MACON, Ga. — All three homes that burned Wednesday night sit on the national historic registry, but 996 might stand out to you a little more because of the movie "42."
About 7 years ago, actor Chadwick Boseman stood on that porch delivering his lines as Jackie Robinson, but we went back to the turn of the century to find the story behind this neighborhood and these homes.
Lauren Mauldin is with Historic Macon. "With historical homes, especially in Macon where we have a rich architectural history, it's not just a single homeowner that's mourning the loss of their property, it's a collective community of people who come to Macon that want to see these homes," she said.
She says the flames that tore through three houses Wednesday night claimed part of Macon's past that dates back more than a century. In 1883, construction crews put up a 91-foot water tower, and that's when homes began to spring up on High Street.
"After that and the availability of water this street from High Street to Orange Street really saw a huge spur in development because of access to water," Mauldin said. 996 High Street dates back to 1883, and almost 100 years later, the Macon Heritage foundation took the house and its neighbor under their wing.
"They purchased these against eminent demolition from then the Charter Medical Hospital, and so the foundation purchased these and rehabilitated them to ensure their preservation and protection for future generations," Mauldin explained.
And now, moving forward, the homeowners will have to abide by certain rules because of the homes' historical background. "But anytime you change materials or any exterior modifications as seen from the public right away --additions, fences -- you're wanting to replace your historic windows with vinyl or one over one sashes, that's when the design review board would get into play," Mauldin said.
But Mauldin says if she could say one thing to the folks who are hurting right now, it would be that you're not alone. "You have a community behind you that's willing to help in any way possible," she said.