Sandersville combines historic sites and architecture with regional markets and seasonal festivals. When planning your trip, there’s more than one theme to consider: you can follow the traces of the past, plan around an event date, or discover local products and crafts. The attractions and events each offer their own highlights.
Traces of history and museums
The Sandersville Old City Cemetery was established around 1831. It contains more than 100 identified graves of Civil War soldiers. The old road through the cemetery is also part of the area’s history: General William T. Sherman and his troops used it when they reached Sandersville. The site thus combines a specific historical connection with the graves preserved there.
Exhibits at the Brown House Museum include Civil War memorabilia, pottery from Washington County, displays about the kaolin industry, and artifacts from the Sandersville Old City Cemetery. The exhibits may change over time. Visitors who want to explore several aspects of local history together will find connections here to regional crafts, industry, and Sandersville’s historic sites.
The Thomas Jefferson Elder Community Center stands on the original site of the Elder School. It was here that the education of African American children in Washington County was first established. The center displays African American artifacts, archives, and memorabilia. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its location, educational history, and collection give this site several interconnected historical dimensions.
Historic features of the Old Jail Museum include the old jail cells with their original locking mechanism, as well as graffiti left by former prisoners. The museum also houses a genealogy research center where visitors can explore their family history. The history of the former jail and the opportunity to investigate your own family history thus sit side by side.
Architecture in Sandersville and Tennille
Sandersville features examples of Victorian, Greek Revival, Antebellum, Plantation Plain, and Craftsman architecture. These styles offer an overview of the city’s architectural diversity, with examples that are not limited to a single building type. If you’re especially interested in individual architects, you can also visit the Charles E. Choate Exhibit.
The exhibit offers a self-guided tour of buildings designed by Charles E. Choate in Sandersville and Tennille. The largest concentration of his work is in these two places. The tour therefore explicitly covers two cities; it is not limited to Sandersville. If you’d like to focus specifically on Choate’s architecture, keep the tour’s scope in mind when planning.
Fall and holiday-season festivals
The Kaolin Festival takes place every year on the second Saturday in October. The festival features art, crafts, antiques, music, food, and a parade. The exact program may change. If attending the festival is a key reason for your trip, check the date for the year of your visit before making travel plans.
Christmas on the Square is a family-oriented event held on the first Thursday in December. The program includes Christmas carolers and Santa Claus, along with carriage rides, a children’s parade, and food and craft vendors. The seasonal program may also vary from year to year. Comparing the two dates can help you decide whether a visit in October for the Kaolin Festival or a December stay for Christmas on the Square better fits your travel plans.
Markets and regional products
The Downtown Farmers Market offers products from Washington County and specialty crafts in the central square in downtown Sandersville. Its downtown location and selection of regional products and crafts make the market a distinct opportunity to discover local goods.
The Washington County Farmers Market offers local products, flowers, and plants, as well as homemade preserves and spreads, cakes, and pies. The selection depends on the season and vendors, so it may vary. If you’re especially interested in a particular product, it’s a good idea to check the current selection before visiting. The two markets thus differ both in the products listed and in their specifically stated locations.
A walking tour and a destination north of the city
Visitors can walk along Sandersville’s Silk Stocking Street and request a recorded tour of the street. This is one way to focus on a single street and its local history rather than centering your visit on several museums and historical topics.
As a separate destination, Hamburg State Park lies about 20 miles north of Sandersville. It can be reached via Hamburg State Park Road from Georgia State Route 102. This distance and the stated route provide practical guidance if you’d like to include the park in your plans alongside Sandersville.
For a broader travel overview: Washington County.
