Simply Southern Living

Tour of the Old Home Place Village

By SELENA MADDOX

Wayne and Ann Sims has recreated an old country village 

beside their Hickory Flat home in Canton, Georgia. 

(Photo by Selena Maddox)

CANTON, Ga. – A Hickory Flat couple has a unique hobby that takes up most of their front and backyard.

Just off of Sugar Pike Road in Canton, Georgia, Wayne and Ann Sims’ farm house sits next to their replica of an old country village.  

Since he was physically born there, Wayne Sims’ property has been a part his family since 1892.  The village is named the Old Home Place Village and people from all over the area come to tour the unusual structure.  The Sims enjoy educating visitors about the history of the village and explaining how people lived in the old days.

“We wanted to retain local history and be able to show people how [life] was starting back in the late 1800s to the end of World War II,” says Wayne Sims.

Buildings Apart of Village

The village is home to the school house, the teacher’s house, corn crib, smoke house, outhouse, wash house, chicken coop, barn, still house, blacksmith shop, general store, chapel and jail house. Some of the buildings were physically torn down, moved to their home and reassembled.  And the others were built from scratch using rough lumber.  A friend, Hal Banks, helped restore and build all their buildings.

“He is a master carpenter,” says Ann Sims.

All the buildings are fully furnished with antique furniture, appliances, tools, knickknacks and artwork.  Some of the items in the buildings belonged to Wayne Sims’ family.  The Sims also love to go to antique shops, yard sales and other shops to find treasures to add in the village.

Events Hosted at the Village

Some of the events that the Sims hosts in the village include cookouts and get-togethers, weddings, school and individual tours. 
When the local elementary school visits, Ann Sims dresses up in an old timey dress and acts like the old school teacher. 

Wayne Sims enjoys talking to the children about the blacksmith shop and the general store.  He shows them how the blacksmith would use the tools inside the building. 

There are also a variety of farm animals located throughout the village.  Ann Sims says that the children love to pet the goats, watch the chickens and see her beloved rabbit. 

Awards the Village Received

The Cherokee County Historical Society awarded the Sims’ village, in 2009, the Historical Site Award. 

In 2012, the Sims’ village also won the Carter and Elizabeth Browning Award.  Carter Browning was a school principal for many years at Hickory Flat Elementary School and the award is in honor of him as well as his wife.

“It is recognition for individuals who contribute to the betterment of the community,” says Wayne Sims.

The Sims just finished adding a community jail house onto the general store.  The jail house sits next to the chapel with a road running between them.  The road’s name is Choice Road.

“Your life can be in the jail or your life can be with God,” says Ann Sims.

The couple spends most of their time planting flowers around the village, collecting antiques, looking after animals and making sure the buildings are in great condition.  Wayne Sims says has no plans for adding onto the village in the near future.