The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has hosted historic “Rambles” all over the state since 1974. Twice a year, for its Fall and Spring Rambles, the trust features tours of historic properties and homes not generally open to the public. Past Rambles have occurred in Athens, Columbus, Rome and Savannah.
But this year marks the first-ever Spring Ramble in Roswell. The three-day event will feature home tours, parties and meetings on historic preservation efforts.
The Rambles allow visitors to gander at a variety of historical properties in a community with its fair share of vintage homes, from the humble to the highbrow. Proceeds from the event support the trust’s mission of preserving and revitalizing Georgia’s historic resources.
“There is something for everyone: private homes, cemeteries, house museums, gardens, homes that are completely restored and ones that are being restored now,” said Bryn Chanudet, the special events manager for the trust. Visitors can take a self-guided tour through the 1836 Old Roswell Cemetery, contemplate the ambitious renovation of the former Roswell High School into loft homes and tour a new construction home, Chestnut Hill, built using 1820s materials to re-create a vintage farmhouse.
The Ramble’s organizers have made an effort to address Roswell’s history as a mill town divided along lines of class with the town square functioning as a line of separation. The Ramble will include grand estates such as Barrington Hall, which housed town founder Roswell King’s son Barrington King; and Great Oaks, built by another of the city's founding fathers, the Rev. Nathaniel Pratt. But on the final day of the tour, it will also feature mill workers' cottages from the 1850s, many of them renovated by contemporary homeowners.
Preview
The Georgia Trust Spring Ramble, Roswell
April 20-22. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Sunday. $50 Friday; $50 Saturday; $40 Sunday. $25 Friday; $25 Saturday; $20 Sunday for students with current valid student ID. 404-885-7812, www.georgiatrust.org.
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