The Cannonball House, Macon, Georgia

We walked through the neighborhood and took pictures of other antebellum mansions. The one pictured above is the Cannonball House. This is a Greek Revival mansion built in 1853 and is the only house in Macon struck by a cannonball during Stoneman's Raid on Macon in 1864. The cannonball went through one of the portico columns, through the window next to the front door and landed in the foyer, making a huge hole in the wood floor. It didn't explode, but scared the mistress of the home to death. Afterwards, the family moved to their plantation home - although it was burned in the war, so this house would have been safer. Brochures and flyers suggest that if you pay to visit the home, you'll see the cannonball's damage, but they've repaired everything. The cannonball, however, is housed in a glass case in the foyer.

The Hay House, Macon, Georgia

Although The Hay House was not built in the antebellum style, it certainly was a mansion and Bob and I toured it. We weren't permitted to take interior pictures, but this home was unbelievable. It would be impossible to explain how ornate and over-the-top everything was, but suffice it to say, it was definitely something to see! The next picture shows me at the front doors - they were huge, as was everything in this home. It included a very ornate and beautiful ballroom, an elevator, and a secret room where the family's valuables were stored, it is said. The secret room was incredible - totally invisible and large - a very neat place!

"Welcome to The Hay House in Macon, Georgia."