JONESBORO, GEORGIA, AND GONE WITH THE WIND
by Eleanor S. Morris

> more on romantic Georgia getaways

Though there's no plantation called Tara anywhere near Jonesboro, Georgia, the romance of it is far from gone with the wind. (Author Margaret Mitchell based the fictional Tara on a family-owned property near Jonesboro). More than 60 years after Gone With The Wind was first published, more than 250,000 copies are still sold yearly. The Clayton County area is steeped with the fictional story of Scarlett and Rhett and the actual Battle of Jonesboro, the Confederate attempt to keep Union General Sherman from marching through Atlanta to the Sea in the War Between the States.

ROAD TO TARA MUSEUM

Begin with the Road To Tara Museum, located in the picturesque Jonesboro Depot Welcome Center. This largest permanent display of Gone With the Wind memorabilia, much of it assembled by renowned GWTW historian Herb Bridges, includes a collection of rare "behind the scenes" photographs of the movie during production, as well as books, posters and souvenirs. A self-guided tour includes the story behind that pivotal battle, what the war was like for those left at home, reconstruction, and the life and times of author Margaret Mitchell. In the Gone With the Wind Gallery of Memories, take in a scene or two that will be playing along the route, and you can cast your vote for your favorite.

Three of the fabulous costumes Vivien Leigh wore in the film are on display--and patterns for ambitious sewers are for sale in the gift shop, designed by an expert on historical clothing, Peggy Abbot Miller. Rotating exhibits include original costume pieces from the film, such as Clark Gable's midnight blue overcoat and Vivien Leigh's pantalettes.

Don't miss the Road to Tara Mural, painted by Atlanta artist Del Nichols, sixteen feet wide and eight feet tall. The centerpiece is a near life-size rendering of Scarlett and Rhett as portrayed by Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. Surrounding them are five oil paintings depicting moving scenes in the story. The creative forces, Margaret Mitchell and producer David O. Selznick, are portrayed in the corners.

(The museum is open Monday-Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm; 104 N. Main St. Jonesboro, 770-478-4800).

BATTLE OF JONESBORO

For the (almost) real thing, attend a reenactment of the battle out in the woods at Stately Oaks Plantation. It's been reenacted for more than 20 years, but you'll need to be there the second weekend in October to see and hear the conflict repeated. A good substitute is the Atlanta Cyclorama in Grant Park, home to the world's largest painting, "The Battle of Atlanta." The seats swivel around as the battle is narrated to the sounds of gun and cannon, and you can get a good sense of what went on that fateful day for the South.

(This Civil War Museum is open from 9:20am to 4:30pm; until 5:30 in the summer.)

The Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate Cemetery in Jonesboro was a burial place for soldiers who died in a local hospital during the war. After the war, Confederate casualties buried on the battlefield where they fell were removed to this cemetery. Like Flanders Field in World War I, there are headstones row on row. There are three marked graves, and may be more in the future; the cemetery is tended by the Tara Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

For more GWTW romance, tour the Tara-like Stately Oaks Plantation, an 1839 antibellum plantation on the outskirts of town. Tour the plantation home, the one-room schoolhouse and Juddy's Country Store. It's open Monday to Friday and most Saturdays, 10:30am to 3:30pm. (www.gwtw-jonesboro.org.)

MARGARET MITCHELL HOUSE AND MUSEUM

In Atlanta, the house where the reclusive author wrote her one and only novel, on a manual Remington typewriter, (the manuscript ended up almost five feet of stacked paper!) is now a museum. The furniture, though not original, is true to the period. Located on the corner of 10th Street and Peachtree in midtown Atlanta, there are tours daily from 9:30am to 5pm.

Everybody in Clayton County would like to claim a connection with the characters Margaret Mitchell wrote about in her famous novel. An interesting fact is the author actually was related to another famous real-life character, none other than "Doc" Holliday of Western fame--seems like they were cousins! You can check on him in the Jonesboro Library.