Becky Shingler Anderson writes: This was the home of my great-grandfather, James Simon Shingler...Sarah M. Cook added: This is the Sparrow’s Nest. It was the Shingler’s home. They owned Shingler Heights, five blocks of residential buildings and one institutional building in Ashburn, which was constructed from 1895 to 1937…Its most elaborate structure is “Sparrow’s Nest,” built by local turpentine and agriculture entrepreneur, J.S. Shingler. Many of the homes in the historic district were built by Shingler’s relatives.
Shingler Heights Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 
I have the grandfather clock that was once in the front hall of the Sparrow’s Nest owned by my great grandfather, J.S. Shingler, Sr.
Im related to James Simon Shingler. That’s where I got my name. I visited Sparrow’s Nest as a child and I learned it was later sold to a NY Family who sold most of the furniture and fixtures. Once they gutted the house and made their profit they sold it. Im glad it has new proud owners. The cannon balls and statutes were magnificent additions to this Estate.
This is one of my favorite homes in Ashburn. My husband & I were married there in 2003, when my best friend & her husband owned it. They sold it soon after that. While they owned it, they renovated the kitchen & made it much larger by opening what had been a large pantry between the kitchen and dining room. One of my favorite things about this house is the attic; it is HUGE and makes up the entire 3rd floor. In the photo, you can see the small windows that open from the attic. It is completely framed in solid wood panels, floor to ceiling, just beautiful. Those windows open & you can look out over what used to be there an orchard property, but it has been sold off in lots now, and new houses are all around it. Another favorite feature is the crow’s nest in the back of the house. You go out a back door on the 2nd floor, up a couple flights of stairs, and into a small sun room, with windows all around. Two interesting features of this old house, which really dates it, are the narrow servant stairs behind the main staircase, and the butlers nook, which is a small ‘standing room only’ area adjacent to the dining room, behind which servers would stand and wait to be rang for during dinners. And of course, there was the famous mural painting on the ceiling in the right side parlor, of all the sparrows in flight, which gave the home it’s name of Sparrow’s Nest.
Does anyone live there now?
Yes ma’am. My family now owns the house.
i remember the cannon balls on the fence and the statues in the yard. I think they were stolen after no one lived there.
The cannon balls were actually taken down by the previous owners, and replaced with painted bowling balls. When my family moved in, we took the bowling balls down, and disposed of them.
I remember this beautiful old house when I use to live in Ashburn 69-75′.love your photos, just discovered your web site, very nice
It’s still beautiful but needs some work on it.
Yes. It was vacant for many years before my friends bought it. They sold to a couple with a young daughter. The husband passed away, but the lady still lives there.
Hi! I’m the daughter you mentioned! My mom and I still own the house, and we realize it needs a lot of work. My dad actually began to paint the house, dark pink of all colors, before he began chemo treatment. If anyone has any questions, or by chance has any of the original furniture, please contact me! My mom would LOVE to see it!