The story
The Appalachian foothills North of Atlanta offer a harbor
to a secluded treasure: the proud and stately ruins of a
pre-civil war estate, blossoming silently like a rare flower
as it is transformed into a restful retreat….The Barnsley
Gardens Resort.
Barnsley Gardens has a past filled with love, loss, and
legends.
A young Godfrey Barnsley sailed from his native England to
Savannah, Georgia in 1824. His meager beginnings were short
lived as he soon became one of the most affluent young
business men of the city, creating a successful
cotton/shipping trade. Within a few short years, he was
recognized by ministers of trade the world over for
establishing significant US/ Foreign trade relations, and
served American Presidents as Vice-Consulate to European and
South American nations.
In 1828 he took the beautiful Julia Scarborough of Savannah
as his bride. By the early 1840’s Godfrey had amassed a huge
fortune on the Savannah waterfront.
It was a time when the Southern Ports supplied the world
with king cotton, vast estates bloomed, and the lure of
newly evacuated Indian lands to the North led wealthy sea
merchants to adventure into the unknown. While plagued by
the dreadful heat and yellow fever of the low lands in the
mid 19th Century, Godfrey transported his wife, family, and
a fleet of servants into the cooler climate of the Georgia
up country. Here he began purchasing large tracts of the old
Cherokee Indian Lands and began to create a grand Estate and
Gardens, a prominent oasis amidst the lovely mountains of
Northwest Georgia that he named… “Woodlands“. Trees, plants,
and shrubs, along with thousands of priceless collections
from the four corners of the World were transported to
Woodlands, the illustrious dream home he had long planned
for his beloved Julia.
Shortly thereafter Julia became very ill, was returned to
Savannah, and soon died of a lung ailment. Heartbroken over
her premature death, Godfrey ceased construction of the
estate, left his children under the care of his servants and
traveled away for a time hoping to find some sort of solace.
But after gaining little comfort from his travels, he
eventually returned, only to discover that his unfinished
“Woodlands” was a constant reminder of his happier days with
Julia and the many dreams they had shared. He would later
state that he seemed to feel the presence of his beloved
Julia each time he roamed the Gardens of Woodlands.
According to Godfrey, it was a short time later that Julia
appeared to him in a dream, pleading with him to finish the
estate. He immediately wrote to his overseer that
construction would be resumed. Godfrey would spend years
thereafter striving to complete Julia’s grand manor and
gardens down to her every wish.
The huge “Italianate” style manor consisting of sixteen
rooms, featured modern plumbing and many other intricate
furnishings far ahead of its time. As the years passed the
magnificent setting was considered a show case of the south
with visitors coming from near and far to enjoy the
breathtaking beauty of Barnsley Gardens at Woodlands.
Later the Civil War leveled Godfrey Barnsley’s fortune, but
the great house remained.
In 1864, during the invasion of Woodlands by General
Sherman’s Union Troops, it was Godfrey’s tenacious, strong
willed daughter Julia who rescued the estate from
starvation…truly a strong womans’ story.
Godfrey Barnsley died in New Orleans in 1873. His body
returned to the family burial plot at Woodlands. His North
Georgia Estate would later become known as Barnsley Gardens.
At the turn of the twentieth Century, B.F.A. Saylor, a noted
chemist and mineralogist from Pennsylvania, found his way to
Barnsley Gardens and married the granddaughter Addie, thus
opening a whole new chapter of Barnsley History.
In 1906, it was a tornado that did battle with Barnsley
Manor, forcing the family to move into the outer wings.
During the 1930’s depression, two great grandsons, a prize
fighter and his brother, struggled fiercely to keep the
family empire out of the hands of greedy land tyrants of the
day. Later, a disagreement over their birth rights would
result in a very traumatic event….an event that would make
world news.
Addie Saylor, the last of the family blood at Barnsley
Gardens passed from the scene in 1942, when the entire
estate was auctioned.
For the next 40 years it fell into disrepair, leaving its
future in question. However, it seemed the Barnsley story
was not ready to end. In the years to follow at least a
portion of the Barnsley dream would experience a
transcendent awakening to become known as….Barnsley Gardens
Resort.
Now, once again, visitors from near and far travel to
Barnsley Gardens at Woodlands to enjoy the unique resort,
historic gardens, and museum….truly a historic treasure of
ante-bellum America.
The Barnsley saga proves to be a southern epic…of strong
women, poignant love, the civil war and even murder.
The Julia Company has published the book “Barnsley Gardens
The Illustrious Dream” by Barnsley author/historian Clent
Coker. This publication recounts many of the intriguing
stories surrounding four generations of the colorful
Barnsley’s at “Woodlands”.
Clent Coker
Barnsley Author/ Historian
