Scarlett on the Square: No Longer There

Gone With the Wind Museum Move to Brumby House Is a Great Reason for a Return or First Visit

If you’re going to the Gone with the Wind Museum on Marietta Square, it’s gone – not with the wind, but down the street. That means the museum long known as “Scarlett on the Square” is no longer there, but now can be found in the historic Brumby House on Powder Springs Street, beyond the Marietta Confederate Cemetery and adjacent to the Hilton Conference Center.

One of the jewels of Marietta has changed locations while maintaining the sparkling magic of Hollywood’s Old South. The Gone with the Wind Museum now is located at Brumby Hall next to the Hilton Conference Center.

While the location has changed, the museum’s dedication to the 1936 book and 1939 film classic remains steadfast. The Greek Revival-style Brumby House is no Tara, but the new location warrants a visit from those who explored the former downtown location and others interested in reading some real Georgia history made by the Hollywood epic that some still mistake as authentic Civil War history.

Think of the Gone with the Wind Museum as sort of a mini movie sound stage housing different movie sets. The Museum features four main rooms. The first, largely dedicated to Margaret Mitchell and the writing of her book, also includes some lesser known details of the author’s colorful and short life in Georgia before and after the publication of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Vincent Price was passed over for the role of Rhett Butler, confirmed by this Selznick interoffice memo. — Vincent Price was too masculine for the role of Rhett Butler, and both Errol Flynn and Gary Cooper were passed over, too. But what about Groucho Marx, who was the favorite choice of author Margaret Mitchell?

Two rooms chronicle the talent acquisition process, movie production and the Atlanta world movie premiere. Original correspondence sent to producer David O. Selznik declares that “maybe we can do better” than casting Vincent Price in a key role and provides some juicy tidbits on the search for new talent in the New Orleans area. Various shooting scripts also are displayed, including one donated by Ann Rutherford, who was “loaned” to the Selznick production company by MGM to play Careen O’Hara, one of Scarlett’s sisters. As an aside, Vincent Price apparently was considered for the lead role, but may have been considered “too masculine.” If you’re curious about others like Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, Carol Lombard, Errol Flynn, Tyronne Power and Groucho Marx who were considered and rejected for GWTW roles, check out the GWTW page of the website notstarring.com.

The grandeur and spectacle of the Atlanta movie premiere jumps off the pages of Atlanta newspapers, which devoted weeks of coverage to promoting virtually every aspect of the event. News accounts on display detail virtually every move of stars Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Haviland during the three-day state holiday declared by Georgia Governor E.D. Rivers.

**The prize possession in the Gone With the Wind collection, this honeymoon gown was worn by Scarlett O’Hara in the movie. Other gowns and costumes on display are replicas.**

The largest exhibit includes an authentic honeymoon gown worn by Vivien Leigh in the movie, and replicas of other costumes. A fully-furnished scale model of Tara also occupies a center space in the large display.

I’ll admit that I missed the display of Vivien Leigh’s original contract for the movie, but that doesn’t surprise me given the wealth of details and variety of reading materials contained in the collection. If you’re a serious fan with deep curiosity, you likely can read all the details in under three hours. For the normal visitor, you’ll be done in 60 to 90 minutes.

The doll house replica of Tara Plantation occupies a prime spot in the GWTW museum. — Think twice about taking youngsters to the GWTW museum, as there aren’t any screens or interactive displays to occupy their attention. And artifacts like the doll-house replica of Tara inspired by the 80-year-old movie may be too much temptation for little hands.

If you’re thinking of visiting, recognize the Gone With the Wind Museum isn’t a Disney ride or a multi-media virtual reality experience. And, lacking interactive displays and focusing on a movie that premiered nearly 80 years ago, it’s not for teens, tweens and other youngsters who wouldn’t recognize the subject matter and will be without screens to keep them entertained.

Real Georgia History at Brumby House

Even if you frankly don’t give a damn about the book, the characters, the actors or the movie itself, you can still enjoy a few hours immersed in Georgia and Atlanta history with a visit to the museum, Brumby Hall and nearby downtown Marietta. Beyond the movie history housed inside, Brumby Hall played a significant part in real Georgia history. The two-story home on a hill was the residence of Colonel Arnoldus V. Brumby, the first superintendent of the neighboring Georgia Military Institute and a classmate of General William T. Sherman at West Point. Built in 1851, the house was occupied by Sherman’s troops and spared from flames as the Union troops departed because of the friendship between Brumby and Sherman. (As a side note, prior to the Civil War, Sherman was the first president of Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, which later became LSU.)

Atlanta Constitution and Atlanta Journal newspapers covered all the premiere details. — **Atlanta newspapers covered the prelude to and all the details of the Atlanta world premiere of Gone With the Wind. For history buffs, those pages also include the real events leading to World War II.**

And if you’re a World War II or 1930’s history buff like me, you’ll enjoy an unexpected benefit of visiting the Gone With the Wind Museum: those same newspapers that covered the movie premiere featured the major stories of the days leading to the formal start of the war. While my wife enjoyed the large display room featuring dresses, gowns, the doll house and more, I sat quietly and read the newspaper versions of the “flip side” of the GWTW coverage. (One more side note: If you don’t know the meaning of “flip side,” chances are you’re not going to enjoy the museum or the newspapers!)

Also, be sure to walk through the large gardens surrounding the house, especially if you visit in the spring and fall when many of the blooming plants display their vibrant colors. Before leaving, we also spent a few minutes enjoying the rocking chairs on the front porch – only sweet tea, lemonade or mint juleps could have made it a more perfect ending.

Gardens and front porch at Brumby Hall in Marietta — **Lovely gardens featuring a shrub maze and displays of blooming plants surround Brumby Hall. And the rocking chairs on the front porch would be perfect for lemonade, ice tea or a mint julep.**

Lunch on Marietta Square

Sights, shopping and restaurants at historic Marietta Square — The average visit to the Gone With the Wind museum requires 60 to 90 minutes, leaving plenty of time for historic Marietta Square. If you don’t want to fight parking on the Square and the weather is cooperative, you can walk through the Marietta Confederate Cemetery and on the bike and walking trail to reach the square in about 20 minutes.

Since visiting the museum requires only a couple of hours, there’s plenty of time to enjoy lunch on Marietta Square. While there’s plenty of parking at the museum and it’s only a short walk to the square, our Georgia heat and humidity don’t make that practical on many days. But, if you’re tempted, a leisurely route includes crossing Powder Spring Street, walking through the Confederate Cemetery and Brown Park, then following the bike and walking trail to the square. It’s only about a 20 minute walk and will save the parking hassle near the Square.

As to lunch options, the only trouble you’ll have is narrowing your options. Some of our favorite lunch stops include Shillings on the Square, the Butcher and the Baker, and The Marietta Local. Feeling more adventurous on our recent visit, we wandered down Powder Springs Street beyond Marietta Pizza to Skewers, a newer Greek and Mediterranean restaurant that we enjoyed immensely. We followed that up with a stop at Sarah Jean’s Ice Cream for some hand-dipped cooling treats.

Skewers features Greek and Mediterranean food in a casual setting — Feeling adventurous on our last visit to Marietta Square, we passed on some of our favorite dining spots and wandered into Skewers on Sandy Springs Street beyond Marietta Pizza Company. Now we have a new favorite, this one for Greek and Mediterranean food.

**Built in 1851, Brumby Hall was the home of the superintendent of the Georgia Military Institute. Used as a hospital during the Union occupation, it’s hard to visualize the gore and carnage that once** **occurred** **at the beautiful setting.**

All The Deets

You can find all the details about hours, prices, available group tours and more at the Gone With the Wind Museum website. And if you’re looking for a bargain, Groupon often offers two-for-one admissions to the museum with few restrictions. One word of caution: the museum is a favorite location for wedding and other events, so you may want to call ahead if you’re considering a late afternoon or weekend visit to avoid any limitations or closings associated with rentals.

Life-size movie promotion cutout of Scarlett O'Hara — Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara literally is everywhere at the Gone With the Wind Museum in Marietta. But when she asked at the movie’s end, “Where shall I go,” I don’t think directions to the unisex restroom were what she had in mind.