History Comes Alive at Historic Westville, Columbus
Since its inception in 1928, Historic Westville has been a unique place to experience 19th Century southern life. It is the third-oldest living history museum in the country, according to its website. Established by Colonel John West, it began as ‘The Fair of 1850’ in Jonesboro, Georgia. When Colonel West died, the historic village was moved to Lumpkin, Georgia and renamed Westville Historic Handicrafts in honor of its founder. The name was changed again in 2011 to what we now know as Historic Westville. It reopened in 1970, and became a popular tourist attraction with 31 structures and demonstrations of life as it was in the 1850s. In 2013, Columbus was fortunate to win the bid to move it again, and it now sits on 27 acres near the National Infantry Museum and Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center. An additional 200+ acres is leased by Westville from the City of Columbus. The land stretches to Fort Benning and the Chattahoochee River.
The relocation and rebuilding of Historic Westville is a work in progress. So far, 17 buildings have been moved and 14 remain in Lumpkin, with the rest to be moved in Phase II as funds are raised.
Westville has always been about preservation of these beautiful old structures, as well as our southern traditions and way of life.
Historic Westville is typical of a very small town that would have been just outside of Columbus, with a courthouse in the center and businesses around it. The structures, built from 1830 to 1860, came from all over Georgia.
Often, when one thinks of history, they think of it as dry and dusty. Historic Westville is not that at all.
A visit to Historical Westville is an adventure you won’t soon forget. There is real joy in slipping into the slower pace of the 1800s for awhile. Once you are welcomed at the visitor center, you proceed through the grounds on a self-guided tour. Every day that the museum is open, the structures have trained interpreters and volunteers who will describe what life was like and give demonstrations. You can watch the leather worker at the boot shop make shoes and leather accessories, and spend time with a blacksmith while he creates essential tools and decorative pieces. You may visit a dressmaker, a quilter, a carpenter, and a lady who describes how an affluent family lived in their antebellum home.
On your way out of the village, be sure to stop at the museum shop, where you will find regional items from southwest Georgia, as well as things that were handcrafted on the premises by the Westville artisans.
Historic Westville is built by the generosity of a lot of entities, but mostly by the philanthropy of Columbus and the surrounding area. One example of this is David Lewis, of Columbus, who donated and paid to move and restore his family home in Pine Mountain to Historic Westville Columbus. Philanthropy like this continues to help develop and build the new site. Westville has made sure they are accessible to everyone; the new site is ADA approved even though the buildings are historical, and it’s not required. They offer tours for people with special needs, upon request.
Eventually, Historic Westville will include interpretations of what life was like for Native Americans and enslaved Africans with the building of a rural settler pioneer section and an authentic antebellum plantation.
The future of this beautiful place seems unlimited in scope. Looking toward the horizon, they are envisioning events such as weddings, receptions, meetings and corporate retreats, family reunions, fairs and festivals.
By – Anastasia Tikka