40-plus Thomasville homes open for Georgia Trust Ramble

THOMASVILLE – More than 40 historic homes and sites will be open for tours during the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Spring Ramble in Thomasville, April 12-14. Co-hosted by Thomasville Landmarks, the event will offer visitors and residents a rare opportunity to explore private historic homes and buildings that are not usually open to the public.

“We are thrilled that so many preservation-minded individuals from across the state will be visiting our very special town,” Ramble Committee Chairwoman Stephane Ughetto said. “I am certain that they will be back many times to patronize our downtown shops and restaurants.”

“It is a privilege to be working with the Georgia Trust to bring a ramble to Thomasville for the first time in nearly 15 years,” Mary Lawrence Lang, Thomasville Landmarks’ Executive Director, said in a news release announcing the event. “This is a tremendous opportunity to show off our community to a captive audience of architecture and history enthusiasts that value the authenticity and distinct historic character that Thomasville is famous for.”

On April 12, “ramblers” will have the opportunity to explore beautifully restored historic houses, including the Dawes House, an Asian-inspired Craftsman bungalow; the Stinson House, a vernacular Italianate house that was saved by Thomasville Landmarks’ Revolving Fund; and the Spence House, a beautifully restored transitional-style house that received Thomasville Landmarks’ Award of Outstanding Achievement for rehabilitation in 2006.

Also on the April 12 tour is the Myers House, which was revitalized through Thomasville Landmarks’ Operation C.A.R.E., a program that was started in 1997 to help historic homeowners, who have fixed or limited incomes, repair and rehabilitate their homes. After the first day of the ramble, the Georgia Trust will host the 42nd annual Preservation Awards at Thomasville First United Methodist Church, where the state’s top preservationists and projects will be recognized.

Guests will spend April 13 enjoying more of Thomasville, rambling along the most prominent streets in town and discovering a mixture of high style and vernacular architecture in the city’s National Register districts. The April 13 tour includes Greenwood Plantation, a Greek-revival masterpiece that served as a refuge for Jacqueline Kennedy following the death of President John F. Kennedy and the interior of which remains charred after being ravaged by fire in 1993 just after the completion of a full redecoration by society decorator Sister Parrish; the Stephens-Butler House, a home that was notably owned by Baron Vicco von Stralendorff and his wife, who received the cottage as a wedding gift in the 1870s, and the Scott-Beverly House, a Georgian revival home that was inspired by the 18th-century James River plantations of Virginia.

On April 14, attendees will wrap up the ramble weekend by exploring Pebble Hill Plantation’s 76-acre grounds, including the 1936 main house designed by Abram Garfield with its extensive art collection and priceless antiques. Guests will tour the village of Neoclassical revival outbuildings, including the log cabin school, fire engine house and stable complex, as well as beautifully restored gardens that feature a reflection pool, sundial and a hedge maze dating to 1935.

The ramble also includes special dining experiences held at historic sites throughout the weekend. On April 12, attendees will enjoy cocktails and dinner at Osceola, an 840-acre plantation that is owned by the family of Marguerite Williams, a founding trustee of the Georgia Trust. The next day, breakfast will take place at Thomasville Center for the Arts, followed by a brief historical orientation of Thomasville and the Georgia’s Trust’s annual meeting.

Lunch will be in downtown Thomasville, where ramblers can choose from a variety of local eateries. That evening, guests will dine at the exclusive Glen Arven Country Club, one of the oldest clubs in America whose golf course was a favorite of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. On April 14, guests will enjoy brunch at the Sugar Hill Barn, located on the grounds of Pebble Hill Plantation.

A wide variety of registration options is available. Whether planning to tour for one day or spending the weekend, there’s something for everyone during the exploration of historic Thomasville. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaTrust.org. Proceeds benefit the Georgia Trust and Thomasville Landmarks.

Rambles feature tours and social events in historic properties not usually open to the public. Tours of historic homes and buildings are self-guided. 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, Savannah and the Golden Isles.

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.

Since 1966 Thomasville Landmarks’ mission to preserve, protect and advance the architecture, landscape and history unique to Thomas County has served as one of the area’s most powerful economic engines, building a national reputation as a leading innovator in the field of historic preservation. To learn more, visit www.thomasvillelandmarks.org.