Milledgeville and the Architecture of the South

One of my favorite reads, Style Court, had a wonderful post recently about the little town of Milledgeville, GA, and upcoming exhibits at Georgia College. I visited Milledgeville earlier this summer, and the town itself is a carefully staged exhibition: row upon row of columned homes, framed in brick walks and languid trees. Just about an hour South of metro Atlanta, it's worth a day trip when you're next in the South's megalopolis. Be sure to take your camera.

Map, here. Visit my post on Milledgeville for more pictures and history.

P.S. While in Milledgeville be sure to visit Flannery O'Connor's Andalusia. Read about the history of her farm and home here.

All images, my own. Do not copy without permission.

And Now, We Fantasy Shop for Real Estate

One of the most exciting websites in the world for an historian-turned-house-shopper is Historic Properties. They feature homes from across the country, some older than the country. The cut-off year is 1957, so don't bother with visiting if you're one of those people who adores their maintenance-free condo. The finds are amazing (and the prices can be too). I once discovered an entire Founding-Fathers era Virginia PLANTATION for sale (we're talking redcoats wandering the pastures here). With several thousand acres, a horse barn, and an elegantly rotted main house with woodwork dating back to the 1700s, the price to renovate would have been ruinious, but I still dream about it.

Anyway, it's not all hard work. Most of the homes are in fabulous condition,

like this 1820 lemon-yellow colonial, off Long Island Sound, with all the trimmings...

...including a private dock and this fabulous view. $995,000.

Here's a Georgian Federal, in Milledgeville, GA, circa 1822. It's so special it even has a (unpronouncable) name: The Williams-Orme-Crawford-Sallee House.

The entry hall - look at the stair and woodwork. So much could be done with this place!

The house has been in the same family since 1836, and it is in stunning condition. And - STEAL ALERT! - it's only $365,000! (To see more of the gorgeous homes in historic Milledgeville, click here.)

Moving from colonial to antebellum, here's a gorgeous 1837 home that was featured in the magazines Antiques and Southern Living, and also on HGTV! (Not hard to see why.)

The interiors are stunning. Located in Columbus, MS, it's on the block for $1,125,000.

Finally, a darling gingerbread Victorian (Victorians are like cakes: the more icing the better) in New Haven, CT. Built in 1869, this home also comes with it's own title: the Herbert Barnes House (feel free to tack your own name on the end!). $525,000.

All images, Historic Properties.

Southern Architecture

Last week I spent a wonderful day in Milledgeville, Georgia touring and photographing the exquisite homes there. Every ONE was a beauty! My dream is to live in a wonderful historic Southern home, elegantly restored (and with air conditioning added, my dears. Mustn't take the whole historic thing TOO far). Anyway, it certainly made for a lovely day. Come along for the tour!

This exquisite home near the old Governor's Mansion has 14 columns - wrapping around three sides. The story in town is that it was built to surpass a home down the street with a pathetic 12 columns.

On the same square as the Governor's Mansion, this home belongs to Flannery O'Conner's cousin, and Flannery lived here for a little while before taking up residence at the family farm, Andalusia (you can read about my visit here).

A lovely home downtown.

The Bell-Martin home, ca. 1898.

Another beauty - I love the symmetry of the upstairs/downstairs doors with fan work.

Isn't this doorway exquisite? And it leads into the interior of my very favorite home of the day...

...THIS one. I love colonial AND plantation architecture, and this house is jackpot! I get my columns and my brick! The symmetry is wonderful, and the house goes on forever - it's half a block, with a beautiful carriage house out back. Anyone want to give me an interest-free loan?

This classic home (note the ionic columns) hasn't been well cared for, but at least it's still in use. Currently, it's a law office.

The old Governor's Mansion; Milledgeville was once the capitol of Georgia. During the Civil War, Sherman spent the night in this mansion. Old Governor Brown got word that Sherman was on his way, and he'd heard about the general's reputation for "light fingers" when visiting. He promptly packed up every stick of furniture and scrap of cloth in the house and shipped the whole lot to Macon. Thanks to his foresight, much of the furniture is still in the State's possession today. Sherman had to sleep in the dining room on a palette extended between two sawhorses.

An imposing edifice forms the entrance to the Governor's Mansion.

These are all my original photos; please email to request permission to use them! Thank you.

For more details on Southern architectural styles, visit my recommended reading list for a copy of A Field Guide to American Houses - an excellent layman's guide to American architecture.

The Southern Literary Trail

Artist Christopher Stott, Pear With Books

Susan, of the blog A Southern Daydreamer Reads, has begun a summer reading challenge in the blogosphere. I'm game! 

Earlier this summer, I visited Flannery O'Conner's home, Andalusia, as well as Margaret Mitchell's Atlanta apartment, where she wrote Gone With The Wind. Both are part of the Southern Literary Trail, a special event this year celebrating classic Southern writers in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The Trail got me thinking - there are so many great Southern writers I either haven't read, or haven't read much of - if I can't TRAVEL the Trail, why not READ my way through the Trail? Now, there are too many great Southern authors to read everyone (or everything they wrote), but I've selected a few for my own challenge. I'm off on the Trail! Here's my route:

1) Mud on the Stars, William Bradford Huie (Hartselle, Alabama)

2) The Complete Short Stories, Truman Capote (Monroeville, Alabama)

3) A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O'Conner (Milledgeville, GA)

4) The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison (Tuskegee, AL)

5) The Collected Plays, Lillian Hellman (Demopolis, Alabama)

6) As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner (Oxford, MS)

7) The Moviegoer, Walker Percy (Greenville, MS)

8) The Golden Apples, Eudora Welty (Columbus, MS)

9) The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams (Columbus, MS)

10) The Beautiful and Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald (Montgomery, AL)

Caveat: this list is subject to change, based on whimsy. I may switch the works around a little... but I have until September 21st, when the challenge ends, to figure it out! 

Flannery O'Connor's Andalusia

I had the wonderful experience of visiting Flannery O'Connor's home, Andalusia, not too long ago. Through a friend, I was able to take a private tour of the house and grounds, and it was a wonderful experience. The house has only very recently begun restoration, thanks to the Andalusia Foundation (which could use a donation or two, if you're feeling generous). Visiting the farm is a rare opportunity to experience a gifted writer's home environment. 

The Farmhouse. Andalusia was a former plantation, situated on 544 acres. It wasn't the O'Connor's plantation however - they didn't acquire it until many years later. Flannery lived and wrote here, with her mother, and they ran the farm as a dairy operation. This is the original plantation house - not very grand, but then most weren't, in spite of Gone With The Wind's depictions.

A view of the porch - doesn't it look inviting?

Flannery loved the farm and animals, most especially her peacocks and peahens. She wrote essays about them, as a matter of fact. She special ordered her first peacocks from Florida after reading an ad in a newspaper. The first little family of peacocks eventually grew into a hundred - and they could be heard all hours of the day or night, crying in their rather unpleasant, rasping voices. 

Flannery's bedroom. Flannery left the South for the prestigious Iowa Writer's Program at the University of Iowa, where she excelled. She later moved to New York, but after contracting Lupus was forced to return home. Flannery's bedroom is the former parlor, on the main level of the house. She moved here when it became too difficult for her to use the stairs. Note the crutches - Flannery's - leaning against the bookcase. While the typewriter is a prop, the desk is where she wrote each day. I thought it was interesting how structured the room was. There are only three colors: blue, white, and the dark wood furniture.

The dining room. This room was directly across from Flannery's bedroom, on the main floor of the house. She and her mother sewed the curtains themselves. I loved the feel of this room. It's just very natural, very Southern. 

Flannery's church, in Milledgeville. She attended Mass here almost every day. Her faith is a prevalent and sometimes unusual theme in her writing. Flannery finally succumbed to Lupus, dying at age 39.

A childhood note - Flannery's sense of humor was apparent at an early age. Flannery augmented the title of this book to read:  "The Adventure of a Brownie ...is not very good."

All images, my own. Please email me to request permission for use!