- Collection:
- Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Presentation Slide Collection, 1968-2000
- Title:
- Westville
- Creator:
- Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
- Contributor to Resource:
- McDonald, Edward, 1812-1878
West, John Word, 1876-1961
Mahan, Joseph B., 1921-1995 - Date of Original:
- 1970-04
- Subject:
- Architecture
Historic sites--Georgia--Stewart County
Historic buildings--Georgia--Stewart County
Architecture, Domestic--Georgia--Stewart County
Columbus (Ga.)--Historic houses, etc.
Lumpkin (Ga.)--Historic houses, etc.
Architecture, Colonial--Georgia--Lumpkin
Architecture, Domestic--Georgia--Lumpkin
Architecture, Colonial--Georgia--Columbus
Architecture, Domestic--Georgia--Columbus
Dwellings--Georgia-Lumpkin
Dwellings--Georgia--Columbus
Historic sites--Interpretive programs--Georgia--Columbus
Folklore and history--Georgia--Columbus
Public history--Methodology
Folklore and history
Heritage tourism--Social aspects
Historic sites--Interpretive programs
Historiography
Historic Westville (Columbus, Ga.)--History
Columbus (Ga.)--Historiography
Cotton trade--Georgia
Cultural property--Protection
Historic preservation--Georgia
Historic buildings--Conservation and restoration - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Clayton County, Jonesboro, 33.5215, -84.35381
United States, Georgia, Muscogee County, Columbus, 32.46098, -84.98771
United States, Georgia, Stewart County, Lumpkin, 32.05099, -84.79909 - Medium:
- color slides
historic buildings
cultural tourism
historic sites
historic preservation - Type:
- Still Image
- Format:
- image/jp2
- Description:
- [Detail, McDonald House, Historic Westville]. Side view of the home of Edward McDonald, 1812-1878, part of Historic Westville. Edward McDonald was a profitable cotton merchant based in Cuthbert, Georgia. His family was unique in that it was part of the Southern merchant middle class; most white Southerners in the Chattahoochee Valley were either yeoman or small-scale farmers. Historic Westville's history began with Lieutenant Colonel John Word West, a history professor at North Georgia College, influenced by industrial magnates like John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Henry Ford who created interactive historic villages such as Colonial Williamsburg and Greenfield Village. In the late 1920s, West decided to collect historic buildings (such as Edward McDonald's ) on the grounds of his own home in Jonesboro, Georgia. He invested his own money to save and restore historic buildings and collections, establishing a living-history project in 1928. After unsuccessful attempts to get state funding, West's colleague, Dr. Joseph Mahan sought to preserve his legacy by pivoting to other means of support. After West's death in 1961, land was secured in Lumpkin, Georgia in 1966 to establish a site where these historic houses could be moved and traditional crafts could be performed. The Lumpkin site opened to the public in 1970. After operating continuously since 1928, except for a few years in the 1960s, it became the site of Historic Westville in 2001.In 2014, Historic Westville's executive board decided to relocate Historic Westville to Columbus, Georgia, which reopened on June 22, 2019, with its relocated historic buildings and interpreters demonstrating traditional trades. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 brought financial difficulties, exacerbated by the $9.5 million cost of moving 17 historic buildings from Lumpkin to Columbus. Despite reopening with COVID protocols in October 2020, the financial burden proved too much, and Historic Westville has remained closed since the pandemic. More detailed information is available from the Westville Records collection (MC348) at Columbus State University Archives and Special Collections, McDonald House's Historic Westville entry https://pocketsights.com/tours/place/McDonald-House-34027:4127 , and the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer at https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article285229077.html [accessed April 17, 2025]Variant names include: Westville. See the Westville Records collection (MC348) at Columbus State University Archives and Special Collections at https://www.columbusstate.edu/archives/findingaids/mc348.php, McDonald House's Historic Westville entry https://pocketsights.com/tours/place/McDonald-House-34027:4127 , and the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer at https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article285229077.html
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gthp_gthp-slides_327
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gthp_gthp-slides_327#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gthp_gthp-slides_327/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- Please contact holding institution for information regarding use and copyright status.
- Holding Institution:
- Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
- Rights:
-
