A Colonel and a Governor: Hardman

Lamartine Hardman was many things. Governor. Physician. Entrepreneur. Farmer. Landowner. Husband. Father. Wealthy. Financier. Representative. Tee-Teetotaler.
Born in 1856, Hardman was one of the wealthiest men in Georgia by the turn of the century. He loved many things, and he made it a point to become proficient in all of them. His curiosity helped Crawford Long with anesthesiology research and development. His hatred of alcohol (citing both religious and medical reasons) and his role in the legislature aided in sponsoring the state's prohibition legislation.
An owner of thousands of acres across Georgia, Hardman purchased a parcel of property in Helen in the early 1900s, a sweeping 170 acres with 19 outbuildings. He turned it into a year-round working farm of which he networked with many other farms he owned throughout the state. However, it was the Italianate farmhouse, built in 1869 by Colonel Nichols - the former owner, that was its magnificent centerpiece.
In 1901, he met Emma Wiley Griffin of Valdosta, Georgia, and in 1907, 51-year-old Lamartine Hardman married 25-year-old Emma and brought her home to Hardman Farm.

At the corner of a Highway 17 and 75, just before you reach the city limits of an unexpected Alpine village named Helen, sits an enormous white house with a eye-popping red roof, facing an Indian Mound across the street. A tell-tale sign of the area's Native American history. People could only wonder; it was not accessible and little was known about it, other than the fact that it was extraordinary. That is, until in the spring of 2015, the admirers were finally able to walk the black walnut tree-lined pathway towards the farmhouse, following in the steps of a Civil War Colonel (its builder) and a Georgia governor (its last resident). In the mid-1990s, the Hardman family proposed donation of the farm's buildings and surrounding lands to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources with the provision that it would be conserved and protected from development. In 2002, its restoration and preservation began. In 2015, the 170-acre Hardman Farm became an official state park site, which includes 23 structures.

The farmhouse is the estate's showpiece. The front doorway - arched by beautiful stained glass and etched in stone  - and the ornate plaster moldings throughout the home shouldering the 11.5 foot ceilings present its Italian architecture in breath-taking fashion. According to our state park guide, "Captain Nichols [who build the house - and had to be called Captain although he was a Colonel] had money to burn," she says, made visible in the beautiful additions of which most people in the 19th century only dreamed. There was even a doorbell. Mrs. Nichol's room was downstairs, and if you look closely, hooks remain on the wall where hammocks were used to calm her. For years, she suffered from mental illness and had to be cared for by family. No hangers, no buttons, no nails. At the rear of the home, there was a bathing porch - our modern day mud room. The home phone was connected to Nora Mill, about 1/2 mile down the road, which supplied grains for meals. The master bedroom had 4-foot deep bay windows, perfect for resting and viewing the serene Nacoochee Valley.

Much like Hardman, Colonel Nichols loved land and the Nachoochee Valley. He purchased as much as available, including the Indian Mound at the corner of Route 17 and 75 plus Anna Ruby Falls some six miles away. Legend speaks to his discovery of the falls when he was riding horseback through his property shortly after the death of his wife and child. He was so enamored by the falls beauty and power that he named them after his remaining daughter Anna Ruby (photo upper left). Although the falls were sold following Nichol's death, the falls retained its name and is one of the most visited waterfalls in northern Georgia, located in Unicoi State Park in Helen.

Hardman Farm is Georgia's finest example of an intact working farm during the turn of the 20th century. The farmhouse has had three owners, the first and builder was Civil War Colonel James H. Nichols. It was called West End because of its location in the valley.

With many of the original furnishings scattered throughout the farmhouse, Hardman Farm allows visitors to experience the time-honored surroundings of a 19th century home. The outbuildings contain many of Hardman's tools and farm implements. Hardman called this property "Elizabeth on the Chattoochee," its name engraved on the calling bell just outside the back door. The smokehouse and servant's quarters remain as does the horse barn, dairy and carriage house.

Across the street is the Indian Mound, one of Georgia's most recognizable and photographed sites. It is believed to date aback to 800 AD. Colonel Nichols added the ornate red-roofed gazebo which many believe has helped to protect the mound from destruction.

The family of Lamartine Hardman donated the property in 1999, and it wasn't until 2015 that it was proclaimed a State Historic Site, Georgia's newest state park, the Hardman Farm State Historic Site.

For more information on the Helen-White County area, visit Alpine Helen and White County Convention and Visitors Center;
for more information on Hardman Farm, visit the Georgia State Park site.

143 Highway 17, Sautee Nacoochee, Ga. (White County)
Open Thursday - Sunday, March through December
Guided Tours at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. (NO self-guided tours)
Reservations: 706.878.1077
Adults: $12; seniors: $10; children 6-17: $7; children 3 and younger $3

Nearby Attractions | Helen, Blairsville, Blue Ridge Mountains, Brasstown Bald (highest point in Georgia), Babyland General, Dahlonega Gold Museum, Georgia Wineries, Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway, Old Sautee Store, Unicoi State Park and Lodge, Vogel State Park