Another Mile Another Destination Blog: Hay House, Macon, Georgia

“The cities and mansions that people dream of are those in which they finally live.”

Lewis Mumford

This beautiful brick mansion, formerly known as the Johnston-Felton-Hay House was on our radar to see when we were in Macon. It sits high up on Coleman Hill on Georgia Avenue across the street from the Walter F. George School of Law which is a part of Mercer University. It was built between 1855 and 1859 by William Butler Johnston and his wife, Ann Tracy Johnston and was inspired by their three month honeymoon in Europe. What a vacation they must have had. They fell in love with the Italian Renaissance Revival Style and decided to come home and build their “Palace of the South.” They hired the NY architect T. Thomas and Son to design their home. They brought many treasures home with them from that trip that included porcelains, sculptures, and paintings.

When we pulled up in front of this gorgeous building we could see the two story cupola on top, the grand steps leading up the beautiful entryway, and noted how the mansion was beautifully symmetrical. You now enter the home from the rear of the building on the basement level which is where there is a gift shop and where you buy your tickets for the tour. The grand front steps leading the double front doors is not in use or at least not for tours. Those arched doors are made from Georgia Pine and painted to look like bronze with lion heads adorning each door. We bought our tickets and had time before the tour to walk around the small museum part of the home and read some of its history.

The original owner, William Butler Johnston made his money through banking, the railroad, public utilities, plus he had skills in jewelry and watch making which was unlike most southern gentlemen who made their wealth from cotton during that time. The Johnston’s decorated their home with fine goods and they lived there with their daughters and extended family for many years. They modernized this building by having hot and cold water running water throughout the house, central heat, gas lighting, intercom system, and an elaborate ventilation system. They added the cupola not just as an architectural delight but also as a place to get fantastic views of the city and it also helped with the ventilation by drawing the hot air up.

Their youngest daughter, Mary Ellen married William H. Felton, a local lawyer and became owners of this home. They remodeled and redecorated the home adding updated plumbing and electricity. They kept this home till Judge Felton died in 1926 and then sold the home.

The new buyer was Parks Lee Hay who was the founder of the Bankers Health and Life Insurance Company. He redecorated the home and kept it till his wife passed away in 1962. The heirs to her estate operated this home as their private residence and opened it as a museum. Then in 1977, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation became the owner, and made it a museum and historic site. It is now a National Historic Landmark.

We had a nice young man who gave us a great tour of the house. We started at the lower level where he showed us the ventilation system and showed us the pantry. There is also an elevator in the main hallway that was put in this house which was state of the art. The basement was plain but had loads of information and pictures of the previous owners. We loved the details on the stairs leading upstairs. We thought the rest of the house would be the same as this floor. We were wrong.

Walking up the elaborate staircase to the second floor, we noticed the gorgeous stained glass window on the landing. The sun was shining through it and made the stairs glow in different colors. On the landing was a vase on a shelf which when pushed revealed a hidden room. That small room was used as a linen closet. I loved the secret room and imagined what fun that would have been as a child. When we got up the second floor we were taken back. What a difference. This place is magnificent. We stopped in the hallway that appeared to be marble walls but come to find out the walls were painted with a marbleizing technique that was done beautifully. It looked just like marble since the technique was done perfectly. There were beautiful arches with exquisite details on each including 24 karat gold leafing. He pointed out the amazing stained glass window on the landing we walked past and told us of the Ginkgo tree that fell during one of the recent hurricanes. It smashed through part of the window. He explained how they found someone who got all the pieces and melted them back together to fix this window. So the window is totally original.

The second floor was the entertainment floor where the formal dining room is located as well as a gallery and sitting room. The furnishing are all elaborate and mostly from 1926 to 1962. The dining room table is from when the Johnston’s lived there as well as a beautiful marble statue that is called “Ruth gleaming” that was made by the American sculptor, Randolph Rogers. The beautiful fireplaces are made of Carrara marble from Italy. Everything was so ornate and beautiful to see. Looking up to the fancy ceilings, I was amazed at how high the ceilings were and was told they are 30 feet high.

Then we went up to see the bedrooms on the third floor. Though they were not as grand as the second floor, there were some beautiful furnishings. We asked about going upstairs but we were not allowed as that is where they kept things in storage. He also explained that in the summer it is unbearable up there as it gets so hot. How we wanted to get up to the cupola to see the views of this lovely town.

We enjoyed touring this mansion and just imagined the grand times they must have had entertaining here. The grounds were nice with an ancient Ginkgo tree and a small garden. When this mansion was first built it sat on 3.8 acres. If you are looking for interesting things to do in Macon, Georgia, add this mansion to your list. https://www.hayhouse.com.