Milledgeville, GA - The Old Governor's Mansion

One last stop on our way north before the final push to reach home was in Milledgeville, Georgia. If not for a young cousin who was appointed Curator of Education and Public Engagement, we would not have known about this wonderful little town in Georgia and the beautiful mansion that is being preserved as part of Georgia's history.

The town at one time was the capital of Georgia and the mansion built in 1839 served as the residence for Georgia's governors for 30 years. The mansion's history threads throughout the Antebellum, Civil War and early Reconstruction phases of the state's history.


During the Civil War, the mansion headquartered General Sherman on November 22, 1864 in his "March to the Sea" from Atlanta.


After the war, Georgia's seat of government moved to Atlanta and  the mansion was abandoned but eventually was given over to what is now Georgia College in 1889. It served several college presidents and housed military women for a time.


In the late 1990s, a move was made to begin planning for the mansion's historical renovation which began in earnest in 2001. The interior has been restored and reconstructed to reflect the period when Georgia's governors were in residence. The furniture is from the period and some is original, obtained from the families of some of the governors.


Our tour was led by a lovely young lady who is a docent for the mansion. Our cousin was unfortunately out of town the day we stopped. The mansion was also exhibiting some men's and children's clothes from the period that were quite interesting.


The town of Milledgeville is a college town but is quaint and, at least on our visit, quiet. We found a parking spot a little closer to the center of town and had our pick of small shops and restaurants. Liking the name, The Local Yokel, we entered and had two delicious sandwiches for lunch before continuing on our trek north.

The only thing missing was sunshine but then we were heading north. It was time to get used to the idea that our sunny days were going to be fewer.