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.