Construction of Main House

Description of the construction of the Main House.  A number to fix in memory is the square footage, which is 7,588 (I am often asked this question and often transpose the numbers incorrectly--hopefully now I will get it correct!)

It is clear that little expense was spared in the construction and furnishing of the structure.  At fifty-five-foot square footprint with brick superstructure, the exterior of the building was finished in stucco and scored with lines to emulate stone block construction.  Internally, the floors were constructed using heart pine planks, each hand-trimmed to assure stability and fit.  The ceilings on the first floor were fifteen feet high and the two parlors (north and south) displayed elaborately frescoed designs; the south room's designs were based on stories from Aesop's fables.  Sixteen sets of floor-to-ceiling French doors flooded the first floor with light and undoubtedly allowed cool breezes to permeate the house.  Each of the rooms on the first two floors had a fireplace and family history recounts that the marble used in all the fireplaces was imported from Italy.  The structure also had a small basement, apparently used as a warming kitchen, with a small staircase which accessed the dining room directly above.  Following its completion, the 7,588-square-foot home certainly reflected Bryan Croom's, and Goodwood's, stature as a major fixture in Leon County.

From:
Goodwood Plantation:  A Study in Southern Plantation Life
produced for Margaret E. Wilson Foundation
Matthew A. Sterner
Glen H. Doran
1994