Middle Georgia Museums, US
Peach State Culture and History Go Hand and Hand
Throughout middle Georgia, in Macon, Eatonton and Milledgeville, traditions merge with the past at various museums.
As a 19th century ex slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman might not have lived in Georgia, but the Tubman African American Museum, in Macon, has honored her spirit and that of others since 1985.
With the motto: “It's more than African History. It's more than American History. It's Your History." the museum has become an important resource to both the local and regional community. Here African American culture, through the arts and its history, is preserved and promoted.
Among its extensive compilation of artifacts you can find the Noel Collection of African Art (with 2,000-year-old Nok figures, beaded Yoruba wall panels, and Benin bronzes), sculpture, folk art and contemporary African American art.
Turbulent times in America’s history, like segregation and the passage of Jim Crow laws are illustrated with period artifacts in the hopes of shedding light will ultimately illuminate understanding.
Upcoming events at the Tubman include a genealogy workshop in February.
Less than 40 miles north east of Macon, lies the small community of Eatonton. Although not technically a museum, armed with a light lilac colored brochure and map, obtainable at either the local chamber of commerce or county library – you can take a tour of the young life of author/poet Alice Walker. Walker best known for her book "The Color Purple" was born and raised here, and the driving tour highlights her birthplace as well as Grant Plantation where the author’s mother was born and which Walker’s brother now owns.
Joel Chandler Harris was another Eatonton author. Famed for his tales of the old South and his ability to capture and write down slave dialects, two former slave cabins now combine to house the city’s Uncle Remus Museum.
Just south of Eatonton lays the gracious city of Milledgeville. With her antebellum charm and historical importance, she is a destination not to be missed.
Once a capital city of the state, she offers a variety of architectural attractions. The stately ionic columns of the Old Governor’s Mansion reflect the beauty of the building, which is considered, by many, to be one of the finest examples of High Greek Revival architecture in the country. It not only served as a home to Georgian chief executives from the 1830’s until its abandonment during the Civil War, it was also lived in by Union general William Tecumseh Sherman during his “March to the Sea” campaign of 1864.
Another shining example of architecture is the Old Capitol building. Now serving as the main building of the Georgia Military College, the structure is resplendent in its Gothic inspired soaring spires. It was here Georgia voted to secede from the United States in 1861. A museum can be found on the ground floor.
A unique look into the field of mental health illness and a history of its treatment can be found at the museum located in a former 1891 train depot on the grounds of the Central State Hospital. An appointment is required, and can be arranged by calling 478-445-1757. The exhibits take you from the early days of the facility’s beginning when it was established in 1842 as a hospital for “lunatics, idiots and epileptics” through the Civil War until today when great strides in mental health care are being made.
Middle Georgia reflects the diversity of the Peach Tree State.
