Roswell’s historic house museums are rich in history, and each one has its own story. When you visit these 19th century buildings, you get a peek into the past, and into the lives of the people who lived here — including some of the families who helped to found the city of Roswell.
Beyond the gracious living spaces and historic artifacts, however, is a darker side of history: these homes and the grounds around them were built and tended by enslaved people. That legacy is an important part of the era that is preserved here.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the museums are closed on Mondays.
Self-guided tours will give you the option to explore on your own, and there are often volunteers on hand to answer questions and share their knowledge of local history.
There are also 30-minute guided tours at certain times.
You can buy tickets through the links below.
($8 for adults and $6 for youth age 6-12)
The historic house museums are listed below.
Before you visit, please click thru the links to verify hours, etc. The homes are sometimes closed to the public when they are rented out for private events.
Barrington Hall
535 Barrington Drive
Roswell, GA 30075
Barrington Hall is named for one of Roswell’s founders and dates to the 1830s. It sits on 17 acres near the historic downtown area of Roswell. Inside the home, you’ll view artifacts, artwork, and furnishings. The site includes an antebellum public garden and original outbuildings.
Bulloch Hall
180 Bulloch Avenue
Roswell, GA 30075
This graceful, white-columned mansion was built in the Greek Revival style in 1839 by Major Bulloch, an early Roswell settler. It was inside this house that the Bulloch’s daughter, Martha “Mittie” Bulloch, married Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. — and the couple became the parents of Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States!
Smith Plantation
1935 Alpharetta Street
Roswell, GA 30075
This home was also built by one of Roswell’s founding families. In 1938, the Smith family left a struggling plantation on the Georgia coast to grow cotton on the farmland just north of the Roswell Square. Their house was built by enslaved people around 1845. The grounds include original outbuildings, including a smokehouse, barn, carriage house, spring house, and more. There are often open-hearth cooking demonstrations in the kitchen outbuilding.
Mimosa Hall
127 Bulloch Avenue
Roswell, GA 30075
The home and gardens date back to 1841, when the 9-acre estate was established by John Dunwoody. The mansion itself is 6308 square feet, with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The original gardens still exist — including a sunken garden, rose garden, reflecting pool garden, cutting garden, and weeping tree garden.
