| Leave the cold and snow of the North for | | | | Also in the downtown area stands the oldest live |
| Thomasville, Georgia (no relation to the furniture | | | | oak tree East of the Mississippi River. Over 300 |
| company). Nestled in the Southwest corner of the | | | | years old its stately branches stretch across the |
| state over fifty mansions recall earlier days when | | | | intersection. They are held up by guy wires. Be |
| people escaped to warmer climates. | | | | careful when crossing under the limbs. The |
| One particular gentleman was Charles Lapham, a | | | | clearance is only nine feet on the streets and less |
| wealthy shoe merchant who survived the Chicago | | | | on the sidewalk. |
| Fire by hiding in a closet. In 1885, suffering from | | | | Five miles South of Thomasville is the Pebble Hill |
| persistent lung problems, he chose to build a | | | | Plantation, a "winter cottage" of over forty rooms |
| winter house in the warm climate and therapeutic | | | | sitting on three thousand acres. The family, |
| pine scented air of Thomasville. What a | | | | especially the women were avid outdoors people, |
| marvelously imaginative house he created. | | | | competing in horse competitions: both racing and |
| Now known as the Lapham-Patterson house, the | | | | show jumping. They raced only in Europe, |
| exterior looks like a Victorian story book house, | | | | because the races are held on turf, not dirt. |
| with wrap-around porches, tall windows, fish scale | | | | The house, built in the 1920s with later additions, |
| shingles, oriental influenced porch decorations, and | | | | is over one hundred yards in length, complete |
| painted in a vivid yellow. | | | | with a full basement. The owners were collectors, |
| Incorporated into the house are many novel fire | | | | especially of Audubon prints, horse sculptures and |
| safety features. Every room on the three level | | | | paintings. According to the docent, the basement |
| house has an escape door or window, which leads | | | | is full of boxes with artifacts the ladies brought |
| outside to a balcony for evacuation. The windows | | | | over from Europe. |
| are tall and recess into the ceilings for an easy | | | | When in residence, the family invited distinguished |
| escape through them. | | | | guests to stay for week long stays. They |
| None of the rooms have any right angles and all | | | | believed that no one should eat off of the same |
| of the windows and doors are of different | | | | china more than once. So the family employed a |
| heights. Mr. Lapham's show piece is the dining | | | | butler whose sole duty was to rotate the more |
| room, which sits twenty-four at the table. The | | | | than 120 different patterned china place settings. |
| floor, walls and ceiling are of Southern Pine, a very | | | | The grounds themselves are very extensive with |
| sturdy hardwood. A fireplace is the focal point of | | | | stables, dairy barn, laundry, school, and kennels: |
| the room. Because of his fear of fire, he had two | | | | everything imaginable to keep the estate running. |
| flues put in the fireplace (most house fires started | | | | Huge live oaks, magnificent magnolias, and |
| in the chimney flues). The stairway to the upper | | | | sculptured gardens grace the grounds. The |
| floors went behind the fireplace, between the | | | | plantation is now in the hands of a foundation, the |
| double-flue onto a cantilevered balcony and finally | | | | descendents of the owners sitting on the board |
| to the upper floors: an amazing piece of Victorian | | | | of directors. Guided tours are available for the |
| craftsmanship. | | | | house for $7.00 per person. |
| These are just some of the ingenious features in | | | | A short drive South is Tallahassee, Florida, its |
| the house. Hourly guided tours are given of this | | | | capital city. Perhaps you might find a chad hanging |
| National Historical Site for only $4.00. This is just | | | | around. |
| one of Thomasville's treasures. | | | | |
