of $18.00. The land was held for him until 1840 or until the fee was paid. If the fee was not paid, the land reverted to the State and could be bought by other lottery persons.

BEACHTON PLACE was part of the 250 acres in lot #373 drawn by Issac Walsh of Jones County, Georgia. Though Walsh was the initial owner, detailed records of ownership of BEACHTON PLACE are available and verifiable since 1820. In fact, the name BEACHTON was traced to Septimus W. Beach, who in 1894 purchased the present property known as BEACHTON PLACE from Benjamin Curtis. The BEACHTON PLACE roadways are named in honor of the previous owners.

BEACHTON PLACE residential development honors its previous immediate owners, Leonard and Margaret Wells. They loved and owned this serene wooded acreage for 50 years. Hunting was not allowed on the property, which became a sanctuary for deer, turkey, birds and other wildlife. Two ponds on the property have been incorporated into the present ten acre Wells Lake. Margaret and Leonard Wells’ love and preservation of their land were key components in the protective covenant agreement for BEACHTON PLACE.