As a child, I used to play in some of the most beautiful woods in North Macon behind a good friend's house. We spent many a day in the hardwood forest bordered by Forest Hill Road and The Prado. On one such day, my friend's father led us down a trail to an old abandoned monastery. I remember being fascinated by the whole thing - a trail which had stone platforms where, according to legend, statues of saints once stood, each pointing in the direction of the monastery in the woods. At that time, the only remaining statue was of St. Peter, standing on Satan's head. I've always wondered about the history of that place, and a few weeks ago I decided it was time to see if any of it was still there.A few days ago I ventured into the woods near the more well-known entrance to the trail, and followed it to the old structure. The forest was just as beautiful as I remembered it, and the structure was still easily accessible, though marked by vandals. I wasn't able to find the statue I remembered, but it brought back quite a few childhood memories just being in those woods. I took a few snapshots from the trail, which can be viewed in my Flickr gallery by clicking on the photo to the right.
As to the history of this place - there is very little documentation of its existence. Apparently, the land was once owned by the LaSociete Catholique Religious order during the late 1800's. Some say it was part of the Pio Nono College, established in 1874 and named after Pope Pius the Ninth, which became Saint Stanislaus College of the Jesuit Fathers in 1889 and burned down in 1921. It's been said that the jesuit monks would walk from the college, now Stanislaus Plaza neighborhood at the start of Pio Nono Avenue, to this grotto/shrine/monestary? to pray. I haven't really been able to confirm any of this, but I'll keep digging.
The land was acquired by Mr. Winship, who built a large estate which burned in the 1970's. An apartment complex now stands where the home was built, but parts of the old monastery still remain further into the woods. This is all I've been able to find out about this place, but it's really pretty fascinating, and definitely worth a visit (with permission of the property owners, obviously).
9 comments:
This is an interesting post. I am from Macon, have friends on Wimbish who know trails to the monastery/grotto, and lived for two years in the Highland Hills apartment complex you mentioned. I have been adventuring in that area for the past 6-8 years. There are still some markers in the form of engraved stones/obelisks clearly visible around the complex itself. The statue you are talking about, on the same side as the stone structure, is now broken- parts of it are a long way down the trail. There is a pedestal directly across from it (other side of the ravine) where another statue used to sit as well, but have not had any luck finding it. If you plunge down the hill on the apartment side, there is a large concrete swimming pool with steps leading down. there is also an old foundation, probably for a lodge of some sort. if you look at the sides of the ravine, the bottom used to be more easily accessible and there is clear evidence of landscaping as you go further toward the bottom. The most likely explanation I have heard for it is from my brother, and being from a very Catholic family, I trust his info. Apparently at one time the location was used as a retreat for Cistercian monks from the Conyers monastery. That would explain the pool and the wild location. But Macon old timers have also told me about the extensive system of trails toward Stanislaus that you mentioned. Apparently one of the three Catholic colleges in Georgia at the turn of the century, one being the St. Stanislaus Novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Macon. So it is reasonable to assume that the facilities were also used by the school as well. This is all the info I have on the location, but I have always wondered why it was simply abandoned, even by the historical society!! If you are able to find any other cool facts about it, I'd love to know.
I did some pretty extensive research on the site and spent many happy hours there when I was younger.
According to the archives of the Macon and Atlanta newspapers, the property was used for retreats by Catholics of St. Joseph Parish. Parishioners would take street cars to the property on Sunday afternoons to picnic and pray there. At one time there was an ornate gate leading to the property. Pio Nono/Stanislaus College, which was a couple of miles from this site, burned in 1921 and was never rebuilt. North Winship purchased the property from the Catholic Church and preserved it until his death about 40 years ago. After that, vandals descended on the property and left it in shambles.
The grotto pictured here held a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was a popular site for prayer and reflection in the late 1800's.
Thanks for the info guys. I'll post more if I come across anything new.
Anonymous is correct. This was not a monastery. It was a retreat for Catholics in the late 19th century. After the Catholic Church abandoned the property, North Winship, a former ambassador to South Africa purchased it and built his estate there. Mr. Winship took great care in protecting what was left of the retreat site. When he died in the late 60's leaving no heirs, the house and grounds deteriorated. C&S Bank owned the property for a few years but did nothing to protect it from vandals. Mr. Winship's house was set on fire and burned to the ground. The site was left to vandals, vagrants and the curious until the apartment complex was built sometime in the late 80's.
I remember the grounds well and spent a lot of time their in the '70s and early 80s. I remember Winship Mansion before it burned. It was a huge place. Another comment I would make is that the "pool" as actually the basement and foundation of the original building. I also remember the statue of St Peter. It was in pretty rough shape back in the 70s.
I don't think the pool was actually a basement/building foundation. It has rectangular dimensions, is only about 5-1/2 feet deep, and has at least four sets of double-sided concrete stairs on the inside walls. It also has features that appear consistent with that of a pool (such as pipes/holes in the side walls). It looks like a swimming pool to me.
I just realized 'anonymous' may have been referring to the apartment's current pool/clubhouse. I too have heard that those were constructed on the old foundation. At first I thought he/she was talking about the remains of the old pool out in the woods.
Who owns it now ? It has recently been surveyed and is littered with pink surveying tape.
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