Muscogee County GaArchives Photo Place.....The Folly House 2 
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Christine Thacker http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00033.html#0008100 May 9, 2007, 11:45 am

Source:             Sesquicentennial Supplement III, Ledger- Enquirer
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http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/photos/thefolly12787gph.jpg
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                          The Folly 
                         
But Only 1 Closet.
                 Life in a Landmark Is Delightful Lesson
                          By Merry and Bill Tipton
                          Guest Columnists

  Living in a landmark is a combination history lesson, study in flexibility 
and overall delightful experience. That bronze plaque on the front porch that 
says "National Landmark" acts like a magnet for people new to our area of 
historic preservation.
  Once you accept the fact that total strangers are going to ring your 
doorbell, roam around your backyard and ogle your gingerbread, you can get down 
to a little old fashioned appreciation.
  Right off the bat we began to appreciate Orson Squire Fowler, whose book 
encouraged Leander May to create such an unusual home for himself and his 
family. Of course, unique architecture, in our case a double eight-sided house, 
means we have some pretty weird rooms to live in.
  And probably our worst obstacle (can anything that's this much fun really 'be 
an obstacle?) is that we only have one closet. It's a wedge-shaped area about 
7’x7’x 10' that holds all our clothes and some assorted boxes. The fact that 
it's off our dining room just makes things that much more interesting. Our 
second lesson in appreciation focused on the still practical capabilities of 
large chifferobes.
  We even appreciated the National Trust for Historic Preservation members who 
toured "The Folly" four days after we moved in. At least in retrospect we did. 
While we were madly stacking boxes of books in the shower and hiding the china 
under the guestroom bed, we really didn't stop to appreciate anybody.
  But the group came, oohed., aahhed, enjoyed and, yes, appreciated "The 
Folly." What more can you ask? Those folks could have cared less that we hadn't 
hung any pictures or the porch curtains (which hadn't even been made at that 
point). And nobody even peeked into the shower. They were there to see a house 
like none other in the country.
  Several months have passed since that visitation. We've settled very 
comfortably into being part of the Historic District in general and "The Folly" 
in particular. And our appreciation has continued to grow.
  The house's two octagons allow us a great deal of flexibility. The front 
octagon, which has two living rooms, dining room (with large closet), bedroom, 
bath and kitchen, stays fairly presentable for unexpected company. We literally 
never know when someone - good friend, acquaintance or stranger - is going to 
stop by. We've met some terrific folks, thanks to "The Folly'" The back octagon 
has a sitting room, our bedroom, a bath and the laundry room. It's this area we 
do limit traffic into and out of by just closing the door, Marvelous!
  What else do we appreciate about living in "The Folly?" Its large back yard 
that Bill is attempting to reclaim on weekends: dozens and dozens of daffodils 
and snowbells that began surprising us when warm weather arrived: a landlord 
who recognized what he had and restored the house years ago; an  as-yet-
unrehabilitated old water well with an octagon  base to match the house: the 
frame of a former green house and root cellar out back that sends us looking 
through "Better Homes and Garden"  and "Planning Your Greenhouse" for ideas: 
and last but not least the Department of the Interior for recognizing "The 
Folly's" significance as a National Landmark. 


Special Sesquicentennial Supplement III
Ledger- Enquirer, Sunday, April 30, 1978, pg S-14.



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