Old Governor's Mansion Restoration
Milledgeville, Georgia

It’s true that Sherman
may have walked right by
the Old Train Depot—
but he lived in the
Governor’s Mansion.

It’s true. In fact, perhaps the reason the Old Governor’s Mansion is still there at all is because Sherman needed it for his headquarters. It was from there that he oversaw the movement of the 30,000 Union troops which invaded Milledgeville on their March to the Sea.

But that dark bit of history is merely an anecdote, little more than a footnote to the real reasons the Old Governor’s Mansion is so important. It’s important because it’s very walls are virtually filled with almost two centuries of Georgia history. Because eight of Georgia’s governors lived and governed from there. Because it was the seat of power in Georgia all the way from the antebellum period through the Civil War and into the Reconstruction era. Because it’s considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the entire country.

It was for all these reasons that the Old Governor’s Mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973, a status so high it’s shared by only 3% of the nation’s historic sites, a status which requires years of detailed research and intricate preparation before even beginning a restoration effort, which must then follow a rigid set of standards issued by the Secretary of the Interior in Washington.

Who was chosen to undertake
so vast and demanding a project?
Garbutt Construction, of course.

Three stories. Sixteen thousand square feet. A total new infrastructure for mechanical and electrical systems. Extensive exterior restoration. Structural upgrades throughout. All new interior work and finishes. The list of what we accomplished goes on and on, and when we were done the Old Governor’s Mansion was new again, full of its original grandeur and teaming with new life. And almost certainly better than Sherman left it.