Went With The Wind

 

The Graham-Simms House. Photo by me, November 2025.

My true reason for stopping in Covington last weekend was not to see the original Boar's Nest on Flat Rock Road, which still exists today as a church, but was to attend an estate sale and do book research. 

The house hosting the sale was located in one of the historic districts and was built in 1839. It was located on Floyd Street and is known as the Graham-Simms House. The house was built by Dr. William P. Graham. During his ownership, the house was the site of the first meeting of the board of trustees of Emory College (Emory University now) located in nearby Oxford.

James P. Simms

It was also the boyhood home of Confederate General and state legislator James P. Simms. His father, Judge Richard Lee Simms, purchased the house in 1850. The Simms family owned the house until 1919 and it has since changed hands numerous times over the last century. 

The house in August 1969. Photo from the state archives. 

 

In the 1920s the original large portico on the front of the house was replaced by a smaller columned porch as seen today. The grandeur of the house continued to fade and during the 1960s and 70s the house like many large old homes of the time was divided into apartments (the Ginn Apartments) before being converted back to a single family residence. According to newspaper archives the Ginn Family lived on the first floor and rented out the second.

The estate sale was impressive with many museum quality pieces from bronzes, paintings, porcelains and furniture. I enjoyed touring the house more than I did looking at the price tags which were inflated even with a discount on the third day of the sale. The house drew a crowd with cars lining both sides of Floyd Street and with so many people inside it was difficult to move around the halls, rooms and stairs. I saw lots of looking, but not much in the way of buying, though many of the most collectible items were already marked as sold.

A striking quadriptych hung near the top of the stairs. In older homes, I have noticed more triptych paintings and mirrors than quads. Photo by me, November 2025.

Photo by me, November 2025.

The house had fortunately kept many of its original features including several stained glass windows and a wonderful circular staircase rising from the main entry hall. Since the house had been divided into apartments many years before it was surprising to see the original lathe and plaster ceilings and walls in place.

Photo by me, November 2025.

I found the drapes Carol Burnett used as inspiration for her legendary Went with the Wind! sketch for her 1976 CBS TV show.

Standing in one of the downstairs rooms a teenage boy, without a phone in his hand, asked us if we were collectors. We said no, but that we have been involved enough in antiques that we knew enough about pricing and certain makers and styles. The boy said that it was the most beautiful house he had ever been into. I replied that it was pretty extraordinary and a bit over the top for my tastes. I was glad that someone had thought enough to bring the boy to the sale and the he had some appreciation for it instead of being bored out of his mind like many teenagers would have been.

In the rear of the house was a courtyard garden which was private from the other nearby houses. It reminded me of the gardens found at homes in compact Savannah or Charleston.

Not once was I bitten on the neck, put under a spell, involved in a crime spree, offered moonshine or compelled to yell "yeehaw" as I ran from the cops. Covington is really not Hazzard County, Mystic Falls or Sparta. It would be too easy to stereotype the town as some southern relic of time stood still, though it makes a good backdrop for those cliches to play out on the big screen. We are fortunate to have many of the older towns in the eastern part of Georgia that were settled before Atlanta architecturally preserved.

A busy Madison on a Saturday afternoon on W. Jefferson Street. Photo by me, November 2025.

After the sale, we headed further east to browse antiques in Madison. It was crowded and the shops were decked out for Christmas.

The abandoned Nolan Mansion between Madison and Bostwick. Photo by me, November 2025.

Heading north through Morgan County we passed the Nolan Mansion still standing and rotting away.

A cotton pickin' good time. Photo by me, November 2025.

On the way to Athens we went through the cotton fields of Oconee County. The cotton is always so pretty and looks like snow this time of year.

Every town has the old train station and few have passengers. Photo by me, November 2025.

Later we passed the old train station in Winder. The closest passenger stops near here are Atlanta, Gainesville and Toccoa.

That was my fall Saturday in the south.