Arson blamed for fire that destroyed historic home on Georgia plantation site

Authorities person charged a antheral with starting a occurrence that destroyed a astir century-old location connected the tract of a erstwhile atom plantation successful coastal Georgia

DARIEN, Ga. -- A antheral has been charged with starting a occurrence that destroyed a astir century-old location connected the tract of a coastal Georgia atom plantation that's associated with the largest enslaved auction successful U.S. history, authorities said Friday.

Firefighters raced to the Huston House successful McIntosh County connected Wednesday aft fume was seen billowing from the spacious achromatic farmhouse. But flames wholly destroyed the home, built successful 1927 by erstwhile New York Yankees co-owner T.L. Huston.

Witnesses described a antheral they spotted leaving the location aft the occurrence began, and a sheriff's lawman detained a fishy fitting that description, McIntosh County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Ward said successful a quality merchandise Friday. He said the 33-year-old antheral had items taken from the location and was charged with arson, theft and different crimes aft being questioned by investigators.

Long earlier Huston built a location there, the tract had spent decades arsenic a atom plantation earlier the Civil War. In 1859, proprietor Pierce Mease Butler infamously took much than 400 enslaved radical to Savannah and sold them successful what's considered the largest enslaved auction successful U.S. history. Held amid a torrential downpour, the merchantability became known arsenic the Weeping Time.

By the clip of the fire, the Huston House and the surrounding spot were owned by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The location was unoccupied and had fallen into disrepair.

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation included the location connected its 2019 database of Georgia's astir threatened historical sites.

“Despite the site’s relation with a hard play successful the past of our state, the spot is nevertheless an important historical assets that allows america to archer Georgia’s afloat and implicit story," W. Wright Mitchell, the Georgia Trust's president and CEO, said successful a quality release. "Unfortunately, erstwhile historical buildings are allowed to beryllium vacant and neglected for agelong periods of time, occurrence is not uncommon.”