Cultural Activity Report

Humanities World Culture

Sue Lafferty

Yatrice Jones

3/15/2015

On 3/14/2015 I had the honor of visiting Sidney Lanier Cottage here in Macon, Ga along with a

few members from my church called Mabel White baptist Church. When I first arrived I felt as

if I was walking into a magical garden. Thee cottage was beautiful. Breathtaking might I add.

The staff greeted us as we got out of our cars. I found this poet to be quite interesting

because he died on my birthday which is September 7, but he died in 1881.

The

experience was truly amazing. All of the furniture was put in the house, but it did depict

the actual furniture that Sidney had. They had workers dressed up as Lanier and his staff from

earlier

times. The two pieces that i found very intersting was his wife wedding dress, his flute and his

clothes.

Even though this was in earlier times you wouldn't think that people would want to wear this

piece of clothing. But, you do see clothes and history repeating itself. His wife gown was

was very beautiful and white trimmed in gold.

They had several rooms were you could be entertainted. the best to me was the parlor

we dressed up and acted as if we were having a tea party and we were writing poems. They give

you chance to be Sidney or his wife. They have everything set up to wedding invitations to

pictures of him and his wife. Another piece I was impressed by was the saving of his mother's

china. The pieces were stunning, although we couldn't touch them. The lady that was with

me from the church asked could she set in the rocking chair that was owned by Sidney

and Mary Day, the greeter told us that it was off limits do to the couple being the last one's to

have touched the chair. My overall experience was great. During our visit there a wedding

was about to take place, the bride and groom was an elderly couple who wanted to get married

in the house because he had found out that his great great great great grandfather was an

ancestor of the late Sidney Lanier. This trip let me know taht no matter how hard times are

still try to pursue your education. When you sit back and think about it Lanier and his

classmates didn't have computers, copy machines, fax machines and all of the other

resources we have today to help us make it through school, but he graduated in the top of his

class with honors and wanted to prove to his family that he will become somebody.

Lanier Cottage was constructed in 1840. Sidney was born in the "cottage" on Feb 3, 1842

after his birth he and his family moved to Griffin, Ga. There, he completed his elementary in

Macon, Ga. At the age of fourteen he was granted enrollment at Oglethorpe college near

Milledgeville, Ga where he graduated with high honors. He was also in the Confederate Army in

1861, Along with the Macon volunteers where he was captured in 1864 while serving as a

blackade runner. He was incarcerated for five months where he was dignosed with

tuberculosis. He later died from his illness in 1881. His wife supported herself and the children

after his death by selling Lanier's poetry.

Reference would be Humanities World Culture Book pages 822 this would remind you of the

cottage.