The first home built on this site was the country seat of Connecticut-born Milledgeville merchant Richard Jeffrey Nichols (1788-1849). It was named Rose Hill for its abundance of Cherokee Roses. Nichols died in 1849 and in January 1851, Judge Daniel R. Tucker (1803-1879) purchased the estate. In February, the house was destroyed by fire. Tucker built the present house, undoubtedly with the labor of enslaved men, in 1852. After his death in 1879, the property passed through several hands and was home to the Hollinshed family until 1928. Reginald R. Hatcher purchased it thereafter and renamed the house Lockerly, after an ancestral home of Mrs. Hatcher’s family in Hampshire, England. In 1963, Edward J. Grassmann bought the house. Today, it’s the centerpiece of an event and green space known as Lockerly Arboretum. I spent much time wandering these grounds during my college days. For information about tours and hours, visit their website.