Record Setter: Eatonton Expedition a huge success

  • The Haley Family at their home near Rock Eagle (l-r), Farrell Elliott, parents Chuck and Ame Haley, their son Wil with his wife Blayre, and his sister MacKay Cornelia.
    The Haley Family at their home near Rock Eagle (l-r), Farrell Elliott, parents Chuck and Ame Haley, their son Wil with his wife Blayre, and his sister MacKay Cornelia.
  • L-R: EHPC Chair Lyn Romine with local residents Vicki and Gary Bohe-Thackwell at Sylvia’s Coffee Shop in downtown Eatonton.
    L-R: EHPC Chair Lyn Romine with local residents Vicki and Gary Bohe-Thackwell at Sylvia’s Coffee Shop in downtown Eatonton.
  • Buddy and Sara Nolan spent two years converting the space above Sara’s downtown Eatonton womenswear shop into a cool, sophisticated living space.
    Buddy and Sara Nolan spent two years converting the space above Sara’s downtown Eatonton womenswear shop into a cool, sophisticated living space.
  • Virginia and Michael Wright welcomed guests into their 1880s-built home on Eatonton’s historic Madison Avenue.
    Virginia and Michael Wright welcomed guests into their 1880s-built home on Eatonton’s historic Madison Avenue.
  • Eatonton residents John and Gina Thomason said they appreciated the opportunity to see inside some of the city’s most historic residences.
    Eatonton residents John and Gina Thomason said they appreciated the opportunity to see inside some of the city’s most historic residences.
  • L-R: Melissa Swindell, executive director of Georgia Writers Museum, chats with Madison-Morgan Cultural Center Board Chair Ruth Bracewell, and Chris Lambert, a Georgia Trust and MMCC board member.
    L-R: Melissa Swindell, executive director of Georgia Writers Museum, chats with Madison-Morgan Cultural Center Board Chair Ruth Bracewell, and Chris Lambert, a Georgia Trust and MMCC board member.
  • EHPC board member Diane Folk hosted Eatonton Expedition visitors at her 1818-era house, the oldest residence on the tour.
    EHPC board member Diane Folk hosted Eatonton Expedition visitors at her 1818-era house, the oldest residence on the tour.

    With 829 tickets sold and 802 picked up at The Plaza Saturday morning, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Eatonton Expedition set a new all-time attendance record for the 51-year-old organization. 

    Visitors arrived in Eatonton from seven states, with one couple traveling from Texas.

    “I think they were surprised by that number; I know I was,” Eatonton Historic Preservation Commission (EHPC) Chair Lyn Romine admitted. “We were hoping for maybe 300 to 400 because Milledgeville had one last June and drew about 500 guests, I think.

    “We were worried a little about the date, too; we did not choose the time of year,” she added. “We would’ve probably chosen springtime, but they chose these times, and it was probably a very good time. It was before football and after school started, so people weren’t coming and going.”

    Twenty-two sites were part of the Expedition, including four at or near Rock Eagle, north of the city. Otherwise, all were within walking distance of The Plaza, including many historic homes, as well as the Putnam County Courthouse, Georgia Writers Museum, First United Methodist Church, and The Plaza itself.

    Michael Homeier, co-owner of Panola Hall on North Madison Avenue with his wife, Diana, said he couldn’t believe the crowd's interest, which developed immediately upon the Expedition's 11 a.m. start and barely let up until its 4 p.m. close.

    “They said 800-plus people, and I can believe it. And I think every one of them came to visit us,” Homeier said. “But it was great. It was a lot of work to get things ready, but it was a lot of fun, too. I’m just so thankful for the volunteer docents who were there to help. We couldn’t have managed without them.”

    Romine said more than 100 volunteers helped make the Eatonton Expedition a success, and she is grateful to each one.

    “They all were delighted to help, and I think everyone had a great time,” she said. “Eatonton can be proud of the way everyone responded and helped out. I think the people from the Trust were blown away by our support and response here.”

    Murray and Mary Air, who hosted the Expedition’s afterparty outdoors at their 1855-built home, said it was a lot of work but a pleasant experience overall.

    “People were so polite, like when they’re going to The Masters,” said Murray Air, who is on the EHPC steering committee. "It was a lot of work getting everything ready, but the Georgia Trust did most of the structural work of getting things going, organizing all the signs and advertising. So, we didn't have to worry about any of that, which was good. But the visits through the homes just went just as smooth as could be, at least from our standpoint.”

    He also thanked Eatonton Mayor John Reid, all city councilors, city workers, City Manager Gary Sanders, the Eatonton Police Department and Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and “so many local people who each contributed in their own way to making this such a success.”

    Thomas University
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    Mason Jackson