Thomasville estate would fit perfectly in a classic movie

Asheville, N.C., has the Biltmore House. But about four hours south of Atlanta, Georgia lays claim to its own historic, lavish mansion-cum-museum with sprawling acreage and lovingly landscaped grounds.

Just outside of downtown Thomasville, a quaint gem of a town with a looming water tower, antique shops and folksy allure, lies Pebble Hill Plantation. Established by Thomas Jefferson Johnson in 1827, the plantation’s columned, Greek Revival main house was built in 1936 after a fire destroyed all but a wing of the home that was built in 1914.

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Pebble Hill Plantation

Residents gathered in the family room, or big room, of the mansion after hunting expeditions or polo matches and on holidays.

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Pebble Hill Plantation

You can tour the Greek Revival mansion at historic Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville and roam 77 acres of the grounds.

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Over the years the property changed ownership several times through sales and inheritance, remaining a working farm throughout. Elisabeth “Pansy” Ireland Poe, its final owner, inherited the farm in 1936. Among the high-profile pals she entertained there were U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter. Poe lived at Pebble Hill until her death in 1978, and it opened as a museum in 1983.

The grounds

Pebble Hill Plantation encompasses 3,000 acres, 77 of which are open to the public. Visitors gain entrance at a guardhouse before driving through grounds adorned with canopies of age-old oak trees dripping in Spanish moss. Massive horses can sometimes be found at the edges of nearby fences seemingly greeting onlookers. A sign created by Poe herself reads “Slow Down, I Mean It,” echoing her passion for creatures of all kinds.

Once the car is parked, visitors are invited to picnic on tables by the pond and peruse the grounds at their leisure.

In its heyday, Pebble Hill was basically self-functioning. Sights include a dog hospital, the family cemetery and a garage, featuring a 1934 Packard and other rides ranging from the ’20s to the ’60s. A building that once served as stables, a dairy and a carriage house is now the visitors’ center. Built in 1928, it’s a brick compound with a pair of massive turrets at the entrance. Inside is a collection of historical photos and stable artifacts. The dairy’s pasteurization room is now an intimate theater with a video presentation that dispenses some Pebble Hill 101. But the highlight is in the stable’s courtyard, rimmed by serpentine brick walls, where Jersey cow shows and auctions were held.

The oldest standing building at Pebble Hill is the 1901 log cabin schoolhouse. The room contains a pair of wooden kiddy desks, a teacher’s podium and some old-school toys, such as a metal pedal car and wooden airplanes.

Engineering buffs may enjoy the brick pump house. It opened to the public two years ago and allows guests to gander at the gigantic green coal-fired boilers that once provided steam heat throughout the plantation’s buildings.

The main house

Pebble Hill’s star attraction is the main house, from the domed ceiling and jumbo winding staircase in the foyer to the huge lanternlike ceiling lights and John James Audubon lithographs on the walls. The public is free to wander the various bedrooms, bathrooms, suites and gathering areas upstairs and down.

All the furnishings belonged to Poe’s family. Most of them are English and span periods from the 1600s to the early 20th century.

Poe was an avid collector. Closets throughout the house have been converted into memorabilia cases displaying Herend china breakfast trays, trophies, statues and more. A seemingly endless amount of china and crystal lines the butler’s pantry, which stretches up to the ceiling. A replica carving of the original stables is on view in the balcony room.

Hunting and horseback riding were huge at Pebble Hill, as is evident in much of the artwork, from the hand-stitched table linens to the paintings on the walls. The Indian room upstairs is packed with arrowheads, spears, guns and other such memorabilia. Artist J. Clinton Shepherd’s mural of Native Americans stalking turkeys sets the tone.

The grand finale is the downstairs family room, or big room. This is where the brood would hang out on holidays or after a day of hunting or polo. Antique couches and chairs provide seating around a gargantuan fireplace. Another Shepherd mural flows across all four walls, depicting geese and other wildlife found at Pebble Hill. Check out the hand-painted wildlife lampshades on the floor lamps. Recessed trophy cases hold countless amounts of Poe’s silver and silver-plated horse trophies. The cases are topped with hand-carved horse heads in honor of Poe’s favorite steeds.

IF YOU GO

Pebble Hill Plantation, 1251 U.S. 319 S., Thomasville. 229-226-2344, www.pebblehill.com. Grounds admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children ages 2-12, and free for children younger than 2. Main house admission is $10 adults and $4 children ages 6-12. Children younger than 6 are not allowed in the main house. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. The main house is open 10 a.m.-

3:45 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and

1-3:45 p.m. Sundays. Main house tours take about 1 1/2 hours. Allow an additional three hours to tour the grounds.