58. ROSWELL 

(1,000 alt., 1,432 pop.), 21 miles north of Atlanta on US 19, one of the earliest Southern manufacturing towns, has lost much of its industrial activity but has kept its tradition of old-fashioned aristocracy intact in several fine historic houses. Though small in population, the town stretches for two miles along the highway, its rows of inconspicuous dwellings broken briefly by two small commercial centers. A broad parkway centers the highway at the southern end of the town. The environs fall away into cotton patches, corn fields, orchards, and woodland stretches that in fall are tinted with the rich hues of turning leaves. The most colorful season, however, is early summer, when lawns are bright with the fluffy golden-pink blossoms of many mimosa trees.

Settlement began here in 1837, same year in which the first railroad builders came to the near-by Atlanta area. Roswell King, a wealthy planter and banker, stopped here while on a business trip to the United States mint at Dahlonega, Georgia, and was much impressed by the beauty of these rolling hills. Finding the climate more bracing than that of his home at Darien on the Georgia coast, he purchased a considerable land tract and made gifts of ten acres each to seven of his friends from the Sea Island region. A Connecticut artist, Willis Ball, brought here to plan their homes, designed Barrington Hall, Mimosa Hall, Bulloch Hall, Great Oaks, and the Presbyterian Church. The experiment was successful, and the village was soon a center for several prosperous plantations. It was King's aspiration, however, to establish industry as well as agriculture, and with his son Barrington he set up the Roswell Mills for the manufacture of cotton cloth. Soon afterward a woolen-goods factory and a flour mill began operations, more settlers came, and the town was incorporated under the first name of its founder in 1854.

In 1864, as General Sherman's army drew nearer to Atlanta, many of the inhabitants of Roswell fled to points farther south for safety. The mills were burned by the Union soldiers in order to destroy Confederate sources of supply, but most of the houses were spared, the most commodious being used as billets for the troops awaiting the capitulation of Atlanta. When the owners returned after the surrender, they found their homes packed by refugees from the surrounding countryside.

After the war, factories were rebuilt, but Roswell was unable to compete successfully with the richer industrial communities of the new South. Only a few small industries now operate here, and the town is preponderantly residential, chiefly noted for the architectural excellence and historic interest of a few fine old houses.

Barrington Hall (private), across the street from the southern end of the park, is notable for its fine proportions and for the excellence of its classical details of architecture. Set well back from the street on a high hill, the two-story frame house is shadowed by a grove of oaks, cedars, and fruit trees. A walkway leading to the front porch is bordered by a low boxwood hedge, and more irregular plantings of boxwood crowd the eastern side of the house. The old mansion is encircled on three sides by a Doric colonnade with a pediment placed not at the front in the usual Greek Revival design but on each side. The banistered "captain's walk" in the center of the roof is a feature seldom incorporated in Southern houses, being more characteristic of the New England coast where sea captains watched their clipper ships from such eminences.

Barrington Hall was named for its first occupant, Barrington King, son of the founder of Roswell. During the long period of construction from 1839 to 1842, the family made its home in a small structure in the rear; on the day of completion Mrs. King, carrying her baby and followed by her small daughter with a little chair, walked ceremoniously around to the front door and entered for the first time as mistress of the mansion.

Until the War between the States Barrington King assisted his father in the management of the Roswell Mills and maintained his home in the luxurious and hospitable manner characteristic of plantation days. After the war he returned and resumed his occupancy of Barrington Hall until his death in 1866.

The house has always been occupied by descendants of the original owner. One of these, Evelyn King, was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Mittie Bulloch and Theodore Roosevelt in 1853, and in 1905, as Mrs. W.E. Baker she entertained their son, the famous "Teddy," then President of the United States. In possession of the present owner are many family pieces of china, silver, and furniture. Among the manuscripts are a diplomatic document signed by President Millard Fillmore and Daniel Webster and a letter from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow praising the verses of a young man of the Baker family.

Mimosa Hall (private), on an unpaved street extending west of Roswell Park, has become nationally known as an outstanding example of the neoclassic style that was prevalent early in the 1840's when it, was erected. Pictures of the two-story portico, with Doric columns supporting a high pediment, have appeared in the leading architectural publications. Built for Major John Dunwody, one of the original settlers of Roswell, it has changed hands several times; one of the more recent owners, Neel Reid, the well-known architect, acquired the property in 1916 and immediately began extensive restorations. After Reid's death his mother operated a tearoom on the lower floor.

From the street the facade is partly obscured by a dense growth of oaks, mimosas, wisteria vines, and circular plantings of boxwood. In other parts of the grounds the somber foliage of old cedars contrasts with the delicate blooms of roses and of valley lilies that were planted by the original owner.

Like many of the residential structures of its period, Mimosa Hall is fashioned of bricks covered with stucco marked off to simulate Stone blocks. The interior has been extensively altered from time to time. The long drawing room with fireplaces at each end was created by Neel Reid by removing the partitions of two smaller rooms. The creamy yellow marble fireplace of the library was acquired from an old house in Macon when it was razed. In the dining room old paintings show effectively against paneled walls of a pale green color. An unusual interior feature is the small stage in the attic, used by some of the earlier occupants for amateur theatricals.

Bulloch Hall (private), beyond Mimosa Hall and closing the western end of the street, was built by James Bulloch in 1842. Although the old plantation outhouses have long been razed, the main house has retained the dignity which characterized it from the first. The front portico is unusually massive, with four Doric columns supporting an attic gable. The rooms on the lower floor are 24 feet square and 12 feet high.

In one of these spacious rooms, Mittie Bulloch was married to Theodore Roosevelt on December 22, 1853. On this occasion the house was ablaze with the light of candles in candelabra of brass and silver, while fragrant cedar logs snapped in the fireplace. Holly and mistletoe were placed against the walls, and vines were twisted about the stair-rail. The bride, in white satin and long veil, descended the stairs preceded by her bridesmaids in full-skirted, tight-basqued white muslin dresses. Although Dr. Nathaniel Pratt performed the ceremony, he apparently considered these costumes worldly, for he would not permit his daughter to be a bridesmaid. After the ceremony the guests were served a bountiful hot supper ending with ice cream made with ice hauled from Savannah.

The son of this couple was Theodore Roosevelt who became President of the United States. Another son, Elliott, was the father of Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Old Presbyterian Church, east side of US 19 approximately in the center of town, is a small, severely plain white clapboard structure with a Doric portico and a low, square bell tower. Simplicity also characterizes the interior with its slave gallery and double-staired pulpit, but the dead whiteness of walls and ceiling is relieved by the warm red tone of the aisle carpet. Stained glass has been used in all the windows.

The church, which recently celebrated its hundredth anniversary, was erected in 1840 under the supervision of its first minister, Nathaniel Pratt, who had come from Darien with his wife, a daughter of Roswell King. Dr. Pratt served as pastor for almost 40 years, as is attested by a memorial tablet under the pulpit. After his death he was succeeded by the Reverend W.E. Baker, who was married to a daughter of Barrington King. The service of the Bakers is also recognized by memorial inscriptions.

When Roswell was occupied by Federal troops in 1864, the church was commandeered as a hospital. This occupancy is shown by a cabinet door in the rear which was taken down and used as a checkerboard by the patients. Members of the congregation saved the communion silver from the invading army by concealing it in a basket of oats and taking it to the home of Olney Eldredge. Later, when the search for articles of value became more strenuous, it was decided to hide the silver in the residence of Miss Fannie Whitmire, which was less likely to be searched because of the illness of her mother. Each day baskets of dainties were sent to the invalid, inspected by the guard, and allowed to pass. Apprehensively, the custodians of the communion ware tried slipping a piece of silver under the food in the basket; this passed the guard successfully and another was secreted the following day. At last the entire service was smuggled into the Whitmire house.

When word was received that this place was also to be searched, the pieces were hastily put into a large dry-goods box filled with quilt scraps which were being pieced by a group of girls. When the soldiers came to search, Miss Whitmire held up some scraps and defiantly advised them not to overlook this box. A cursory inspection failed to discover the silver, which was then buried until the end of the war. Later the congregation presented Miss Whitmire with a silver cup for her bravery in hiding the communion service.

Great Oaks (private), across the street from the church, a redbrick house showing Georgian influence, was built for the Reverend Nathaniel Pratt soon after he came to Roswell in 1840 as pastor of the Presbyterian Church. The young minister, at first planning to have a columned Greek Revival dwelling in the prevailing plantation style, had lumber and other material brought from Augusta at considerable expense, but it was destroyed by fire before construction of the house was begun. Pratt, who had already noted the abundance of red clay in the Roswell vicinity, then decided to have a brick dwelling and set about the building of Great Oaks. Although the front has been remodeled, the house, with its mortised girders, heavy hand-hewn beams, and walls of eighteen-inch thickness, is a fine example of the enduring structural work of its day.

Colonial Place (private), end of Goulding St., was built in 1857 by the Reverend Francis R. Goulding, author of several well-known adventure books for boys. In this high, angular house of red-painted brick with white-trimmed windows and Palladian doorway, Goulding wrote his sermons, planned his eventful stories, and let his mind range hopefully over the inventions with which he was determined to make his fortune. His bold imagination, however, did not readily adapt itself to practical details. Although he designed a sewing machine some years before Elias Howe's invention was placed on the market, he failed with his model because he did not place the eye of the needle sufficiently near to its point. Barely missing eminence in the mechanical field, he is now remembered for his writings, especially for that adventurous tale of shipwreck and resourceful boyhood Young Marooners.

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