The Glenn House was built in 1890 for Rev. Wilbur Fisk Glenn, a Methodist minister and alumnus of Emory University. Built in the architectural style of a Queen Anne Victorian, the Glenn House is one of the original “Grand Dames” of Inman Park. During the twentieth century, many non-historic changes were made such as the removal of the tower, decorative millwork, and some of the interior layout.

Rev. Glenn was born on April 5, 1839 in Jackson County, Georgia. He was the youngest child of ten born to Rev. John Walker and Mary Jones. Following in his father’s footsteps, Rev. Glenn joined the ministry and became a Methodist minister, practicing for over forty-four years.

Before his life as a minister in Atlanta, Rev. Glenn was a student, law professor and Confederate soldier in the American Civil War. In 1860, he joined the Rome Light Guard, which later became Company A, Eighth Georgia Regiment upon transfer to Richmond, Virginia. On furlough in 1865, Rev. Glenn visited his brother John Glenn, who at the time was teaching in Auburn, Alabama. It was there that he met Flora Harper, the daughter of George and Ann Harper and granddaughter of Judge John J. Harper, who was one of the first settlers of Auburn after the Treaty of Cusseta, which ceded all Creek Nation claims east of the Mississippi River to the United States.

On January 31, 1865, Rev. Glenn and Miss Harper married in the Methodist Church in Auburn. “Flora was dressed in an eight hundred dollar poplin of gray and lavender, and a hundred and fifty dollar pair of shoes. The large church was packed with eager spectators, citizens and soldiers to witness a war wedding.”-Rev. Glenn.

When we bought the Glenn House, we had yet to discover its rich history. Every other Friday, I will be sharing history of the Glenn family, the house, and the Inman Park Neighborhood.

Have a happy (and snowy) weekend!

Britton