Brown's Guide to Georgia

The Cannonball House was constructed as a winter home for Judge Asa Holt and his wife, Mary Palmer Holt. On the morning of July 30, 1864, the house was struck by a Hotchkiss shell fired from across the Ocmulgee River by troops led by Gen. George Stoneman. The house was a private residence for descendants of the Holt and Canning families until 1962. At this time, the Sidney Lanier Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy purchased the house from the last descendent, Miss Elizabeth Martin, and began restoration work. Miss Martin lived in the house until she passed away in 1971. In 1997, ownership of the house passed to the Friends of the Cannonball House, Inc. This board still owns the house today. The parlors feature artifacts from the original meeting rooms of the Adelphean and Philomathean Societies, the two oldest college societies for women. The house is endowed with Antebellum furnishings, many of which came from local Macon families, as well as a few original pieces. The military museum displays artifacts from the Civil War, including a dress uniform that belonged to one of the youngest generals in the Confederate Army. There are also examples of swords, firearms, cannonballs, period clothing, and flags, including an authentic First National Flag and a St. Andrew’s Cross Banner Flag. The original kitchen structure and servants’ quarters still stands at the back of the house.