The Old State Capitol of Georgia

This Gothic Revival beauty stands after 200 years in a small east Georgia city. Photo by me, November 2012.

This was parts unknown for me in the Fall of 2012 as I traveled south on U.S. 441, crossed Lake Sinclair and arrived in Milledgeville. Other than Augusta I had never been or passed through the east central part of the state. It was a pretty drive south past the farm lands as I traveled from Interstate 20 with the occasional hill and town but mostly wide open spaces on the way to one of the former state capitals of Georgia. Georgia has been around long enough, a British colony in 1733 and a state since 1788, to have had more than one capital city - we Georgians can be a fickle bunch. I live in the current capital so on that perfectly sunny and warm October day I wanted to see the one that preceded Atlanta.

Before state lawmakers took residence under the gold dome in Atlanta this was their home. Photo by me, November 2012.

In 1804 the Georgia legislature voted to permanently relocate the state capitol from Louisville to Milledgeville. Construction began in 1805 for the new state capitol building in Milledgeville and it opened in 1807. It turned out to be not so permanent as Atlanta became the state capital in 1868.  

It was also here that the Georgia legislature made its most tragic mistake in its history in January 1861. The convention to secede from the Union over slavery was held in this building. It was not an immediate decision and several votes were held as legislators were divided among those in favor of secession and those who were Union loyalists. One vote was as close as 166 to 130 in favor of secession, but the final vote in favor was 208 to 89. 

Despite what might be taught, portrayed in the media or people may believe, the South and its citizens are and were not a monolithic block. After the legislature's vote and during the American Civil War there were protests, riots, desertions, militias loyal to the Union formed and a distaste against the war among some of the populace in Georgia. Demands to put the secession to a vote by the people of the state were ignored by those in power. As one newspaper in South Georgia put it, "this has been a rich man's war and a poor man's fight." Fools who still today fly the Confederate battle flag or erect monuments have never spoken for all of us in the South and likely understand very little of this region's complex history the same as those outside the region who believe in stereotypes.  

Photo by me, November 2012

Architecturally, the building was different from most state capitol buildings of that period in that it did not have a domed roof. The Gothic Revival building looks more like a fortress or castle than what comes to mind when one thinks of capitol buildings. I quite like it. Instead of a dome it has a pointy clock tower in the center. The lancet arch windows are elegant and the arch is repeated again on the face of the clock tower.

Photo by me, November 2012

Originally budgeted to be built for $60,000 by the time is was finished with additional wings added and renovations it cost $200,000 to complete or $5.2 million in 2012. Though the building was occupied in 1807 by the legislature, it would not be finished until 1835 and today what you see is considered to be the finished product. The building is made of brick that was manufactured in Milledgeville. The walls are reportedly between three to four feet thick.

The crenelations along the roof line add to the look of the building appearing as a fortress or castle. Architect Henry Hamilton is responsible for the crenelations and the two additional wings added to the building in 1828 and 1834.

The north portico that faces out onto Greene Street. Photo by me, November 2012.

The west entrance and stairs to the building. Photo by me, November 2012.

The south portico. Photo by me, November 2012.

The east face of the building. Photo by me, November 2012.

The granite stairs and the porticoes were added to the building in 1835. These additions to the building were designed by Charles Cluskey. Based on illustrations I have seen of the building prior to the steps and porticoes being added it would appear that one would have entered the building one level below from the floor you enter today.

Satellite imagery from Google Maps.

In this satellite view you can see how the capitol building was built in the middle of the square and was originally surrounded by green space on all four sides. This was a fairly conventional landscape design during the time for capitol grounds. Milledgeville like Savannah was planned out with squares and with a gridded street layout.

Photo by me, November 2012.

This is one of the sidewalks leading out from the capitol building in a linear line. This one heads in the direction of South Wayne Street. The lamps posts provide a nice visual aide in guiding the eye off into the distance, I bet they look nice at night.

The old state capitol building looks marvelous today but it has been beset by many unfortunate occurrences. You could say the building might be cursed - it suffered a fire in 1833 to the roof,  an 1894 fire in the clock tower, and in 1941 it had a serious fire from faulty wiring that did extensive damage. Another $8,000 in damage was done when Sherman passed through on his March To The Sea campaign during the American Civil War.

In 1871 the building served as the Baldwin County Courthouse and in 1879 it became the property of the Middle Georgia Military and Agricultural College which was later changed to the Georgia Military College in 1900. The building today is still the central piece of their campus.

Photo by me, November 2012.

Photo by me, November 2012

These are other buildings that are a part of the Georgia Military College campus. The buildings occupy space on the former capitol grounds and mimic the architectural style of the old capitol building. You can visit the old capitol building which today houses classrooms, a museum and still contains the house chamber from when it was the State Capitol Building of Georgia. 

For a historical perspective here are a couple of photos of the college's football team.

1907. Image courtesy the state archives of Georgia.

And from 1940. Image courtesy the state archives of Georgia.

And of the cadets in uniform before the old capitol.

1887. Image courtesy the state archives of Georgia.

 

   

1915. Image courtesy the state archives of Georgia.

One final historical photo from 1941 looking through the gates which are still there today.

1941. Image courtesy the state archives of Georgia.