With quarantining in effect and The Just Imagine Cottage and Brown-Stetson-Sanford House closed, we have turned to social media to keep local history alive and well. 

During the months of May and June, we strolled down Memory Hill Lanes, looked at local architectural treasures past and present during National Historic Preservation Month, saw how volunteers dusted off their sewing machines to make 3247 protective face masks, several hundred headbands and crocheted button bands, 48 gowns and 32 caps 1600 masks, 20 gowns and caps for Navicent Health Baldwin, EMTs, Bostick Nursing Home, Sheriff and Police Departments, GA War Veterans Home, Chaplinwood and Green Acres Nursing Homes, Central State Hospital, physician’s offices, and cancer centers, examined the Polio Epidemic of 1948-49 up close and personal, and made dozens of CSH Self Driving Tour brochures available contact-free from a basket on the porch of the Just Imagine Cottage.

Your positive comments and requests for MORE, are especially encouraging so keep the feedback and suggestions coming! Our previous posts are still available on Facebook at Georgia’s Old Capital Heritage Center at The Depot and Milledgeville Memories if you missed any of the series.

Georgia's Old Capital Heritage Center at The Depot, Inc. is grateful for funding provided by Georgia Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the CARES Act economic stabilization plan of 2020. GOCHC is also grateful for funding provided by the Small Business Administration Loan Assistance, and the Payroll Protection Plan Loan Program.
You Supported It, Waited for It, and Now It Is Here
The Ramp It Up Project is fully funded thanks to your generosity and the support of a grant from the National Society of Colonial Dames Georgia. Construction on the three access ramps leading from the parking lot to the front doors of The Depot will get underway in July. Watch for the Ground Breaking Celebration and join us for this event.
Happy 54 th Anniversary
to the Brown-Stetson-Sanford House
Unless you were in Milledgeville in 1966 or are familiar with the history of the Brown-Stetson-Sanford House, you may not know how close what is today a lovely house museum came to being lost. In March of 1966, the Sanford House Tearoom and Restaurant closed, and the property was sold to Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store for a parking lot. The house was about to be destroyed when the Sanford family offered to donate it to the Old Capital Historical Society with the stipulation that it be moved. 

Society members swung into action and with the cry of “Save the Sanford House”, raised $50,000 to purchase a lot on the corner of Hancock and Jackson Streets in downtown Milledgeville and pay for the house to be moved. On a hot June 29, 1966, stripped of her chimneys, porches, and plaster, this grand dame began her trip 4 blocks west down Hancock Street. Supporters and spectators watched along the route and Georgia Power Company linemen cut and spliced the electrical lines as the house passed. Over the next 37 years, members of the Old Capital Historical Society lovingly restored the house. The Society’s efforts to save and restore the house encouraged local residents to look closely at other fast-disappearing architectural treasures and launched a preservation effort in Milledgeville that continues today.

In 2003 the Historical Society merged with Georgia’s Old Capital Museum Society, and house became a museum reflecting the years the Stetson family owned the house and lived there. Today the house welcomes visitors of all ages for the “War Comes to the Capital” tour that sheds light on life in Milledgeville in the mid nineteenth century, is a venue for special occasion celebrations, and hosts visitors on the CVB Trolley Tour.   

You too can be part of the “Save the Sanford” by donating to the ongoing preservation and restoration of this local treasure. Mail your donation or call our office at 478-453-1803 or go to our website at www.thedepotga.org. Your donation is tax-deductible and most appreciated.  
Facebook Photo Scavenger Hunt at The Greenway
A Scavenger Hunt like no other beginning July 6 th.
"What's in the Attic"
While quarantined, many of us spent time cleaning out attics, closets, and drawers only to discover long-lost treasures. So we asked Debbie and Larry Houston “What’s in Auntie Bellum’s Attic”, and during July you will get to see the interesting treasures from the past that they shared with us. Stop by Auntie Bellum’s Attic at Hancock Street next to Local Yolkal (478-454-0097), and browse the two floors of antiques, porcelain, pottery, furniture (outdoor, too), jewelry, books, clothing, jugs, and much, much more. Just be sure to allow plenty of time to look and talk with the Houstons about what’s in the attic! 

Larry and Debbie Houston have owned and operated Auntie Bellum’s Attic, a downtown Milledgeville staple, for over a decade. Debbie said her love for antiques started during her childhood when her parents bought and refinished old furniture. According to Debbie, Larry has always been a wheeler and a dealer, so the antiquing business came naturally to the couple. The pair moved to Milledgeville in 1979 and have been an active part of the community ever since.

Larry and Debbie are long-time members of the Heritage Center and active volunteers. Those of you who have participated in our War Comes to the Capital tour at the Brown-Stetson-Sanford House will recognize Debbie, who volunteers as a docent teaching visitors the importance of knitting, quilting, and sewing. Debbie also serves as a hostess for some of our fundraising tea parties. Larry is our go-to guy when the Heritage Center receives a donated object to learn its history and use.
The Baldwin COVID-19 Collection:
 An Opportunity to Share Your Story
GOCHC is now accepting submissions for the Baldwin COVID-19 Collection. The purpose of this collection is to document and preserve what life was like for the citizens of Milledgeville, Baldwin County during the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020.

Do you have any pictures or videos of how the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020 changed your everyday life? Maybe the dining room table was transformed into a work-from-home office or a school room for the kids to do their school assignments? Perhaps you are an artist or a writer and took inspiration from the social-distancing and self-isolation and were able to express feelings of fear and loneliness through art or poetry?

We would love for your story to be a part of Milledgeville history for centuries to come. Go to our website and fill out the online submission form with your electronic file. For any large files (over 100MB) or to drop off a physical object, please call the office or email mwade@thedepotga.org to set up an appointment.
Thank You, All
Robyn Register for the 10-place settings of china for the Brown-Stetson-Sanford House. David & Julie Waddell for the standing mirror and library table donated to the Brown-Stetson-Sanford House. Linda Hodges for the Handlon lantern for The Depot. Charlie Brown for the materials and tutorials on trains in Milledgeville and at CSH. Terry and Joy Green for the Civil War artifacts for exhibits.
  Many people send donations in memory of loved ones to Georgia’s Old Capital Heritage Center at The Depot, Inc. 

We remember the following individuals with great appreciation for their dedication to the Heritage Center:
Herman Smith 

E. Culver (“Rusty”) Kidd 
Click here for
Board President Carol Goings'
Cinnamon Swirl Loaf recipe.
Thank you for your support of Georgia’s Old Capital Heritage Center at The Depot, Inc., and our mission to “identify, interpret, preserve, and communicate the historical and cultural heritage of Milledgeville, Baldwin County, and the Oconee River Basin.”
GOCHC is a private 501(C)(3) non-profit. We depend on donations, memberships, and grants to continue to promote the history of this area. Your support is critical and greatly appreciated. Your gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by the law. 

Georgia's Old Capital Heritage Center at The Depot