The mysterious abandoned mansion rumoured to be built on gold

Discover the secrets of this grand Antebellum house

Abandoned Southeast

An exquisite example of pre-Civil War architecture, Rockwell House in Georgia was left vacant following a fire in 1969. Thanks to photographer Leland Kent of Abandoned Southeast, you can now take a look inside this enigmatic Southern mansion and discover the truth behind the mystery of its buried gold...

Southern belle

Abandoned Southeast

Built in 1838 for Colonel Samuel Rockwell, an attorney, slaveholder and veteran of the Creek Indian War, this magnificent house is located in the quaint historic town of Milledgeville, which at the time, served as the capital of Georgia.

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Palatial property

Courtesy Library of Congress

Rockwell hired Maine architect Joseph Lane to design the house. No expense was spared on the imposing mansion, which commands an enviable elevated position in a grove of ancient oak and magnolia trees. Every single piece of lumber that went into the construction was hand-cut and crafted with the utmost skill.

Unusual facade

Courtesy Library of Congress/Kyle Campbell/Preservation South

Unlike many other Southern mansions of the period which were painted in pristine white, Rockwell House was finished in light yellow and offset by Charleston green shutters, as shown in this digital recreation by Kyle Campbell of Preservation South.

Hefty price tag

Abandoned Southeast

Staggeringly, the wrought-iron fence that runs around the front of the property is said to have cost the same amount as the house to make! The story goes that Colonel Rockwell had a heart attack when he saw the bill totalling around $2,600 (£2.2k). Rockwell died at the mansion in 1841 – whether the extortionate fence hastened his passing is left up to speculation.

Famous former resident

Engraving by J. C. Buttre / daguerreotype / Wikimedia Commons

The property eventually passed on to Georgia Governor Herschel Vespasian Johnson in the 1850s and was used as his summer retreat. One of the property's best-known residents, Johnson was a prominent American politician and even ran as Vice President for the Democratic Party in 1860.

Changing hands

Abandoned Southeast

Following Johnson's death in 1880, Rockwell House was home to a succession of wealthy merchants and farmers before it was acquired in 1904 by Marshall Bland, an agent for the New York Life Insurance Company. Bland attempted to sell the house in 1910 to a man from out of town but despite paying a deposit, the buyer mysteriously failed to claim the property.

Pristine condition

@rockwellhousega/Instagram

The mansion was eventually bought by Bland's cousin Oscar Ennis. This image, taken during Ennis's tenure and believed to have been featured in a 1950s magazine, shows the majestic residence in its heyday, complete with manicured lawns and a tree-lined drive.

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Grand entrance

Abandoned Southeast

Back to the present day and as you step inside the entrance, it's not hard to imagine this regal residence's grand former life. Flanked by intricate glasswork and ornate covings, the front door is a work of art, while the curved sweeping staircase would've offered an impressive welcome to Milledgeville's well-to-do.

Elegant proportions

Abandoned Southeast

Despite signs of damage and wear and tear, the palatial property's ground floor has weathered the years pretty well. This light-filled sitting room is particularly charming, with its decorative fireplace and stunning sash windows. Ennis and his family called the residence home until 1962 when it was purchased by local dentist Dr Robert Watson.

Ambitious restoration

Abandoned Southeast

When Watson acquired the home, it was in a sorry state of disrepair, so he embarked on an ambitious project to restore the property to its former glory. The extensive revamp was making impressive progress until one fateful day in August 1969.

Devastating blaze

Courtesy Rockwell House Restoration/Facebook

While removing paint with a blow torch – never a good idea in a historic house made largely of wood – workers accidentally set fire to the upstairs southeast bedroom. This photo of the charred room taken in 1976 shows the extent of the damage.

Shadow of its former self

Abandoned Southeast

The fire damage was made good, but the room, which is likely to have been exposed to the elements and neglected for some time following the blaze, now shows signs of severe water damage. With its worn floorboards and damaged hearth, this once-regal room is crying out for a thorough revamp.

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Cash injection

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

Not long after the fire, the mansion's beautiful dining room was selected for preservation at the Winterthur Museum near Wilmington, Delaware. The museum purchased the black marble mantle, intricate woodwork, architrave and impressions of the plaster around the ceiling. The proceeds of the sale went towards repairing the fire and smoke-damaged interiors, which were in dire need of restoration.

Preserved for posterity

Courtesy Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

The dining room was painstakingly recreated in all its splendour at the museum and is now known as the Georgia Room. In 1999, the museum's curators uncovered a period picture of the room, which showed it decked out with elegant red and gold-fringed curtains, and the space was reinterpreted to reflect this.

Property in peril

Abandoned Southeast

Despite being stripped of its features, the bare bones of the dining room still have promise, from the stunning panelling to the ceiling cornicing. However, the property's heritage was put in peril in the early 1970s when a local man planned to purchase the property and sell off its remaining original features. Fortunately, realtors Joanne and Cecil Ogden snapped up the property instead.

Retro nostalgia

@rockwellhousega/Instagram

Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, little work was carried out on the home apart from the bare essentials, and the mansion deteriorated further. Nevertheless, vintage schemes like this retro bathroom have survived relatively unscathed.

Thrown a life line

Abandoned Southeast

With flaking plasterwork throughout the first floor and a staircase badly in need of attention, the house remained vacant until earlier this year. Things then took a turn for the better when Rockwell House was acquired for a bargain £286,000 ($350k) by a team of investors led by Atlanta realtor Ross Sheppard, who specialises in restoring historic properties.

Attention to detail

Abandoned Southeast

Sheppard has enlisted the assistance of conservation expert Kyle Campbell of Preservation South to oversee the renovation. While the conservation team is sticking religiously to authentic, heritage materials for the job, they have employed some innovative modern techniques to restore the interiors and exterior of the property.

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State-of-the-art restoration

Abandoned Southeast

The ornate woodwork in the dining room, which now resides in the Winterthur Museum in Delaware, is being recreated using the latest 3D-scanning and printing techniques. The conservationists are keen to faithfully recreate every aspect of the house down to the light fittings.

An enduring mysery

Abandoned Southeast

The dwelling's stunning grounds will also be taken in hand. Spanning 12 acres and featuring a spring-fed pond, plus several outhouses that were once living quarters for slaves, the grand estate isn't short of intriguing tales. Rumour has it that a hoard of gold is buried somewhere on the land, with local legends speculating that the treasure is nestled under the foundations. Who knows what the renovations might unearth!

Faithful finishes

Courtesy Rockwell House Restoration/Facebook

A registered historic landmark, much of the home's original woodwork and period features are well-preserved. However, during the 1940s, the front porch column bases were remodelled in concrete and brick rather than their original wood. Campbell and the team intend to remedy this and recreate the facade's original appearance.

A historic landmark reborn

Rockwell House Restoration/Facebook

With renovations well underway, the property is likely to house some very lucky students from Georgia College upon its completion. Nestled amongst landscaped grounds and framed by that lavish wrought-iron fence, the mansion has recently been repainted its original sunny yellow. Once derelict and loved, this palatial property is now reclaiming its former glory – though as of yet, there's still no word on the buried gold...

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