Four years ago I noticed a small brown sign on the Gray Highway between Macon and Gray. It showed the way to Jarrell Plantation. Since then I have wanted to visit this plantation, especially after reading the Georgia State Park’s summary of the site:
“Nestled in the red clay hills of Georgia, this cotton plantation was owned by a single family for more than 140 years. It survived Gen. Sherman’s March to the Sea, typhoid fever, Emancipation, Reconstruction, the cotton boll weevil, the advent of steam power and a transition from farming to forestry.”
The Jarrell family donated property containing the older plantation homes along with the cotton mill, barn, workshop and mills in 1974 to the State of Georgia. The family kept the larger and newer 1920 house and many acres of land adjacent to the now state park.
The plantation is well worth a visit. The tour begins at the Visitor Center with a history of the Jarrell family and a 15-minute video. You are then given a red binder with a walking tour of the property which guides you through all the buildings. The plantation gives you a great picture of Georgia farm living from the time of the Civil War to the 1960s.
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