Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion

History of Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion

Completed in 1839, Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion is one of the finest examples of High Greek Revival architecture in the nation with its stately columns and regal facade. From 1839 to 1868, this mansion served as the residence for 8 of Georgia's chief executives and their families. State leaders such as George Crawford, Howell Cobb and Joseph E. Brown resided in the building and used it as a stage for speeches and to introduce guests of national standing.  

The Mansion's history encompasses the antebellum period, the Civil War, and the early Reconstruction phases of Georgia’s history.  Georgia's Old Governor’s Mansion also exhibits many elements of complex social, economic, and political issues during the antebellum period. Slavery and the intricacies of class and gender roles are among the topics that shape the history of the building as well as 19th century Milledgeville. 

During the Civil War, the Mansion was claimed as a "prize" in General William T. Sherman’s "March to the Sea," on November 23, 1864. Following the war, Georgia's seat of government was relocated to Atlanta, and the Mansion was abandoned. Given over to Georgia Normal & Industrial College (currently known as Georgia College) in 1889, the Mansion served as the founding building of the institution and is the campus's most treasured structure. 

Beginning in the late 1990s, Georgia College & State University’s Department of Museums underwent five years of intensive historical, structural and material research to return the mansion to its historical splendor. From 2001 to 2005, thanks to generous fundings and grants from the Georgia General Assembly and the Woodruff Foundation, the department restored the original layout, coloration, lighting and appearance of the building based on the 1851 administration of Governor Howell Cobb. 

Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion now serves as a historic house museum whose mission is to care for, collect, interpret and exhibit items (including artifacts, structures, and gardens) that illustrate the history of the site and its inhabitants during the years the Mansion was the official residence of Georgia’s governors (1839-1868). Tours focus on the history of the building, its occupants both free and enslaved, and the myriad complexities of Antebellum society in Georgia and its history.  

Georgia's Old Governor’s Mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973 and is an accredited museum of the American Alliance of Museums. In 2015, the Mansion was named an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, one of six in the state today.