Andalusia, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980, has been brought to life by descriptions in the published letters of Flannery O’Connor, The Habit of Being. The wooded areas of the property have been
Andalusia, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980, has been brought to life by descriptions in the published letters of Flannery O’Connor, The Habit of Being. The wooded areas of the property have been largely untouched for many decades, giving them a remarkably pristine appearance even though Andalusia is located adjacent to a rapidly developing commercial district. While the oldest existing structures at Andalusia only date back to the early 19th century, local historical records and physical evidence on this elevated property suggest much earlier occupation.
The earliest recorded occupants of the property were Joseph and Mary Pleasant “Polly” Stovall, and early title records called this tract and surrounding acreage the “Stovall Place.” The acreage composing Andalusia was most likely included in Stovall’s holdings. It is unclear how Joseph Stovall acquired this property.
Joseph Stovall apparently owned a variety store in Milledgeville around the time he married Polly, and some secondary sources refer to him as both a merchant and a planter. And while the “Stovall Place” was clearly an active plantation complete with slave labor, the primar