William Carr was born in Columbia County, Georgia, to a prominent plantation-owning family. In the early 1800s, Carr purchased 900 acres in Athens (named Carr’s Hill), near downtown and the North Oconee River. There he built a home, a textile factory, and Saint Mary’s Episcopal Chapel. Pictured here with one of his daughters, he has his hand tucked into his waistcoat. This common nineteenth-century pose indicates strength and leadership.