Over 45 historic homes, sites to open for tours during Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Fall Ramble in Americus, Oct. 11-13
Americus, GA. Sept. 11, 2024 — More than 45 historic homes and sites in Americus and Sumter County will be open for tours during the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Fall Ramble on Oct. 11-13. The event will offer visitors and residents alike a rare opportunity to explore private homes not usually open to the public and go behind the scenes of historically significant sites.
On Friday, “ramblers” will tour a wide variety of architectural styles spanning the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries including the Eldridge-Ferguson House, a Second Empire style house that was built in 1867 for a wealthy physician from Baltimore and whose descendants occupied it for over a century; the Shaw-Heys House, built in 1881 for prominent haberdasher John R. Shaw as a gift to his bride Kate Felder, a sister of the mayor; and a historic downtown loft that was recently renovated by Charles Crisp.
Saturday’s Ramble will begin at the Rylander Theatre with a brief orientation and history of the city. Sites on Saturday’s Ramble include the c. 1833 Guerry-Mitchell House, the oldest surviving house in Americus; the Hancock-Eldridge House, a c. 1853-54 house built for Americus’ first newspaper publisher, Charles W. Hancock, and the only surviving example of the Gothic Revival style in the city; the Harrold-Harrison House, one of the city’s most impressive Queen Anne style houses which was featured in Southwest Georgia Living magazine; and the Kinnamon-Hale House, a c. 1915 Craftsman style house that contains six generations of family furnishings, artwork and local memorabilia.
On Sunday, Oct. 13, registrants will explore the remarkably designed home of Mark Minick, owner of Minick Interiors; Chokee Ranch, an 1845 vernacular structure that was saved and rehabilitated by its current owners; and a historic farmstead that has been owned by the same family since 1825 and includes a c. 1912 farmhouse and grain bins that have been uniquely converted into a guest house.
The Ramble also includes special dining experiences held at historic sites throughout the weekend. After Friday’s Ramble, guests can enjoy dinner and cocktails at Georgia Southwestern State University’s Wheatley Administration Building, a Georgia Trust Preservation Award winner. Saturday morning, guests will be served breakfast at the historic Carnegie Library. On Saturday night, guests will enjoy dinner and cocktails at the meticulously restored Lee Council House. Finally, a Sunday brunch will be held at the historic home of Mark Minick.
A wide variety of registration options are available. Tickets are available through Oct. 8. Learn more at GeorgiaTrust.org.
About Rambles
Rambles feature tours and social events in historic properties not usually open to the public. Tours of historic homes and buildings are self-guided, and guests provide their own transportation. These trips attract hundreds of participants per Ramble and are offered two weekends each year in the fall and spring. Recent Rambles have included Athens, Madison and Atlanta.
About the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Founded in 1973, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation works for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia’s diverse historic resources and advocates their appreciation, protection and use.
As one of the country’s leading statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations, the Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund and raises awareness of other endangered historic resources through an annual listing of Georgia’s “Places in Peril.” The Trust honors preservation projects and individuals with its annual Preservation Awards and recognizes students and professionals with the Neel Reid Prize and Liz Lyon Fellowship. The Trust offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, provides technical assistance to property owners and historic communities, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts, and manages two house museums in Atlanta (Rhodes Hall) and Macon (Hay House). To learn more, visit georgiatrust.org.
