James Earl Carter, Sr. and his family moved into this middle-class rural dwelling as its second owners in 1928, six years after the home had been built. Heating was provided by fireplaces and wood stoves, and at first there was no running water and no electricity until 1938. Earl and Lillian Carter lived here with their four children, Jimmy, Gloria, Ruth, and Billy. Earl Carter sold the farm to T.R. Downer in 1949, and the Downer family owned the property until 1994, when the National Park Service purchased it. The home is restored to its 1930s appearance before it had electricity.