Educational Resources
Old Governor's Mansion
Educational Resource Site
Welcome to the Old Governor's Mansion Educational Resource Site (OGMERS), your gateway to the Old Governor's Mansion in Milledgeville, Ga. The Mansion staff has designed a set of lesson plans for 4th and 8th grade Social Studies classes, using primary documents. These documents include private letters, wills, Sanborn maps, money, and report cards. Images of these documents are included so they can be either viewed online or downloaded and printed. Transcripts of some documents are included within the plans. By using these documents, students will not only learn what life was like in the Old Governor's Mansion in the 19th century, they will also learn how to use primary source material to study history.
Useful Background Information for Teachers
The Old Governor's Mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973. It is significant for both its high-style Greek Revival architecture and its close association with nationally important events.
The Old Governor's Mansion was home to eight Georgia governors from 1839 until 1868. Governor Joseph E. Brown was one of the most outstanding. He served as Georgia's governor during three important periods of history: the Antebellum period, the Civil War, and the beginning of Reconstruction. He also served more consecutive terms than any other Georgia governor.
In November 1864, the Mansion served as headquarters for Union General William T. Sherman. Sherman's "March to the Sea" brought 30,000 Union soldiers into Milledgeville.
After the capital moved to Atlanta in 1868, the Mansion was used as a barracks for Georgia Military College cadets. Since 1889, the Mansion has been a part of what is now Georgia College. An intensive research project has been completed on the building and its inhabitants for the ongoing historic restoration. Your students will be able to see evidence of this research by viewing the 19th century construction of the building.
About Your Class Tour
A trained docent will guide your students through the Mansion. Important facts about the governors who occupied the Mansion are discussed throughout the tour. The focus will be the building's construction and its restoration. Emphasis will also be placed on the importance of historic preservation in conserving our historic building.
To arrange a tour contact:
Matthew S. Davis, Curator
(478)445-4545
Campus Box 092
Milledgeville, GA 31061
Click on the following links to view activity information.
Pre-Visit Activities
Tour Activities
Post-Visit Activities
About This Study Guide
This guide is written for teachers and focuses on pre-visit, tour and post-visit activities. The pre-visit and post-visit activities can be introduced in the classroom. Some activities will be more appropriate than others. Activities for grades four and eight are included, so please adapt them to meet the individual needs of your students.
Use the menu below to jump any page on OGMERS.
Resource Guides
Map of Georgia
Dot-to-Dot of the Mansion
Word search puzzle
Drawings of architectural features
Pre-electricity Mansion life pictures
Architecture cross-word puzzle
Blank floor plan
Floor plan with labels
Mrs. Brown's letter
Governor's cross-word puzzle
Picture of imported items
Early flags of the Mansion
Letters concerning imported items
Civil War flags
Newspaper ads
Lesson Plans
General Instructions
Lesson 1, School Days
Lesson 2, Sanborn Maps
Lesson 3, Reading Wills
Lesson 4, Sending for the Doctor
Lesson 5, Traveling to Milledgeville Using Maps
Lesson 6, Comparing Images
Lesson 7, Holidays with the Governors
Lesson 8, Money from the Past
Lesson 9, Actual Enumeration
Lesson 10, Preparing for the New Governor
All of the original documents whose images are contained within this site are the property of either the Georgia State Archives in Atlanta, Ga., or the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. Permission has been obtained for the use of all images for this project. The lesson plans themselves are the property of the Old Governor's Mansion in Milledgeville, Ga. and may be freely used for non-profit educational purposes only.
