Life in the Old Capital

Lots of things come to mind when someone mentions the South.  Some folks envision large porches with rocking chairs and tables equipped with pitchers of sweet tea.  Some think of the garden variety redneck equipped with pickup truck, confederate flag, and single-wide trailer.  Some don't give it any thought at all.  Here in Milledgeville, Georgia, we have a little bit of everything.

Milledgeville, Georgia's Antebellum Capital, or Georgia's state capital before the War Between the States (for those of you less educated), could be considered the quintessential Southern town.  Known for columned houses, the Old Capitol building, Lake Sinclair, and Central State Hospital, Milledgeville has seen its days both bright and dark.  The Old Capital was Georgia's state capital between 1804 and 1868.  As a matter of fact, Milledgeville was one of the few towns in America that was set up to be a state capital.  Life in Milledgeville was pretty steady until November 1864 when General William T. Sherman and his band of goons, 30,000 to be exact, invaded the Old Capital.  Having occupied Milledgeville for just a couple of days, Sherman and his boys, in a most uncouth manner, ransacked the statehouse, housed horses in the State Chapel, and vandalized the church organ by pouring honey down the pipes (just a few examples, I definitely could go on).  These "refined" Union troops stated that the church organ would play more sweetly having honey poured down the pipes.

The war ended and life moved on in Milledgeville.  Fortunately most of Milledgeville's antebellum homes were spared in the March to the Sea.  You can find these all over the historic district, most notably on S. Liberty Street and the Old Governor's Mansion at the corner of Greene and Clarke Streets.  The town would become home to one of the largest state funded mental institutions in America.  Used to, parents would tell their children they would be "sent to Milledgeville" for misbehaving.  Central State Hospital is now closed, and Milledgeville has mostly outgrown the stigma of being home to lunatics.  

There are plenty of characters around town, and we'll get to them later.  At least you're now a bit more familiar with my town, and I guarantee you're bound to find out more about it as time passes.