Established in 1804 over 500 acres, Milledgeville, was named in honor of its current Governor, John Milledge. Due to the rapid current on the Oconee River, this land was the perfect place for Georgia's new state capital.  Allowing a means of trade between Milledgeville and Savannah. As a result more and more wealth came to Milledgeville during the Cotton Boom. With more wealth came lavish buildings and homes, all designed with the Milledgeville Federal Architecture. Towns all around adopted this Antebellum style, creating what we now call The Antebellum Trail. This trail includes the historic communities of Milledgeville, Eatonton, Athens, Watkinsville, Madison, Macon, and Old Clinton. 

But during the Civil War over thirty thousand Union soldiers decended on Milledgeville where Union officers assumed control of the city, leaving the Governors Mansion to serve as the headquarters for William T Sherman's famous March to the Sea while in Milledgeville. Immediately after the state capitol was moved to Atlanta as Georgia became under the auspices of southern reconstruction. Today many early 19th century landmarks including the Old State Capitol Building, The Old Governers Masion, The Old Stetson Standford House, and St. Stephens Episcopal Church still stand along The Antebellum trail.