MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — There’s a lot of history in Milledgeville, at one time it was the state capitol. In 1838, Colonel Samuel Rockwell built the home and later Georgia Governor Herschel Johnson moved in.
A team has reinvented its use in Baldwin County.
“I walked in and I thought we’ve got to have this house.” Sandersville native and preservationist Ross Sheppard.
He and his business partners poured countless hours into restoring it’s 19th century glory.
“So this is a plastic 3-D print of a scan of the originals that are in the front room.” Sheppard said. “The molding in this room was actually removed and it’s displayed at the Winterthur Museum.”
Sheppard says they wouldn't do that kind of thing today with a historic home. But 95% of the place is authentic.
“The only change we made to the floor plan at all is we removed this wall right here and we did the same on the other side to create this long skinny bathroom.” he said.
The home is a Milledgeville federal style dwelling with this flowing staircase right in the middle of the floor plan.
“It was created by Daniel Pratt and John Marlor that did several houses downtown.” he said.
The stately home is about 7,000 square feet with vaulted ceilings.
“The smallest room in the house is about 300 square feet; most of the rooms are about 400 square feet. The ceilings are 14 feet tall. So the space just feels vast in a good way.”
And here's another good thing, you can spend the night here.
“I hate it when you see old historic houses and you don't know anything about them or never get invited inside. As a preservationist I want people to enjoy this history.” Sheppard said.
Today the mansion is an event space, a wedding venue.
“So this is the pink room love this color it's called peekaboo coral and it's very cheerful to wake up in this room.” Sheppard said.
You can even spend a night or two in the home.
The guy who couldn’t live without this home is keeping the history alive while giving this home a new purpose.
For more on the home click here.