Jim
Garner and Susan Hitchcock both share a love
of all things historic: Ms. Hitchcock holds
a master’s degree in historic
preservation, with an emphasis on landscape
history, and Mr. Garner has a lifetime
interest in old houses and holds a
master’s degree in horticulture. After
living in Midtown Atlanta for many years,
the two decided to leave the hectic pace of
the city and live one of their dreams
together by buying an old house and
restoring it.
Mr. Garner and Ms. Hitchcock researched
properties as far away as Virginia, but
couldn’t find the right combination of
location, price and style. When they came
upon the ad in The
Rambler for the Rice-George
House (c. 1815) in Eatonton, Ms. Hitchcock
recalls she was very interested in the
house, but wasn’t sure where the town was
located.
However, Mr. Garner had a soft spot for
Eatonton—it was his home for the first
three years of his life. During his call to Revolving
Fund Director Frank
White, Mr. Garner learned the property
had another feature he and Ms. Hitchcock had
never dreamed of finding—the remnants of a
19th-century landscape with ancient boxwoods
and other plantings. “That was definitely
a selling point for us,” he said.
When they first visited the property, they
found an even greater surprise.
“I was overjoyed to see that the boxwood
garden, although overgrown, was healthy.”
Ms. Hitchcock said. “I’ve spent most of
my career researching other people’s
landscapes and now I can research and
cultivate my own.”
The house itself proved even better than
they had expected as well.
“I was prepared for the worst,” Ms.
Hitchcock said. “When we got there, we
were impressed with the overall condition of
the house. Although it would require major
repairs, it appeared to be a good candidate
for restoration.”
After touring the property with several
preservation-minded experts, including
architectural historian Tommy Jones and
Georgia Trust board member and architect
Lane Green, they decided to buy the house.
By purchasing a Revolving Fund property, the
new owner agrees to follow certain
guidelines for rehabilitation and donate the
façade easement to The Georgia Trust.
To Mr. Garner and Ms. Hitchcock, these
conditions were another selling point.
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The
Rice-George House features the remnants
of a 19th-century landscape.
(above: view of the house before the
vegetation was taken off the front; below:
view of yard).
“I believe in historic preservation and I
believe these kinds of things are necessary
to ensure these properties are preserved,”
Mr. Garner said. “The question becomes,
‘do I believe in what The Georgia Trust is
doing and is it a well thought-out way of
preserving these properties?’ And the
answer is yes. If the time comes when I need
to sell the house, I believe that somewhere
there will be someone who believes the way I
do and will see the value in preserving this
house.”
To prepare for their new home and town, Mr.
Garner has begun researching the history of
Eatonton and its buildings, and has found
that theirs is one of the oldest houses in
the town. “I feel fortunate to have found
something this significant and rare in
Georgia,” he said.
Once the basic work of stabilization and
installing a few modern upgrades is
complete, the couple looks forward to
spending time rehabilitating the gardens.
“I don’t have any illusions about how
difficult this is going to be,” Mr. Garner
said. “But we hope to combine being
responsible stewards with creating something
special that we, and others, will be able to
enjoy for years to come.”
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