When in Rome, Do As You Done in Milledgeville
You might not know Milledgeville, Georgia, without which you have read a few stories by a literary lady named Mary Flannery O’Connor. Yes indeed, dear readers, our love of Southern literature knows no manners or bounds. In the midst of a week long vacation, in the middle of southern Georgia, we decided on a whim to look up the home of Flannery O’Connor, thinking it might not be too far out of our way. Less than an hour east of I-75, only an hour from Atlanta we found Andalusia, the home of Flannery O’Connor, open for visitors and full of literary mystique.
Hidden off U.S. Route 441, Andalusia sits on several generous acres of farmland, hidden from all the commercial signs of the 21st Century. It’s easy to miss the turn-off, as the sign for the farm is barely three feet tall, but that’s the way they like it at the farm. “We don’t want to be like Rock City,” said Mark, our tour guide, by way of explaining that only “real fans of Flannery’s work” ought to visit the small farm, not every random passerby. It was cold and cloudy when we pulled into the gravel mud single-car lane and crunched up the driveway into the quiet little country estate.
Born in Savannah, Georgia on March 25, 1925, Flannery didn’t move to Milledgeville until 1940. Her family had a home in town, as well as the farm at Andalusia where she completed most of her major work, including her novels WISE BLOOD and THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY and nearly all of best known short stories, such as “Good Country People” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” This is the front view of the house, about two hundred yards up the road from the busy highway.
Past the house, the road continues around to the back, with a swampy pond down the hill and a grassy pasture to the left. Here’s a view of the house from a little further back.
We made it to the house around 3:30 p.m. and parked in the back, where we saw three peacocks. Here’s the backview of the house.
And to the left of the above view, the peacocks were cruising around in their cage. One blossomy male and his two girlfriends.
Inside, we were greeted by Mark, the tour guide, who politely welcomed us and gave us an overview of the house and its history. Flannery, he explained, stayed mostly on the ground floor because of her infirmities related to Lupus (the same disease that killed her father when she was only 15 years old). He also apologized for the state of the house, explaining that before The Flannery O’Connor – Andalusia Foundation was incorporated in 2001 the house was in a state of general disrepair, having been nearly abandoned for several years, despite recent efforts at restoration.
Inside, immediately to the left, we were able to see Flannery’s bedroom and study.
The typewriter wasn’t hers (which is kept elsewhere) but is a replica of the one she preferred, although the desk is in the same position where she wrote. Below is the view of the rest of the room from the bedroom entrance.
The painting was one of Flannery’s favorites, painted by one of her personal friends. I tried to get a closer view of the painting, as it seemed a perfect representation of Flannery’s characters, somehow beautifully grotesque, damned, in need of salvation but refusing to seek it.
More light entered the upstairs bedroom, also somewhat dilapidated but nevertheless elegant and full of warmth.
The view from the fireplace (Georgia winters can be well below freezing).
Ghostly drapes left unmended and untended:
A hitchcockian moment coming down the stairs:
And straight down:
View into the dining room off to the right of the main foyer:
In the foyer, a picture of Flannery side by side with a picture of her father:
Walking into the kitchen:
Flannery’s fridge:
And that was it. It wasn’t an enormous house, but the ceilings were 14 feet high and it felt like it would have been a lovely home, a restful place to write, and lovely place to entertain your friends in the summer. We didn’t stay long, but we stayed long enough to feel the powerful history of the home. We bought bumper stickers, postcards, and books.
She was a brilliant writer who died too young. We were lucky to visit her home and recommend that you do the same. Here’s the link to the Andalusia Foundation with directions to the farm. Thanks to you, Flannery O’Connor, for all of your wonderful words.
Thank you, what a wonderful piece and view into O’Connor’s home. Really enjoyed this.
Wow, so interesting. Love the photos!
MoonWynd
moonwyndstudio.com
Great journey! Thanks for sharing it.
I love this. What is it we hope to gain when we peer into an author’s past, turning the artifacts over in our hands, capturing images of “this is how it was”? Insight into the inspiration? Residual traces of magic that will transform our own work?
the energy in the house was intoxicating, at once lively and playful, but mournful, too, replete with the memories of her final days. . .
Well done, an interesting and thorough look at her home, providing some nice insights…. Just as a cultural aside, in the movie Pretty Woman, the character played by Julia Roberts, Vivian Ward, told her punter, Edward Lewis, played by Richard Gere, that she came from a little town in Georgia called Milledgeville….. interesting, eh? I wonder if the name Vivian Ward comes from any of O’Connor’s works?…. Any who, nice post, I enjoyed it….
aloha Literary Man. this is a beautiful treat. as a visual artist when I traveled Europe I had a track to not only visit the museums and galleries where the work of the greats could be found, but also their homes and studios and the areas they traversed. the most insightful were homes, studios and grounds. in these it was extremely apparent why and how these painters were inspired to paint the way they did. everything around them was reflected in their work. I’ve been to a few writer’s residences since those travels and I got the same sense. I get this same feeling through your images and presentation here. I understand better how and why Flannery wrote as she did seeing where she wrote and feeling here visual world. thank you for the treat. beautifully done. aloha.
thank you for such kind words! let us know if you’re aware of any other good writer’s homes hiding anywhere on the East Coast that might be worthy of a visit. . .
most likely you know more than I do. as a visual artist I had hoped to see the Edward Gory House last fall however circumstances prevented this and i am not in that area very often now. it has become quite popularized but i’d still be interested in seeing it. most of my other visits were in Europe (long ago) – or in the case of Rabindranath Tagore, India. there are others i’d be interested in however they’d probably answer the door in person and that may not be what you are looking for?? thanks for asking. i may yet remember someone. . . aloha.
“… without which you have read …” nice touch to introduce your photographic tour of the house and grounds. Can almost smell the fragrance of the old and true – patina of time: figuratively, literally, spiritually. As Miss O’Connor looks down from the other side, she must surely be honored by The Literary Man’s respectful attention. If I may speak for her, thanks.
It was such a lovely experience. Ghostly and enchanting. . .
I am going to make it a goal to visit the farm.I remember the first time i read a good man is hard to find, I instantly feel in love with her writing.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I really enjoyed this piece and have (thanks to you) discovered a wonderful writer whom I had never heard of. I love southern writers! I’ve downloaded from my library, this book by: Brad Gooch about Ms. F-O’Connor and am really enjoying. What a character she was! http://www.amazon.com/Flannery-A-Life-OConnor/dp/B0058M5IIO
Keep up the interesting posts, and pop in and visit me sometime:
moonwyndstudio.com Best wishes, love MoonWynd
Sweet! I’m jealous. I want to go there. So glad I could go there vicariously this morning. Thank you!
Reblogged this on The Josh Mahler Reader and commented:
A wonderful read about an author who died too young…