Andalusia (Milledgeville, Georgia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Andalusia
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 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Milledgeville, Georgia |
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| Area | 544 acres (2.20 km2) |
| Built | 1850s (Main House) |
| Architectural style | Plantation Plain |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000968 |
| Added to NRHP | 1980 |
Andalusia is a special old house in rural Georgia. It was once the home of a famous American writer named Flannery O'Connor. The property is about 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Milledgeville. It covers about 544 acres (2.2 km²). Flannery O'Connor wrote many of her best stories here.
History of Andalusia Farm
Andalusia was first built in the mid-1800s. It was a large working farm. Over time, different families owned the property.
In 1951, Flannery O'Connor moved back to Georgia. She had been diagnosed with a health condition called lupus. She first lived in her mother's home in Milledgeville. There, she finished her book Wise Blood.
As her health got better, she moved with her mother to Andalusia. It was still a working farm then. Flannery had visited the farm every summer when she was a child. Her mother had inherited the property with her brother.
Flannery O'Connor thought her stay at Andalusia would be short. She hoped to get well enough to return to Connecticut. She had many visitors, including friends and other writers.
Sometimes, she felt a bit lonely at the farm. She missed being part of the busy writing world. But her time at Andalusia greatly influenced her writing. Most of her famous works were written there. Some of her short stories are even set in the area. For example, "The Displaced Person" is thought to be very similar to the farm. Flannery O'Connor passed away in Milledgeville in August 1964.
Andalusia Today
The famous writer John Kennedy Toole is believed to have tried to visit the house in 1969. At that time, the home was not open to the public.
Andalusia was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It officially opened as a museum in 2003. The Andalusia Foundation, Inc. helps take care of the property.
In 2017, Georgia College & State University received Andalusia as a gift. The university plans to restore and protect the farm.
Andalusia Farm was named a National Historic Landmark on February 24, 2022. This means it is a very important historical place in the United States.
