Georgia Magazine - January 2010 - (Page 28)

History preserved BY RANDY SOUTHERLAND Cartersville T hey say that home is where the heart is, which is certainly true of Georgia’s most famous residents. Across the state, you’ll find homes both grand and modest—where presidents and preachers, poets and politicians raised families and sought refuge from the often turbulent times in which they lived. By seeing firsthand these historic sites, you can better grasp how their character and their times were reflected in their physical surroundings. Atlanta Washington Warm Springs Macon ROSE LAWN MUSEUM Georgia’s historic homes share their stories Rose Lawn, Cartersville • • Rose Lawn In the late 1800s the stately threestory Victorian mansion on a quiet street in Cartersville attracted a steady stream of visitors. They were drawn to this small North Georgia community by local legend Sam Jones. The Billy Graham of his day, Jones was a renowned evangelist who regularly preached to huge crowds across the country. A national figure, he was a confidante of presidents and a hated enemy of vice. His memory is preserved today at Rose Lawn—his home for more than two decades. During those years, he spent most of his days on the road preaching to adoring crowds. He even converted Tom Ryman, whose riverboats carried barrooms, gambling and dancing girls. According to Jane Drew, director of Rose Lawn Museum, Ryman closed down his vice operations and told the evangelist, “You’ll never have to preach in a tent again.” The famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville was built as a home for the ministry before hosting the Grand Ole Opry. After lengthy preaching tours, Jones periodically returned to Rose Lawn to be with his wife and growing family. Originally a small, one-story structure built in the 1860s. Jones built a two-story wing to the rear of the house and later a third floor and a basement. The house took its name from the rose bushes that once bloomed around it and which are now making a comeback thanks to continuing renovation. www.rose lawnmuseum.com. (770) 387-5162 Robert Toombs House Historic Site Few men had the lasting impact of Robert Toombs, attorney, state legislator, U.S. senator, solider and famed “Baron of Wilkes County,” according to Marcia Campbell, a curator at his home in Washington. There you can find the artifacts of a turbulent life that spans the Civil War and the difficult years that followed. When Georgia joined the Confederacy, Toombs became secretary of state in Jefferson Davis’ war cabinet. In 1861, he left politics to lead troops into battle. After the war, Toombs was a driving force in rebuilding and modernizing the state. His legacy included a new state constitution that was not amended until 1945. A landowner whose holdings spanned the nation, the Toombs House held the dearest place in his heart. “He often wrote to Mrs. Toombs that he would rather be there with her than save the state,” says Campbell. www.gastateparks.org/ roberttoombshouse. (706) 678-2226 Martin Luther King Jr. birth home A very different age was born on Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue Jan. 15, 1929. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up as the son of the Rev. Martin Luther “Daddy” King Sr. and Alberta “Mama King” King. Few in this racially segregated city could have guessed that this bright and precocious boy would eventually change the world as leader of the fight for civil rights. Robert Toombs House Historic Site, Washington www.georgiamagazine.org GEORGIA MAGAZINE GA. DEPT. OF NATURAL RESOURCES http://www.roselawnmuseum.com http://www.roselawnmuseum.com http://www.gastateparks.org/roberttoombshouse http://www.gastateparks.org/roberttoombshouse http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - January 2010

Georgia Magazine - January 2010
Contents
Viewpoint
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar
Currents
Coming to a Set Near You
The Joy of the Journey
Around Georgia
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Cookbook of the Month
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - January 2010