I love visiting old buildings, but it irks me when you can only see a small percentage of the rooms. The Governor's Mansion does not do that. You get to see all but three bedrooms, which have been converted into offices, and to make up for it the tour guide shared that the three bedrooms you do see are pretty much identical. Bedrooms were not all that unique back in the 1800s.
Here are some highlights before I jump into the pictures:
1. The carpets are not original (surprise, surprise), however they were recreated by the original carpet company based on their ancient paperwork and descriptions from visitors. And that carpet company? They are located in England and provide carpeting for Buckingham Palace.
2. The flooring on the first floor (used for housework, not seen by guests) is also not original. Someone in their infinite wisdom decided to remove the original heart pine flooring. Fortunately, the team restoring the Mansion was able to acquire enough heart pine flooring from an old tobacco building to redo the entire first floor. Fun fact: the new flooring is actually a year older than the mansion.
3. The hardware is all original to the house and is made out of sterling silver. The only reason why the hardware is still intact is because Sherman (who slept in the house) did not know it was silver! How is that possible when Sherman was a sterling stealing fiend, you ask? Because the governor at the time had advanced warning and ordered that all the hardware be covered up with black polish. Smart and resourceful.
Our tour guide was so awesome and knowledgable. She shared far more and everything was extremely interesting. I fully recommend you visit. Now onto the pictures!
A hand painted silk shade in the ladies formal sitting room. There were four of these total, each painted with a unique scene. I have decided Mother needs them in her house.
Maybe not interesting to all, but here is how the shades were strung. You are looking up behind the draperies
I'm so disappointed the colors didn't turn out in this picture. Check out that carpet! And the level to which the house has been furnished!
Mom loved this little table. Again, the carpet. I took most of my pictures in the ladies formal room because it was just so lovely. The wall is actually a lovely shade of pale lavender.
Chandelier, medallion, mirror. All giant and wonderful. The ceiling medallion is original. The light fixture is a reproduction of what used to be there. All the light fixtures were reproduced so they could operate from electricity.
The drapes and drape holder system were one of my favorite things. All the textiles in the house are gorgeous, so its hard to choose.
This is a former first lady. The Mansion has a ton of portraits of Governors and First Ladies who lived there.
The molding is magnificent throughout the Mansion.
More draperies! The sun is a bit bright, but this window also had a silk shade but without the lovely paintings. Instead, the tassels that held up the shade hang down long in front. Please also admire the carpet.
I absolutely love this fireplace. And see those cards on the table in the foreground? Even those are antique!
Because I love the fireplace so much, we need a closeup. So beautiful!
If you want to read more about Milledgeville and driving through that part of the state, check out this post. Yesterday's post was about Milledgeville's antique store. And definitely share with us if you visit Milledgeville or have other recommendations!
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