Reasons to Love the Cannonball House

Once a year, folks from all over the world get a chance to donate to their favorite nonprofit in Georgia. 

This year, we hope you consider the Cannonball House as one of yours!

It's a really simply process. 

You go to GAgivesday.org and in the search section, type Cannonball House, then click donate. You can give as low as a $1. Of course, a $1,000 check would not hurt either. 

Still not sure?

Allow us to give you a few great reasons as to why your money makes a difference:

1. This home was built in 1853 for a prominent man by the name of Judge Asa Holt. He chose Macon as the city he wanted to retire in. He had this beautiful antebellum town home constructed and it still stands today. Shouldn't we be good stewards and keep this piece of history preserved?

2. The home itself holds generations of wedding gowns, antique furniture, and military artifacts that are all significant to Macon's history. Without your donation, how will we preserve these relics for generations to interpret?

3. We offer local artists and makers an opportunity to showcase and sell their wares in our gift shop. We pay our makers for their wares, up front, and then sell to our audience. Your donation helps us sustain a constant flow of financial support for Macon artists and makers. 

4. We offer dozens of educational and outreach opportunities for children and seniors. When you donate $10, we are able to purchase the story books used for Millie's Story Time. When you donate $20, we can provide refreshments at our events. When you  donate $50, we can buy craft supplies. When you donate $100, we can continue to hire qualified staff. When you donate $500, we are able to pay our utilities. And when you donate $1,000 we can make much needed repairs and restoration to their home. You see? Your dollar goes far. 

5. Quality entertainment is hard to come by! But at the Cannonball House, we seek to provide you with the best events. Beards, Bourbon, & Bacon or Miss Elizabeth's Tea Parties are always a big hit. With your donation, we can provide a quality experience and keep your ticket prices low!

6. We have the friendliest and most knowledgeable staff in Macon! Your donation allows us to continue to provide professional training and advancement for our employees. In other words, JOBs for residents. 

7. Our Victorian garden is a sight to see! Your donation helps us maintain it, as well as grow our teaching herb garden. 

8. We attracts thousands of visitors a year from all over the world, which in turn means a huge boost to our economy through hotels, restaurants, and boutiques. When you support us, that continues!

9. Preservation of Southern Heritage is at the core of what we do. With your donation, we are able to continue to tell the story of one family, of one community, of our Southern culture. 

10. Finally, because we love Macon and so do you!

Message from the Director

The 2014– 2015 fiscal and membership year has been one for the record books! Not only have we increased our membership, we have added new and exciting fundraisers and educational programs to our list. Thanks to two very generous grants, we were able to preserve a column that was in dire need of repair.

I want to thank each and every one of you for your dedication to the Cannonball House. Without your membership, your volunteer hours, and without your enthusiasm for change, we would not be making the strides that we are to maintain Macon’s finest example of antebellum architecture.

I invite each of you to stop by the house this year, make an appointment to chat, or simply share the message of the Cannonball House with a friend. Your involvement makes all the difference.

I enjoyed seeing many of you at our Patrons Party on October the 8th. On behalf of the board of directors, we would like to thank Sambo & Denny Jones for hosting this much anticipated event. If you are not a patron, and would like to become one, simply give me a call at the House and I will be more than happy to share with you the benefits of membership.

~ Nicole Thurston, Executive Director

Preservation Efforts at the Cannonball House

Column Restoration: Preserving Our Past

Thanks to a general grant from The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) (of Sukey Hart Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, located in Warner Robins, Georgia) and the Watson Brown Junior Board of Trustees, we were able to complete construction on a deteriorating column. This project is critical in stabilizing one end of the front porch of the 1853 home.

“The Friends of the Cannonball House, Inc. are thrilled with this opportunity to preserve and protect this beautiful historic house museum,” said the executive director, Nicole Thurston, “These necessary funds will help us secure and restore the column for generations to enjoy.”

The Cannonball House Museum has served Macon, Georgia as a key attraction for visitors since 1964. Without the generous support of these organizations,  the deterioration from the column, which supports the hip roof, would put the roof in jeopardy, as the structure of the entire left side of the house depends on that roof for support .

Education at the Cannonball House

Mind Your Ps & Qs

Miss Elizabeth’s Academy was a huge success at the Cannonball House this summer. Over a dozen girls learned the ins and outs of setting a formal table, proper introductions, grooming tips, and posture. This was such a popular class, GPB, The Telegraph, and 13WMAZ spent the entire day covering the event!

Father/Daughter Dance

There is nothing more special than a father taking time to celebrate his daughter! This past February, over a dozen fathers did just that! The dynamic duos enjoyed light refreshments, a promenade debut of the daughters, 19th century dances, as well as the language of using a “fan.”

Mother/Son Dance

At the end of August, we celebrated another exciting new tradition at the House—a mother-son dance! As with the girls, these young gentlemen  enjoyed light refreshments, 19th century dances, and a short introduction to manners for young.

The Great Depression

Our education coordinator, Brenda Dobson, did a fantastic job this past school year teaching the Depression Era to area home school children.

Everything from the music to movies, food to lifestyle, children of all ages learned just how difficult life was for people living through that era.
Middle Georgia State University education majors also attended a special class on how to teach the Depression Era!

In 2016—Our education department will focus on the Civil War Era.

Miss Elizabeth's Tea Party

Tea parties are all the rage, and we want to continue a tradition that was an essential daily act at the Cannonball House from 1853 until 1971.

Miss Elizabeth (Nora Elizabeth Martin, 1904 - 1971) took her tea on the balcony at the house overlooking Mulberry Street each day at 4pm. In honor of Miss Elizabeth, we are throwing a tea party with other tea enthusiasts.

On Saturday, August 8th, twenty women gathered in the formal dining room to enjoy an afternoon of tea with none other than Miss Elizabeth herself (played by Sherrie’ Raleigh.) Raleigh, along with Shelby Cramer, performed a short skit for the party goers about the life of Miss Elizabeth in the house. Cramer portrayed one of the members of the UDC, trying to purchase the home from Miss Elizabeth. The women did a wonderful job painting the picture of the history of our beautiful home.
Served at the party were: white chocolate raspberry scones, lemon scones, crystal grapes, pimento sandwiches, pecan sandies, as well as cucumber sandwiches. The teas were: Breakfast in Paris and Madagascar Vanilla.

To join the Miss Elizabeth’s Tea Society, you pay $100, this includes all of the tea parties, as well as an individual membership to the house.

December 12th is the next party. To purchase tickets to the individual parties, please contact the House.

Millie's Story Time

The perfect Saturday afternoon activity is coming to the Cannonball House this fall!

Millie’s Story Time will be offered to children 12 and under at 11am  on specific Saturdays.

Children will enjoy a short story or re-enactment, a small craft, and refreshments.  This is a wonderful way to expose children to Southern culture and stories, as well as give parents another exciting afternoon outing with their little ones!

Cost is $1 per child, free for parents.

To tour the house after the event, the cost is full price admission for each adult.
Dates to remember:

Sept 26
Oct 24
Nov 14
Jan 30
Feb 27
Mar 26

The house will be closed for tours from 10:30am until 12:30pm on these specific days.
For more information, contact Brenda at the House.

Beards, Bourbon, & Bacon: A Gentleman's Night at the Cannonball House

The newest signature fundraiser for the Cannonball House made quite the impression on middle Georgia this past spring. On Saturday, April 11th, over 200 men and women spent an evening imbibing in some of the finest bourbon, indulged in the crispiest bacon, and admired a wide array of stylish beards.

Ashah Smith Photography with Beards of Macon was on site to capture attendees for their latest exhibit that was held at the 567 for Renewal on Cherry Street.

Southern Vintage provided the immaculate outdoor cigar lounge for patrons, while Becky & Adam Dennis of The Bourbon Bar provided an open bar. Ryan Smith, formally of Dovetail, provided an educational sipping tour of bourbon in our original outdoor brick kitchen.

Members of the Sidney Lanier Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy provided a vast array of sweet and savory bacon-inspired goodies to sample in the formal dining room, while men gathered in the formal parlors to learn more about the Golden Age of Beards from Wayne Dobson.
By the end of the night, Warner Robins native, Adam Mitchell won best overall Beard.

The  Cannonball House would not have been able to do this without the sponsorship of Chris Sheridan Construction Company.

Over 75% of the attendees were first time visitors to the Cannonball House. More than 90% were under the age of 40 and 80% were men.

Save the date for next year’s event—Saturday, April 9th.

If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring or volunteering, please contact the House at 478-745-5982.

Membership Renewals

The Board of Trustees of the Friends of the Cannonball House, Inc.,  would like to personally thank each of you for your continued support. Because of your generous contributions and membership, we have been able to preserve this beautiful 1853 Greek Revival, and by doing so, we are able to maintain a very important slice of Macon’s history.

Just this year, we introduced exciting new events and educational programs, and by doing so, we have attracted an even younger and broader audience. Our membership, program attendance, group tours, and gift shop sales have increased in 2015, however, we have even further to go to reach our goals!

We owe you, our members, a great deal of credit for our ongoing success. Your support continues to help us share the remarkable stories of The Cannonball House and Macon with adults and children alike. These stories give our guests an understanding of the responsible roles that our forbearers played out during their lives. They instill a sense of pride in our Southern ancestry and encourage so many of our guests to lead by example.

We hope that we can count on you to help us as a Friend of The Cannonball House, for we plan to continue to tell these stories in the coming year. Of course, the most important benefit of your support will be the satisfaction that you will have in knowing that your generosity is making a lasting impact in preserving an iconic landmark of Southern history and heritage.

To join the Cannonball House - simply give us a call. Memberships are as low as $35 for an individual.
478-745-5982

Welcome!

Welcome to the Cannonball House's Blog!

We are delighted you decided to stop by. If you were actually at the house on Mulberry Street in downtown Macon, we would offer you a nice mint julep or glass of lemonade. For now, we'll just have to make do until you can schedule some time to visit.

There are so many exciting things going on at the house! As with all good Southern families, our is working hard to prepare for the holidays. We've noticed as it gets closer to Christmas, the spirits get a little anxious and want to come out to play. Rumor has it you can meet some of the former family members at the house THIS Saturday night! It's true!

Folks are coming from all around to take a candle lit tour of our home on Saturday, November 7th. For $12 you will meet the original owner of the Cannonball House, Judge Asa Holt and his wife, Nora. You will meet many of their descendants and hear their family story from riches to almost rags. Thank goodness the United Daughters of the Confederacy swooped in and bought the house back in the late 1960s! Miss Elizabeth will tell you all about how they saved her family's beautiful Antebellum home. (Did I mention she died in 1971?)

You can learn all about this and more at the Cannonball House's Candlelight Apparitions on Saturday night. Tickets are $12 and this is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Cannonball House, Inc., the current owners and operators of the home. To make reservations, simply call 478-745-5982. Tours will be at 6, 7, 8, and 9pm.

Check back here often and share our page with your friends.

We will keep you up-to-date on what we have going on!

Thank ya'll for stopping by!