Throughout Georgia, there are many landmarks and historical sites that bring character to our state. One of my personal favorites is my current home, the Georgia Governor’s Mansion.
The capitol of Georgia was established in Atlanta after the Civil War ended in 1868. Though there have been multiple houses and estates that served as residences for the Governors of the past, there are only two mansions specifically built for Georgia’s Governor in existence today: the Old Governor’s Mansion in Milledgeville and the current Governor’s Mansion in Buckhead.
The current Governor’s Mansion is located on West Paces Ferry Road, and was designed by Georgia architect Thomas Bradbury. Built in 1967, the mansion is a Greek revival style home constructed on approximately 18 acres and has 30 rooms. The foundation of the home consists of four levels of concrete and covers roughly 24,000 square feet. It has 30 Doric columns surrounding the porch made from California redwoods.
All of the furnishings in the mansion are part of a permanent collection and belong to the state. They are considered to make up one of the finest Federal Period collections in the United States. Most of the Governors, including my husband Governor Nathan Deal, bring some personal belongings, like pictures of our children and grandchildren or Governor Deal’s favorite leather recliner, to instill special memories of our family. This helps us feel more at home.
I truly live in a beautiful museum, but its main use is entertainment. On the first floor of the Governor’s Mansion we host official events. We entertain fellow Georgians, citizens from across the country, and citizens of other countries. As a result, the mansion has been named the Executive Center for its role in establishing friendships and business relationships between the State of Georgia, the nation, and the world. In the spirit of the tradition established in 1968 by Lester Maddox, the first Governor to live in the current mansion, the mansion opens for the Christmas season to all of Georgia citizens. Every year, the residing First Lady selects a theme and the mansion is decorated accordingly. Beginning with a special Christmas tree lighting ceremony, the mansion is open to the public to enjoy for 12 days. Other events we host at the mansion include honoring the valedictorians from across Georgia and the Governor’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. We recently just celebrated the 14th anniversary of this exciting event!
Throughout my time as the First Lady of Georgia living in this beautiful home, I have become exceedingly interested in the history of it. Therefore, I have spearheaded the creation of a coffee table style book about the Governor’s Mansion titled Memories of the Mansion. It contains stories from the previous families who lived in the historic home, and it will be available in late October of this year.
~ Sandra Deal, First Lady
Thank you, First Lady Deal, for this wonderful post!
MJ
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