Lyon Farm

Tucked away at the dead end of a narrow road in Stonecrest, Georgia (within the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area), the Lyon Farm is a rare, preserved example of a working 19th-century Georgia farm. Because the property was inhabited by the same family from the 1820s until 2006 and is now protected county land, it lacks the manicured, “tourist” feel of many historic sites, offering instead a weathered, authentic texture perfect for period pieces.

The centerpiece is the main farmhouse, which began as a log cabin in the 1820s and was expanded in 1853 and 1893. It features a clapboard exterior, a tin roof, and a distinct vernacular layout. The house sits on a rise overlooking open fields and dense woodlands. The surrounding grounds include a cluster of rustic outbuildings, including a reconstructed smokehouse and a vintage grape arbor, creating a 360-degree shootable environment for rural scenes ranging from the Civil War era to the Great Depression.

Key Visual Features

• The Farmhouse: Weathered white clapboard exterior with a front porch and granite foundation stones. The structure has a “haunted” or “abandoned” beauty that can be dressed up or down.
• Outbuildings: Includes a historic log smokehouse (recently restored) and other wooden agricultural sheds that provide excellent texture for background framing.
• The Grounds: Over 100 acres of open grassy fields and forest edges.
• Muscadine Arbor: An aged, twisting grape arbor located near the house.
• Granite Outcroppings: Distinctive gray granite rocks scattered through the landscape (characteristic of the Arabia Mountain area).Isolation: The property is at a dead end with no modern power lines, streetlights, or neighboring subdivisions visible from the main house, allowing for wide exterior shots without costly VFX cleanup.

Production Logistics & Specs

• Access: The location is at the end of a narrow, paved two-lane road (Lyons Rd) that turns into a gravel service entrance.
• Parking: No formal paved lot. Base camp and crew parking are typically handled on the grass fields or along the dead-end access road (requires coordinating with Unit/Transport).
• Interiors: The interior of the home is stabilized but unfurnished/stripped (check current status for specific art dept. needs). It is primarily an exterior location.
• Noise: Extremely quiet. Located deep in a nature preserve buffer zone away from highway traffic.
• Permitting: Property is owned by DeKalb County (Watershed Management) and managed in partnership with the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance. Permitting goes through the DeKalb Entertainment Commission.