The Hay House

Photo Credit: The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

This is one of my favorite southern homes yet! The ride from Atlanta wasn’t bad and the tour lasted about an hour so we had time to have lunch in Macon as well.

First let me tell you about the house. William Butler Johnston invested in banking, railroads and utilities instead of cotton which was common for the South at the time.

When he was 40 years old he married 20 year old Anne Clark Tracy and they had a two and a half year honeymoon in Europe. They collected all kinds of porcelains and fine art. They were so inspired by the architecture in Europe that on their return home they constructed this Italian Renaissance Revival mansion in Macon starting in 1855 and continuing through 1959.

Architect T. Thomas and Son was commissioned to build the house and they had artisans from Italy to work on the home. The house had hot and cold running water, central heat, gas lighting and a speaker tube system. Reminded me a lot of Downtown Abbey except the Johnston’s had an elevator!

The Johnston’s had six children but only 2 survived past the age of two. Caroline and Mary Ellen. When their daughter Mary Ellen got married to William H. Felton they became the primary owners of the estate. They had one child, William Jr.

Mary Ellen and William H. Felton 1888 (Hay House Collection)

Louisa Macgill Gibson and William H. Felton Jr. around the time of their marriage in 1915. (Hay House Collection)

William Jr. and his wife Louisa sold the house in 1926 to Parks Lee Hay and his wife Maude who owned the Banker’s  Health and Life Insurance Company.

After Mrs. Hay’s death in 1962, her heirs opened the house for tours. In 1977 the ownership of the house was turned over to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

Maude Saxon Murphy Hay and her stepchildren Vivian, Elizabeth, and P. L. Jr. in 1929. (Hay House Collection)

The original house sat on 3.8 acres but most of the land was sold. The only architectural landscaping left is the lower garden and fish pond and a few ginkgo, magnolias and cedar trees.

They give roof top tours and tours all the way to the top of the two story octagonal cupola but our tour guide told us we’d have to come back when the weather was cooler. It was nearly 100 degrees the day we visited so I understood the safety concern.

Loved the pocket doors and the crown molding! The arches in the hallway and the wine cellar. It was a very interesting trip and I hope you'll get to experience this historic home one day.

Stair case in the front hall (Hay House Collection)

Dining Room (Hay House Collection)

For more information, contact:
Hay House
934 Georgia Ave. Macon, Georgia 31201
478-742-8155
Fax 478-745-4277