Social Circle, GA Offers Warm Welcome

by

Cheryle Boyle

Being a Special Guest at the National Preservation Month Reception in Social Circle, GA, was more of an honor than I initially realized.  I was welcomed graciously.  The reception was held at the historic home which now accommodates the Henry Funeral Home.  This setting felt quite the contrary to your typical funeral home.  I found myself thinking how inviting this home was and what a beautiful venue for a life transitioning to paths unknown.  The Civil War era home was furnished meticulously room by room and adorned with beautiful antiquities of times past.  Not once did I realize that I was standing where services would soon be held for someone's passing loved one. 

Each and every person that I encountered shared an abundance of history that had bestowed them and their town of Social Circle.  If you ever find yourself wanting a lovely day-trip, or a new place to plant your feet, head down Highway 11 outside Atlanta and you’ll be bestowed with the charm of days gone by.  It’s a place you don’t get out of your head.  While there, don’t forget to stop at the Blue Willow Inn for a meal offering Southern flavors and a quaint atmosphere and take a peek at the “Celeste Dupree Cottage” and its ongoing renovations.  I could not have chosen any better home to be displayed on my book-cover.  Watch for other articles regarding its renewal and the turmoil this home endured and came forth with a healing; a strong resemblance to “538: Murder, Suicide and A Mother’s Love.”

This town and its people embrace you and draw you in with their warmth and kindness.  A home once visited by Margaret Mitchell, Pulitzer Prize winning author of “Gone with the Wind."  Her presence still manifests itself in the parlor of the Henry Funeral Home, as her picture on the wall looks back at you quizzically.  It gave me shivers to realize that I was standing, selling my books, in the very home that she had once stood. What an honor! 

The town kindly invited me and my recent book, "538: Murder, Suicide and A Mother’s Love," in and embraced us.  Given that the venue was focusing on Historic Preservation, I also offered a video I had prepared relating to a restoration project that I had undertaken in 2003, to restore a less than loved home in New Jersey.  The video takes you through my journey to straighten a tipping house, a walk through like a “fun house” and how rewarding it was to put a new face onto this home.   

I would like to thank all who made me feel so welcome that evening, May 19, 2016.  I look forward to returning.