Barnsley Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barnsley Resort |
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Golf course at Barnsley Resort
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| Location | Bartow County, near Adairsville, Georgia |
| Built | 1840s |
| Built for | Godfrey Barnsley |
| Architectural style(s) | Italianate |
| Governing body | Private |
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Barnsley Resort is a special place in Bartow County, Georgia, United States. It's built on the land of a very old manor house. This beautiful estate was first called Woodlands. Later, it became known as Barnsley Gardens. A man named Godfrey Barnsley, who came from England, started building it in the 1840s. He designed the main house in a style called Italianate, which looks like old Italian villas.
Contents
A Journey Through Time: Barnsley Resort's Story
The Beginning: A Dream Takes Root
Godfrey Barnsley bought this land from the state of Georgia. The state had gotten it from the Cherokee nation, a Native American tribe. Godfrey then bought many smaller pieces of land to create his large estate.
The main house at Barnsley Resort was meant to be a gift for Godfrey's wife, Julia. Sadly, Julia became very sick and passed away before the house was finished. Godfrey stopped building for a while. Later, he said he felt Julia's spirit telling him to finish the house for their children.
The grand house was built like an Italian villa. It was designed by a famous architect named Andrew Jackson Downing.
War and Ruin
During the American Civil War, the mansion became a battle site. Much of the house and Godfrey's belongings were taken by the Union Army. Godfrey Barnsley lost all his money because of the war. He later moved to New Orleans and passed away in 1873.
Nature's Fury and New Beginnings
Barnsley's family continued to live at Woodlands for many years. But in 1906, a powerful tornado ripped off the roof of the main house. Godfrey's granddaughter, Miss Addie, and her family moved into a smaller part of the house. The main house was never fixed and slowly turned into ruins.
In 1988, a man named Prince Hubertus Fugger bought the estate. He started a huge project to save the ruins and bring the gardens back to life. The original boxwood hedges, planted in the 1840s, were still there. They had grown into a thick forest of small trees and vines. These were carefully trimmed over several years. This work revealed the beautiful paths and flower beds of the original parterre garden. Today, this is one of the few surviving gardens from before the Civil War in the southern United States.
Ghost Stories and More
Barnsley Gardens is even featured in a ghost story! It's called "The Curse of Barnsley Gardens." This story is in a book from 1973 by Kathryn Tucker Windham, titled 13 Georgia Ghosts and Jeffrey.
