Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home – Savannah, GA

Just a week after visiting Andalusia, the dairy farm where southern author Flannery O’Connor spent her final years, we found ourselves in Savannah. I immediately booked a guided tour of the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home.

In fact, two women we met at Andalusia had recently been to Savannah and said seeing it was a must-do. I’m so glad we took their advice! The home, situated across Lafayette Square (pictured above), offers another facet of the author’s short life.

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Andalusia Farm: Home of Flannery O’Connor – Milledgeville, GA

Ever since I read the short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, I’ve wanted to learn more about this Southern writer. It turns out the farmhouse where she lived out the last 13 years of her short life is located in Milledgeville.

Milledgeville, just two hours from Atlanta, brims with history. The town served as the capital of Georgia from 1804 to 1868. It boasts the Old Governor’s Mansion, Georgia College & State University (GCSU), and the Old Capitol Building, which is not part of Georgia Military College.

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Mission San Jose – San Antonio, TX

After spending most of our time in downtown San Antonio, we headed to Mission San Jose. Just five miles south of downtown, Mission San Jose, also known as “The Queen of the Missions,” offers a glimpse into Colonial Spanish life in the New World.

Until 1821, Texas was part of Mexico, which was really part of New Spain. The Spaniards built hundreds of missions across Mexico. In San Antonio alone, missionaries built the five missions along the San Antonio River in the 1700s. These missions were connected to each other by the King’s Highway (El Camino de Real de los Tejas), which stretched from Mexico City to the Sabine River at the Texas/Louisiana border.

Founding of Mission San Jose

The Franciscans founded Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo on the east side of the river in 1719. For unknown reasons, it moved to its present site on the other side of the river around 1727. By 1758, Mission San Jose housed over 280 Native Americans and included a granary, friary, church, mill, blacksmith shop, and soldiers’ quarters. Cattle totaled 1000, and sheep totaled over 3,200. It was a large operation!

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