Milledgeville, GA

“When in Rome, do as you done in Milledgeville.” ― Flannery O'Connor

 I feel like a little kid saying this, but whenever I hear anybody say Georgia, I automatically imagine Ray Charles saying it.

Georgia College and State University
 Having finally made it to my journey's desired location, it is time to pay respect to the life and writings of the great Flannery O'Connor. O'Connor moved to Milledgeville after contracting lupus and lived the rest of her short life at the family home in Andalusia. My first stop in Milledgeville is Georgia College and State University. O'Connor attended this college from 1942-1945 back when it was called Georgia State College for Women. Georgia College offers a unique form of Flannery O'Connor studies. It is the one setting that offers the writers family farm a short distance away and the majority of her significant papers all in one place. As O'Connor's star status keeps rising in the country, Georgia College continues to benefit more and more. This school serves as a repository for much of her work. Their special collections are full of her correspondence, original manuscripts, and her library. It's safe to say that you can't study O'Connor without passing through Milledgeville and Georgia College. Flannery O'Connor studies at Georgia College is a program of distinction.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church
This Church was established in 1874, however it didn't officially make a name for itself until Flannery O'Connor started attending mass there. O'Connor started attending the services at Sacred Heart at the age of 12. In 1985, the hall was dedicated to its most famous parishioner.

Andalusia

Andalusia was the home of Flannery O'Connor from 1951 until her death from lupus in 1964. This is where O'Connor was living when she completed her two novels and two collections of short stories.  The 544-acre estate is made up of gently rolling hills divided into a farm complex, hayfields, pasture, man-made and natural ponds, and forests. The farm complex consists of the main house, a peafowl aviary, Jack and Louise Hill's House, the main cow barn, and equipment shed, the milk-processing shed, and an additional smaller barn. The Flannery O'Connor-Andalusia Foundation was created in 2001. It is dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and appreciation of Andalusia. Andalusia is open for self-guided "walk-in" tours throughout the week.