The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

DID YOU KNOW? The Cedars, a historic house in Milledgeville,...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:00:49 -0400

DID YOU KNOW? The Cedars, a historic house in Milledgeville, Georgia, built in 1822, is an example of the unique “Milledgeville Federal” architectural style. The house features a cantilevered balcony, inverted flute Ionic columns, and inside, a “floating” staircase and a hand-carved mantel. (Also, is it just us, or does this house look like it has a mustache?)

You can see this amazing house during our Spring Ramble, April 26-28. Join us as we tour the many historic gems of Milledgeville! The Cedars will be open to Ramblers on Friday, April 26.

Want to Ramble with us? Click here.

DID YOU KNOW? St. Stephens Church in Milledgeville, Georgia, was...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:01:49 -0400

DID YOU KNOW? St. Stephens Church in Milledgeville, Georgia, was constructed in 1843 in the Carpenter Gothic style. Episcopal churches were often targeted by Union troops, and St. Stephens did not escape devastation during General William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea. On November 11, 1864, the pews were burned for firewood, horses were stabled in the sanctuary, the roof was blown off in an explosion, and soldiers poured molasses down the pipes of the organ. However, the building was repaired and still stands today.

You can tour St. Stephens Church and other historic sites of Milledgeville during our 2013 Spring Ramble from April 26-28. St. Stephens will be open on Friday, April 26.

Click here to register for our Spring Ramble.

Every old house has a story to tell. Imagine finding a historic...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:01:00 -0400

Every old house has a story to tell. Imagine finding a historic photograph of your house like this one! Learn how to unlock the clues to your home’s history at our inaugural Home Owners Workshop on Saturday, May 4 at Rhodes Hall. Elaine DeNiro, archivist of the Roswell Historical Society and the City of Roswell Research Library and Archives will show you how to be the ultimate do-it-yourself detective when it comes to researching your house’s history.

Click here for more info about our Home Owners Workshop.

(Photo courtesy of Vanishing Georgia)

DID YOU KNOW? The Stetson-Sanford House, built in 1825 by noted...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:01:18 -0400

DID YOU KNOW? The Stetson-Sanford House, built in 1825 by noted architect John Marlor in the “Milledgeville Federal Style,” served as the headquarters for Georgia’s Whig Party from 1839 to 1847. At the time, Milledgeville was the political heart and state capital of Georgia. Initially used as a personal residence by George Brown, the Stetson-Sanford House was converted into a political inn and tavern called The State’s Rights Hotel in 1837. The State’s Rights Hotel served as a meeting place for Georgia legislators and hosted numerous conventions for Georgia’s Whig Party, as well as the inauguration celebration of Governor George W. Crawford, Georgia’s only Whig Party governor. In 1840, it was temporarily re-named the Anti-Van Buren State’s Rights Hotel in support of the Whig Party presidential candidate William Henry Harrison. By the late 1840s, the popularity of the Whig Party declined as the Democratic Party grew in prominence. The State’s Rights Hotel closed in 1847, and was sold to Daniel Stetson in 1855 for use as a private residence.

Tour this intriguing house during our Spring Ramble to Milledgeville from April 26-28. The Stetson-Sanford House will be open on Friday, April 26.

Click here to learn more about our Spring Ramble.

Lordy, lordy, The Georgia Trust is turning forty! That’s...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:31:47 -0400

Lordy, lordy, The Georgia Trust is turning forty! That’s right, 40 years ago on April 12, 1973, during the preservation conference in Macon, The Georgia Trust was formally organized. The photograph above shows some of the original founders with Jimmy Carter.

From left to right: Mary Gregory Jewett, John Waters, William R. Mitchell, Jr., Governor Jimmy Carter, Marguerite Williams

Downtown Buford, Georgia, matters to Natalie Cooper. She says,...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:58:00 -0400

Downtown Buford, Georgia, matters to Natalie Cooper. She says, “The beautiful old buildings, the faded paint on the sides of them; the old Bona Allen ballpark with its lights from the 30s; the large tannery overlooking the rest of the city; the city cemetery full of my ancestors and people that made this town great—well, it was magical to me.”

Buford began as a railroad town. After the Civil War, construction began on a railroad linking Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina. Thomas Garner and Larkin Smith owned stock in the railroad and so bought property and divided it up into lots, creating the town of Buford. The town was named after Algernon S. Buford, President of the Atlanta & Richmond Railroad.

What historic places in Georgia matter to you? Send your stories and photographs to thisplacematters@georgiatrust.org and we will highlight one!

Taking some time to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:08:21 -0400

Taking some time to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today.

“I may not get there with you but I want you to know that we as a people will get to the promised land.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mountaintop speech, April 3, 1968, Memphis.

(Photograph by Rachel Barnhart)

U.S. Route 17 matters to Cole Whitworth. Also known as the...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:39:00 -0400

U.S. Route 17 matters to Cole Whitworth. Also known as the “Gateway to Historic Brunswick and The Golden Isles,” U.S. Route 17 runs north-south near the Atlantic Ocean and has open views to the marshlands and 1950s motor hotels dotting the landscape. Once a heavily traveled thoroughfare for vacationing motorists, the structures along U.S Route 17 became neglected and fell into disrepair after the opening of Interstate 95, which rerouted automobile traffic. Cole Whitworth’s haunting pictures of the abandoned buildings of U.S. Route 17 encourage a dialogue about how to revitalize this historic corridor, which was included on The Georgia Trust’s 2006 Places in Peril list.

The photographs above were taken by Cole Whitworth. To view more of his work, visit http://www.colewhitworth.com/

What historic places in Georgia matter to you? Send us your stories and photographs at thisplacematters@georgiatrust.org and we will highlight one!

Great news! The historic Chattahoochee Park Pavilion, on our...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:39:03 -0400

Great news! The historic Chattahoochee Park Pavilion, on our Places in Peril list in 2012, has been restored. The Pavilion, part of an amusement park, was built at the turn of the previous century on the banks of what was then Lake Warner in Gainesville. When Lake Lanier was completed in the 1950s, all of the amusement park structures were covered by water except for the Chattahoochee Park Pavilion. The Pavilion had suffered from rotting timbers, but now it has been restored for everyone to enjoy!

Click here to read the article about the restoration of the Chattahoochee Park Pavilion.

Have you heard of the Secondary Industrial School in Columbus,...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:11:21 -0400

Have you heard of the Secondary Industrial School in Columbus, Georgia? This grand masonry building was constructed in 1906 in the Beaux Arts style. The school was built to further the education of the children of the area’s millworkers. When the school opened, it offered instruction in carpentry, blacksmithing, textiles, typewriting and other business skills, and was the first school in the nation to combine vocational and academic courses in a public school system.

The Secondary Industrial School was added to our Places in Peril list in 2012. Currently, the school is offered for sale by the Muscogee County School District. What compatible re-use can you imagine for this striking building?

We have good news to share! The Craigie House in Atlanta, on our...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:22:13 -0400

We have good news to share! The Craigie House in Atlanta, on our 2011 Places in Peril list, has been purchased for use as a private residence. The house was built in 1911 as the headquarters of the Georgia chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution. The new owners have said, “We look forward to being responsible for bringing it back … It was such a sad thing to drive by and see it continue to deteriorate.”

Click here to read the Atlanta Business Chronicle article about the sale.

DID YOU KNOW? This house is the 1890 childhood home of African...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:16:00 -0400

DID YOU KNOW? This house is the 1890 childhood home of African American education pioneer Sallie Ellis Davis, who taught African American children in Milledgeville. Davis received her teaching degree at Atlanta University in 1899, where she established a life-long friendship with W.E.B. DuBois. While she was a teacher, Davis boarded students at her home to support their education.

Come ramble with us to Milledgeville from April 26-28 to visit the Sallie Davis House and other historic sites!

Click here for more information about our Spring Ramble.

We’re so excited… it’s almost here. Our...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:12:00 -0400

We’re so excited… it’s almost here. Our Preservation Gala is tomorrow at Ivy Hall! We hope to see you there!

(Photo courtesy of SCAD)

Wow! This beautiful watercolor of Ivy Hall was made in 1884 by...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:00:00 -0400

Wow! This beautiful watercolor of Ivy Hall was made in 1884 by the house’s architect, Gottfried L. Norrman.

Ivy Hall was a wedding gift to Edward C. Peters by his father, real estate developer Richard Peters. Ivy Hall remained in the Peters family until 1970. It was threatened with demolition until the Victorian Society of America intervened. In 1973 it was remodeled and opened as the Mansion Restaurant, which operated until the late 1990s. It again stood empty and in 2000, it was severely damaged by fire. The Georgia Trust, the Trust for Public Land, and the Atlanta Preservation Center worked with the Atlanta Urban Design Commission to develop a plan that would allow development on the south and east side of the property while preserving the house and a portion of its original grounds. In 2005 owner S.D.H. Investment Corp. donated the house to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), which restored the house meticulously and reopened it as a writing center in 2007.

Our Preservation Gala will take place at Ivy Hall on Friday, March 15. You are invited to come and celebrate 40 years of The Georgia Trust with us. For the price of a ticket, you will enjoy live entertainment, a full bar, and delicious food while supporting historic preservation!

(Photo courtesy of Atlanta History Center)

It seems Ivy Hall was nationally famous! This illustration of a...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:01:00 -0400

It seems Ivy Hall was nationally famous! This illustration of a carriage leaving Ivy Hall was featured in the February 12, 1887 issue of Harper’s Weekly, an American magazine based in New York that was published from 1857 until 1916. On the lower left-hand corner, it reads, “A Suburban House.”

Located in midtown Atlanta, Ivy Hall is certainly no longer in the suburbs! Come experience this grand estate during our Preservation Gala on Friday, March 15. An evening of revelry, refreshments, and ravishing fashion awaits you!

(Illustration courtesy of Atlanta History Center)

Turn heads at our Preservation Gala this Friday, March 15, at...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:28:30 -0400

Turn heads at our Preservation Gala this Friday, March 15, at Ivy Hall!

http://www.georgiatrust.org/news/gala.php

What historic places in Georgia matter to you? Send us your...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:30:16 -0400

What historic places in Georgia matter to you? Send us your stories and photographs at thisplacematters@georgiatrust.org and each week we will highlight one!

Augusta, Georgia matters to photojournalism student Gerry Seavo James. We love his photograph of the historic Imperial Theatre in downtown Augusta! Originally called The Wells Theatre when it opened in 1918, it is now the only historic theatre remaining in the city. Did you know that Charlie Chaplain appeared at the Theatre in 1918 to sell Liberty war bonds?

Click here to view more of James’ photographs of downtown Augusta, GA.

Ivy Hall, located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, is considered...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:40:00 -0500

Ivy Hall, located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, is considered one of the finest examples of Victorian Queen Anne architecture in the South. The richly textured exterior of Ivy Hall is embodied in fine materials such as Virginia Slate, terra-cotta tiles, Georgia Granite, limestone, corbeled brickwork and Japanese-influenced wood balustrades. Meticulously restored by the Savannah College of Art and Design, this beautiful Atlanta Landmark will be the site of our Preservation Gala!

You are invited to celebrate 40 years of The Georgia Trust with us on Friday, March 15, at Ivy Hall. Our Preservation Gala is in eight days, so reserve your tickets today!

(Photo courtesy of SCAD)

We wish fireplaces were still made like this…

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:36:30 -0500

We wish fireplaces were still made like this…

Georgia Matters!

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:08:45 -0500

We want to know about your favorite historic places in Georgia! Email us a photograph of your favorite place and an explanation of why it matters to you at: thisplacematters@georgiatrust.org

You can even print out a This Place Matters sign from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and use it in your photograph:

http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/this-place-matters/sign.html#.UTehg3x37T4

We will compile our user-submitted photographs (and, of course, credit your photograph to you) and feature them here and on our Facebook page.

We can’t wait to hear from you!