Georgia’s Old Capital Heritage Center at the Depot celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Brown-Stetson-Sanford House, a home that launched the movement of historic renovations in Milledgeville. It also is one of many museums near the downtown area.
In 1825, George Anderson Brown, a local planter and doctor in Milledgeville, engaged master English builder John Marlor to build an inn. Marlor designed the inn in his signature Milledgeville Federal Style. Originally, the inn was built on North Wilkinson Street, where the Baldwin County Courthouse stands today.
The inn was originally called the “The Beecher and Brown Tavern” because Brown ran the inn with his son-in-law Samuel Beecher. The inn offered accommodations for out-of-town legislators, particularly those of the Whig Party. After Brown’s death in 1837, his son, John, continued the partnership and reopened the inn as the “States’ Rights Hotel” which would become the headquarters of the Whig Party until the late 1840s.
In 1957, Daniel Burrell Stetson operated a mercantile and factoring brick business on Wayne Street. During that time, the tavern was for sale and he bought it as a family home for his wife, daughter, and two sons. Within a few years of buying the home, war hit the United States and the Stetson’s oldest son, Will, served in the Confederate Army. He returned to Milledgeville after the war, but sadly his father passed away six weeks after General Lee’s surrender. The sons continued the mercantile business their father left behind while his wife and daughter took care of the home.
The Stetsons lived in the home until 1950 when it was leased to two ladies who opened The Sanford Restaurant on its first floor. The restaurant was open for 15 years, before the land and house were sold to the Piggly Wiggly store chain for a parking lot.
“I remember eating at the restaurant with my grandfather,” recounted Dr. Amy Wright, executive director of Georgia’s Old Capital Heritage Center at the Depot, during her presentation. “I remember being impressed by the tableware and food.”
With the destruction of the house approaching, the owners were approached by The Old Capital Historical Society with a plan to relocate and restore the home.
“My mother was adamant on saving the house,” said Dan Pentecost, the son of the last owner of the home prior to its donation to the historical society. Pentecost was the featured guest of the night alongside his wife, Brenda Pentecost.
With the agreement of the original owners, the community banded together over three months to raise over $500,000 to move the home.
“On the day the home was moved, Georgia Power worked with the movers to cut and resplice the power lines so the home could be moved.
“The move started at 8 a.m. that morning and finished around 3 p.m. that afternoon,” Wright said. “My father was a part of the historical society and I remember the day he came home announcing that they had come to an agreement to save the home, as well as the day it was moved and citizens were lining the street to see it off.”
The Brown-Stetson- Sanford home was relocated to 601 W.
Hancock St., where it remains today, and was restored over a period of 10 years by the historical society to be turned into a civic center.
“The home’s rescue started the local preservation movement and the creation of Milledgeville’s Downtown Historic District,” said Wright.
“In 2003, the Old Capital Historic Society and Georgia’s Old Capital Museum Society merged to form our organization.
That merger led the home to be transformed into the museum it is today in 2012.”
The present museum preserves the life of Milledgeville from 18571890, offering tours, weddings, civic and social club meetings, educational events, and more.
“From public and private tours to a step straight into history with storytelling events and pocket exhibits, the home has many stories to tell,” said Wright. “It’s rare that we get to celebrate a 200th birthday, much less one that marks the start of a historical movement in one of Georgia’s most historic cities. I invite anyone to reach out to us and book a tour or the space and see the history with their own eyes.”
For more information or to book the home, call Georgia’s Old Capital Heritage Center at the Depot at 479-453-1803 or email thedepotga@gmail. com. The center is also participating in GaGives through Giving Tuesday, on Dec. 2, to accept donations to continue to support historic preservation and educational events. To donate visit, gagives.org/organization/ Gochc.