This Halloween season, your Atlanta Family Entertainment Examiner, invites you to explore the best places to scare up some fun in the Peach State. In this six-part series, we will travel throughout Georgia and allow you to do your own ghost spelunking. From vanished towns to the site of Georgia's first electric chair these suggested haunts will have you and your brood screaming for more!
Part one: Barnsley Gardens
In Cartersville, Georgia, there lives the ghost of Julia Barnsley. The story begins in 1840, when British-Born, Godfrey Barnsley decided to construct a mansion for his beloved spouse and their five children. The three-story home, named Woodlands, spanned 3,600 acres and boasted magnificent gardens and exotic treasures obtained during Godfrey's many lucrative travels.
However, Barnsley’s Eden was doomed even before the first brick was laid. Barnsley, ignoring warnings from Native American tribes that the land was cursed, decided to forge ahead with the mansion’s construction. In 1844, the first of many tragedies struck, with the unexpected death of his beloved wife, Julia. In his sorrow, Barnsley continued with construction and would often try to communicate with Julia beyond the grave.
According to legend, his postmortem conversations also reached his father-in-law. Ten years past his late spouse's death a letter arrived from his father-in-law stating, ” My dear mortal Barnsley, Julia is with me and all doing just fine.” Julia’s father had passed on approximately a decade earlier.
The curse continued with the premature death of four out of five Barnsley children and later, a murder in the kitchen between Barnsley’s grandsons. Over the years, the mansion suffered severe damage from neglect and natural disasters, including a tornado that ripped off the roof of the house. The home and grounds remained in ruins until the 1980s when European investors bought the land to develop a golf community. The estate was renamed, Barnsley Gardens, and today hosts many visitors both mortal and ghostly.
Be sure to check back later in the week for Part Two in this series: The Ghostly sights of Waverly Hall Cemetery or scroll to the top of the page and click subscribe to instantly receive my articles! We promise not to spam or share your email address with anyone...well not with mortals.
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