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Dotty Etris detris@roswellgov.com
Experience the authentic story of the American South in new Roswell, Ga., program
Three historic antebellum homes narrate “A Southern Trilogy”
ROSWELL, GA – October 2, 2008 – Three of Roswell’s historic houses—Barrington Hall, Bulloch Hall and Smith Plantation—are celebrating their heritage and the families that built them and called them home in a new interpretive program. “A Southern Trilogy: Experience the Authentic Story of the American South” invites visitors to do just that. By touring each of the houses, now living history museums, visitors learn about Roswell’s founding families and how each narrates a chapter in the saga of the American South through docent stories, family heirlooms and memorabilia and interactive exhibits. Purchase a Trilogy Pass and explore all three aspects of this uniquely American drama.
A bold inspiration
The homes may be toured in any order and each has been named for the part of the story it tells. “Barrington Hall: Experience a Bold Inspiration” presents the vision and industry of the Kings, Roswell’s founding family.
Constructed in 1842, Barrington Hall was built on the highest point overlooking Roswell for Barrington King and his family. Built by town founder Roswell King and his son Barrington, it is today recognized as one of the finest examples of Greek Revival Temple architecture in the country. The surrounding seven acres feature the only antebellum public garden in the greater Atlanta area. The home remained in the same family until 2003 and is furnished with original family possessions, including china, sterling silver, photos and furnishings. The Kings founded not only the town, but also the successful Roswell Manufacturing Company that operated the Roswell Mills. From the upstairs office, Barrington could look out over the town and his mills.
“Roswell and Barrington King were both entrepreneurs, adventurers and dreamers,” says Morgan Timmis, historic and cultural affairs manager for the City of Roswell. “They came up from the coast to a wilderness and envisioned a whole new town and industry and made it happen.”
Glimpse a presidential past
Another historic home presents Roswell’s ties to high society: “Bulloch Hall: Glimpse a Presidential Past” tells the story of the Bullochs, Roswell’s social aristocrats, and their far-reaching role in American politics. The home, which has been described as one of the most significant houses in Georgia and one of the South's finest examples of true temple-form architecture with full pedimented portico, was built in 1839 by Major James Stephens Bulloch, grandson of Georgia’s Revolutionary Governor, Archibald Bulloch. Not only is the home an architectural treasure, its history is interwoven with some of the most influential names in our nation's history.
Major Bulloch's daughter, Mittie, would marry Theodore Roosevelt of New York in the dining room of this home. They would become the parents of 26th president Teddy Roosevelt. Their other son, Elliott, would become the father of Eleanor Roosevelt who would grow up, marry a distant cousin, Franklin, and serve as the nation's most beloved First Lady, forever changing the role of women in the White House.
Visitors to Bulloch Hall will not only experience a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life and times of a 19th century celebrity family, but they will also get to tour the newly opened Museum Room and the estate grounds where reconstructed slave quarters narrate the story of “Slave Life in The Piedmont.”
Connect with the land
At the third historic home, a more down to earth perspective is presented through the workaday albeit affluent farming lifestyle of the Smiths, Roswell’s Renaissance planters, in “Smith Plantation: Connect with the Land.”
Smith Plantation Home, built in 1845, exemplifies the life of a wealthy farm family in early Roswell. Archibald Smith came here to escape the summer heat and insects of coastal Georgia, bringing his wife, children and 35 slaves to help run the plantation. Fully furnished in period pieces belonging to the original family, Smith Plantation is complete with a parson's room and 10 original outbuildings, including slave quarters and a spring house.
“Visitors are put in touch with Civil War history in a rather unique way here,” says Chuck Douglas, historic site coordinator at Smith Plantation, where source material for tours is provided by the book, Death of a Confederate, written in 1996 by Smith heirs, Lister and Arthur Skinner. “We talk about the family, about how people were living during the war here in Roswell and particularly here at the Smith Plantation.
“I think visitors find it relevant because they relate the stories to themselves and their families.”
History as it really happened
The Kings. The Bullochs. The Smiths. Through the well-preserved homes and stories of these founding families of Roswell, through their memorabilia and heirlooms and through the hands-on exhibits of each house, visitors will be able to relate to these families who lived so long ago yet still exert their influence.
“The story of the American South is the story of community and how each person fits into the fabric of that community,” says Dotty Etris, executive director of Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Founders, affluent families, slaves, mill workers, farmers—they each have a story to tell. The Southern Trilogy Sites, by interpreting the magnificent homes, the grounds and outbuildings, portray a true picture of the lives of their inhabitants and transport visitors to the real American South—its struggles , its social issues, as well as its accomplishments.”
Visit Barrington Hall, Bulloch Hall and Smith Plantation Home to learn the authentic stories of the American South.
Located on the northern banks of the Chattahoochee River in Fulton County, Roswell, Georgia’s sixth largest city, is in an area whose history was impacted and shaped by the 1828 discovery of gold in north Georgia, the opening of cotton and woolen mills known collectively as the Roswell Manufacturing Company a decade later and the occupation by Union troops in July of 1864 on their march to Atlanta. Today Roswell thrives with historic and natural attractions, shopping and gallery hopping and casual and formal dining options. For more details about Roswell’s history and its many heritage sites, contact the Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau by calling toll-free 1.800.776.7935 or by visiting www.visitroswellga.com.
Regular tours are $8 per house for adults; $6 for children (ages 6 - 12). Purchase a Trilogy pass to all three houses for $18 per adult and $15 per child. Trilogy passes may be purchased at the Roswell Visitors Center.
Cell phone tours are also available of the grounds of each home with 10stops at each property. The audio tours are free of charge, but cell phone plan minutes apply.
High resolution images available; contact Dotty Etris:
MEDIA CONTACT:
Dotty Etris, Executive Director
Historic Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau
770.640.3253; toll free 1.800.776.7935
detris@roswellgov.com
www.visitroswellga.com
Roswell, Ga., introduces new interpretive program
Three of Roswell’s historic houses—Barrington Hall, Bulloch Hall and Smith Plantation—are celebrating their heritage and the families that built them and called them home in a new interpretive program. “A Southern Trilogy: Experience the Authentic Story of the American South” invites visitors to do just that. By touring each of the houses, now living history museums, visitors learn about Roswell’s founding families and how each narrates a chapter of the American South through docent stories, family heirlooms and memorabilia and interactive exhibits. Purchase a discounted Trilogy Pass to hear the individual stories of Roswell’s founders, affluent families, slaves, mill workers and farmers and to be transported to the real American South. Contact the Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau by calling toll-free 1.800.776.7935 or by visiting www.visitroswellga.com.
Regular tours are $8 per house for adults; $6 for children (ages 6-12). Purchase a Trilogy Pass to all three houses and receive a discount of $2 savings per house. Trilogy Passes may be purchased at the Roswell Visitors Center.
Cell phone tours are also available of the grounds of each home with 10stops at each property. The audio tours are free of charge, but cell phone plan minutes apply.
