As you walk through the garden, you notice the fragrance of roses. Theres a kind of quiet peace surrounding you and its easy to imagine youve somehow gone back to another time. You look up and see the ruins of what seems to be a large mansion. A mansion? Here in Adairsville, GA? The story of how that mansion came to be built is a story of romance and determination.
Godfrey Barnsley was born August 26, 1805 in Derbyshire, England. He came to America in 1823, at the age of 18 with very little in the way of education or money. In Savannah, GA he became a clerk for a cotton shipping firm and rose quickly in the cotton world. By 1834, he had become one of the top cotton merchants in the south. While living and working in Savannah, he met Julia Scarborough, the daughter of a prominent merchant and financier. They fell in love and were married December 24, 1828.
Savannah had seasonal outbreaks of yellow fever and malaria due to the warm, humid climate. Barnsley wanted to find a location with a cooler climate where their 5 children would to be healthier. His idea was to build a grand mansion for his wife. It was in Cass County (now known as Bartow County), that he found what he was looking for. Until recently, the Cherokee Indians had lived in that area and many of them believed the land to be cursed. Barnsley had been told that this was a cursed area and he would not be wise to build there but, he had found what he wanted and was going to build his home there. Curse or no curse.
He brought his family to Adairsville and began work on his estate in 1841. Barnsley named his new home Woodlands. Barnsley was going to build his house in the style of an Italian villa and it would have the best materials available. Marble was imported from Italy, doors and paneling imported from London, money was no object where his house was concerned. He designed the houses gardens in the English style and had many varieties of roses and exotic plants brought in. It was truly going to be a dream house. It wasnt many years later that the dream came to an end. Julia became sick with tuberculosis and went home to Savannah, where she died. Barnsley was devastated by the loss of his wife. In his grief, he threw himself into his work and left his 6 children in the care of a governess for more than a year. When he returned to visit his children, it is said that he saw the spirit of Julia near a fountain in the garden and she told him he needed to complete work on the house for their children. He returned to Woodlands and finished building a home for his children. Barnsley and his children lived on the property until the civil war. During and after the war, much of Barnsleys fortune was ruined. He retreated to New Orleans in an effort to recoup some of his losses and it was in New Orleans that Barnsley died in 1873. The Barnsley family lived in the house until a tornado struck it in 1906. They then moved into the kitchen wing until 1942. The house fell into disrepair and sat decaying until 1988 when the land was bought and made into a resort and spa.
As with any old house, there tales that are told about hauntings- one of the spirits said to have seen at Barnsley gardens is the spirit of a Colonel Earle. Colonel Earle attempted to ride to Woodlands and warn the family that the Union Army was approaching but was shot down near the house. You can see his grave marker in the gardens if you visit. And then, there is Godfreys own story of seeing Julia at the fountain. There have been others who said they saw a woman in white in the garden. If youre if up near Adairsville, take the time to visit Julias garden. Maybe youll get to visit with Julia herself.
With much thanks to the following websites:
www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/civil_war/northwest/adairsville_Area.html
www.notatlanta.org/barnsley.html
www.barnsleyinn.com
http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/barnsley.html
- Laurie Cory, 2004
back to top
