MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — A Central Georgia museum is dedicated to keeping the legacy of a legendary American writer alive.
If you drive on US Highway 441, you may drive by Andalusia: The Home of Flannery O'Connor.
O'Connor lived at Andalusia for 13 years, between 1951-1964.
During that time, she wrote two novels and 32 short stories centered around the American southern gothic genre.
The farm’s environment influenced the setting of many of her writings and the people of Milledgeville often inspired her characters, according to Matthew Davis.
Davis is the director of historic museums at Georgia College & State University.
One of his duties is to oversee the operations at the Andalusia Interpretive Center.
It opened on March 24, 2023, one day before O'Connor's 98th birthday.
Since then, visitors are welcome to tour the property.
"It's not uncommon to see folks on the ground writing, or just taking in and appreciating walking around the nature paths that we have on the site," Davis said.
As a history buff, Davis hopes the museum excites others to follow in O'Connor's footsteps.
"Much in the same way that O'Connor experienced and viewed these sites, we hope the next generation of visitors does, as well."
There's a great deal of inspiration at Andalusia; so much that it sparked O'Connor's imagination, Davis said.
"Inspiration comes in many forms we all start somewhere, for Flannery O'Connor this is the place she did her work," O'Connor said. "We're proud to be able to showcase that."
The space is committed to keeping O'Connor's legend alive through restoration efforts, on both the museum and farmhouse, as well as in-person and virtual guided tours.
"We're also finishing up phase 2 of the construction of this building which includes a story telling court amphitheater, and some additional visitors with some nice porch awnings on the ground," Davis said.
Phase 1's accomplishments won the museum a special project award presented by the Georgia Association of Museums.
"[It's] heartwarming and welcoming to be recognized by your peers in such fashion," Davis said. "It shows the work that we've done here to really bring this space together is not only being appreciated by the general public, but also recognized by peers as something that could be a textbook example of how to do this for others."
In an effort to restore and preserve history, Davis said he hopes people are able to absorb a piece of Andalusia with them when they visit.
"We hope that as people come to Andalusia, they're going to be inspired by the same grounds and the same environment that Flannery O'Connor saw and was inspired by to write her stories, and, who knows, we could help spark that imagination of the next great American writer.
Tours at Andalusia begin at the interpretive center, which houses a permanent exhibit space, climate-controlled collections, storage and curatorial workspaces and guest amenities, such as a gift shop and restrooms.
If you're interested in a tour, you can visit the Andalusia Interpretive Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays.