Just outside Milledgeville city limits stands a majestic and proud building practically untouched by the ages and surrounded by beautiful gardens and plants openly available for viewing and study by the public.

Today, Lockerly Hall, so named by former owner R.W. Hatcher in 1927 after a castle in Great Britain, boasts a beautiful landscape that encompasses one of the larger outdoor arboretum and nature paths in Central Georgia, an attraction that brings tourism money to Milledgeville and educational projects to local schools.

Lockerly’s past is a proud one.

Despite multiple owners, the building has managed to survive the passage of time and stand proud among the historic landscape for which Milledgeville is known — thanks in part to philanthropist and kaolin industry developer Edward J. Grassman in the mid 1960s.

Grassmann, a New Jersey native, bought Lockerly and the 25 acres that surrounds the property in 1965.

Using the house as a private guest quarters, Grassmann would eventually help create Lockerly Arboretum and the grounds as they stand today.

“In an area just outside city limits, but which will surely be included within the city limits in the future, Edward J. Grassmann is restoring the mansion called Lockerly and planting extensive gardens to be known as the Lockerly Arboretum Foundation,” John

Linley wrote in his 1972 book “Architecture of Middle Georgia.”

“This project will ensure a degree of beauty and tranquility to that section of Milledgeville and will be enjoyed by generations to come."

If Linley only knew how true his words would become, he might possibly have continued his praise of the grounds. Today, the arboretum grounds boast many visitors each week, peaking in the springtime as plants and trees begin to restore their foliage to the seasonal changes.

The Hall is presently used to house administrative offices on the bottom floor while the inside of the home and the upstairs are displayed to visitors of the Milledgeville Convention & Visitors Bureau trolley tour and the occasional visit by clubs, organizations and private parties.

“It’s wonderful. To me there’s no better place to work,” Linda Layne, Lockerly’s director of development, said. “Lockerly is such a wonderful location. It’s an absolutely gorgeous place to work and to visit.”

The grounds of Lockerly Arboretum are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

Tours of Lockerly Hall are available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays, but are better arranged through the Milledgeville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, which visits the property through the trolley tour an average of twice a week.