Built on North Wilkinson Street for George T. Brown by John Marlor, this structure first served as the U.S. Hotel and then the Beecher-Brown Hotel. Daniel B. Stetson bought the house in 1857. His daughter Elizabeth was married to Judge Daniel B. Sanford, Clerk of the Secession Convention. During the 1950s and 1960s it served as the Sanford House Tea Room. The family donated it to the Old Capital Historical Society who moved it to West Hancock Street in 1966. It’s open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Milledgeville Trolley Tours and is available for events. Admission is charged.
Milledgeville Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
When I was growing up in the ’60s, my dad used to frequent “The Sanford House” for lunch, since it was a tearoom. He told me once he had known Flannery O’Connor – she was frequently there for lunch.
It used to be sandwiched between the Piggly Wiggly grocery store and Trapnells Shoe Store. I always liked to imagine it during the time it was built – without those modern businesses on either side. I remember when they moved it to its current location, where it looks more at home now.