New: Join the Sidney Lanier Cottage Guild!

The Sidney Lanier Cottage House Museum, located at 935 High Street in Macon, GA, is the birthplace of noted poet, musician & soldier, Sidney Lanier (1842-1881, see full bio). Perhaps best known for his poems "The Marshes of Glynn" and "Song of the Chattahoochee," Lanier was also a renowned musician, as he was first chair flute in the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in Baltimore for seven seasons. Furthermore, Lanier received a federal commission to compose a Cantata for the Centenniel celebration of the United States in 1876 in Philadelphia.

Click here for an online guided tour of the Sidney Lanier Cottage.

Born in the "Cottage" on February 3, 1842, Sidney Lanier moved to Griffin, GA shortly after his birth, but returned to Macon with his family where he completed his elementary education. At the age of 14, Lanier entered Oglethorpe College near Milledgeville, GA, and graduated in 1860 with high honors. Lanier entered the Confederate Army in 1861 with the Macon Volunteers and was captured in 1864 while serving on a blockade runner. He spent five months in a federal prison, where he developed consumption (tuberculosis), an illness with which he struggled for the rest of his life. Lanier married Mary Day on December 19, 1867 in Christ Episcopal Church in Macon. They couple had four sons. Lanier spent his latter years in Baltimore, MD, where, in addition to performing with the Peabody, he lectured in the English Literature Department at Johns Hopkins University. Lanier died near Lynn, North Carolina in 1881 at the age of 39. Mary Day Lanier, who outlived her husband by 50 years (d. 1931), spent her widowhood editing, publishing, and promoting her husband's copious letters, poems, and manuscripts.

The Sidney Lanier Cottage House Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1976, the "Cottage" was designated a Landmark of American Music, and in 2004, designated a Landmark of American Poetry by the Academy of American Poets. Among the objects on view at the Cottage are one of Sidney Lanier's flutes (a silver, alto flute made by the Badger Flute Company), Mary Day's wedding dress of 1867, and several portraits and first editions.

If you would like to make a contribution to the continued operation of this historic and important museum, please refer to our wish list, or click here to make a monetary donation to the Historic Macon Foundation. All donations are tax-deductible and are deeply appreciated.

OPEN FOR GUIDED TOURS: Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm, last tour at 3:30 pm
CLOSED on Sundays and Major Holidays. Hours may vary during Christmas and Cherry Blossom Festival (in March).
ADMISSION: Free for Members of Historic Macon Foundation. Please click here for membership information. Walk-in Admission:$5 adults; $4 for seniors, military with ID, AAA members, and organized groups of 10 or more with a reservation; $3 for youth, ages 6-18. $2 per student for organized K-12 school visits with a reservation. We also offer special programs for schools, (Click here for a downloadable Microsoft Word document containing tour information for K-12 teachers. Includes a form to apply for the free Elam Alexander Trust Program for Fourth Grade classes) The Cottage is also a stop on the Intown Historic Macon Tour available through the Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau. For information on this cumulative ticket (includes Hay House, Cannonball House, & St. Joseph's Church), see www.maconga.org. RENTALS: The Cottage is available for rentals for weddings, rehearsal dinners, receptions and parties. Click here to see pictures of banquet settings. For further information, please see our printable rental contract in Adobe PDF format.
PHONE: 478/743-3851 for reservations (only necessary for groups of 10 or more) and information.
SIDE PORCH MUSEUM SHOP available, includes books and specialty items of local interest
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE in the back
RESTROOMS AVAILABLE
PLEASE NO PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEOGRAPHY, FOOD OR DRINK

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