Welcome to The Longstreet Society
-
The Piedmont Hotel - The property was purchased in 1994 by the Longstreet Society. In its heyday, the Piedmont hotel was an imposing three story building with 36 rooms in two wings joined by a connecting structure which contained the stairwells and, on the first floor, the lobby and ballroom. General James Longstreet, commander of the famous old Confederate First Corps and Robert E. Lee's second in command and closest confidant, opened the hotel on June 13, 1876. Today only the ground floor of the north wing remains and contains a library, museum room, meeting room, Woodrow Wilson room (his daughter Jesse was born here) and the Longstreet Society headquarters. See at 827 Maple Street.
-
The Home Site - Shortly after moving to Gainesville in 1875, the General bought a 100 acre farm here and built his home on it. He raised muscadines, which are a domestic grape, and turkeys and sheep. In 1889 the home burned and his first wife Maria Louisa Garland Longstreet died a few months later. Today the site is graced by a handsome standing statue of the General, placed by the General James Longstreet Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy and funded by the Denton Hadaway estate. See at 959 Longstreet Circle
-
-
The Helen Longstreet Home - The General lived here with his second wife, Helen Dortch Longstreet until his death. He and Helen had a chapel built in the basement and Gainesville's first Catholic Church, Saint Michael's, held their first services there. This house is privately owned and there is no parking on the street. It is a drive-by look only. See at 746 Green Street
- Roosevelt Square - The site of the old Hall County Courthouse where his funeral was held in 1904. This building was destroyed by the tornado of 1936, but there is a Georgia historical marker at the site.
See in the square behind 300 Henry Ward Way.
-
The Death Site - The home of the General's daughter, Maria Louisa Longstreet Whelchel and her husband Eston was located on College Avenue in Gainesville. General Longstreet was suffering from cancer of the throat and eye, but rallied the morning of January 4th, 1904 and asked to be driven to his daughter's home. Once there his condition worsened and he developed pneumonia. During a coughing spasm the neck wound from the Wilderness campaign tore open and he literally bled to death. A newspaper of the day reported, 'the old General died of his wounds." See Original Research for more information.
Now an empty lot at 255 College Avenue between Bradford Street and E. E. Butler Parkway. -
-
The Grave Site - The general chose "good ground" similar to that of the Union position at Gettysburg for his family burial plot in Alta Vista Cemetery. He was buried here in 1904 and even today a steady stream of admirers come to pay their respects and to bring the general flags and cigars and other tokens of esteem.
See at 1080 Jesse Jewell Parkway. Go to the flagpole in the center of the cemetery.
