Adairsville, Georgia
Barnsley Gardens
Step back to an era when parkland, pleasure grounds and gardens were as much a statement of wealth as the fine mansion set within them. Then imagine the task of creating such a place in a frontier wilderness in the 1840s, three weeks’ ride from Savannah, the nearest point of civilization. The legendary figure that achieved all this was an English emigrant and cotton factor, Godfrey Barnsley. His magical country retreat survived war, family impoverishment, a tornado and 60 years of neglect. Rescued in 1988, the historic gardens and the remains of the Manor House Ruins are now restored. [ info ]