If you have ever driven to Helen, GA you may notice an iconic scenery of a Native American burial ground with a red and white gazebo on top. I have passed this gazebo many times on my adventures throughout Georgia. The mound is said to be the second most iconic image of Georgia and to have traces of a mystical love story of two Native Americans. Nonetheless, the gazebo on top of the mound, though sometimes seen as a disgrace to the mound, saved the mound from being completely demolished. The mound is smaller than other ones seen at Etowah State Park. The mound is often the source of many scenic photos. No matter who you are, if you have gone to Helen then you have found yourself looking at this magnificent mound surrounded by black cows.
In 2014 the Department of Natural Resources opened a historic park nearby the mound which is known as Hardman Farm. The Victorian style home was built in 1870 by Captain James Nichols who named the building "West End" as it was on the west end of the Nacoochee Valley. The building is unique in itself mainly for a young girl. Anna Ruby Nichols was the loved daughter of Captain Nichols. One day on a horseback trip they discovered the nearby Anna Ruby Falls and commemorated the falls after her.
The last owner of the building was a man by the name of Dr. Lamartine Hardman. If you do not know your Georgia history, Dr. Hardman was the Governor of Georgia from 1927-1931. The property is named after him for his great role in the governance of Georgia and his impact towards the community.
When I went to this historic site with my girlfriend-- they were having a Christmas special where they decorated the entire house for Christmas. We were led to the house at night and were amazed by the warming appearance of the building. Over the entrance is a ruby colored glass formed by the burning of gold. Captain Nichols put this in honor of his daughter Anna Ruby. The house featured a very unique door bell that had to be pulled to ring. Though the house looked very warm, the inside of the house was actually 50 degrees.
When we went inside we found ourselves introduced by historian playing the role as Mrs. Nichols who welcomed us to her home and encouraged us to look around the building. She was wearing a post Civil War dress and seemed very hospitable to us. We all looked inside the different rooms of the building while experiencing an exclusive tour of the historic building. We found out that during the time of Captain Nichols that it was tradition to send out Christmas cards with dead birds on it as a sign of good luck. We also found out that before electric lights were invented to put on the Christmas tree that actual candle lights were placed in the tree. You can only imagine how dangerous that could be.
Throughout the house we saw grand examples of how Christmas was celebrated during that time. The architecture and design of the house was very grand and amazing. If you are ever in the area of Helen I recommend going to the Hardman Farm Historic Site to learn about the amazing history of the building built by Captain Nichols.
