A Dream in the Wilderness
When you walk the grounds of Barnsley Resort, soaking in the soothing breezes rolling off of the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills, you are passing through history. Among these acres is a story of a family who carved a retreat out of the North Georgia wilderness and made it their home. It’s a story of a family persevering through the worst, an estate left behind, and a singular vision that brought it into a new era.
This is the story of Barnsley Resort, a tale woven through more almost two centuries of history and culminating in a breathtaking modern era of renewed beauty and elegance.
The Early Years: A Sanctuary Built for Love
Godfrey Barnsley was only a few years into his American dream when he first set foot here. Emigrating from Liverpool, England in 1824, he had quickly established himself as a savvy businessman, rising through the shipping business to become one of the most affluent men in the South. His wife, Julia, came from one of Savannah’s most prominent families but was stricken with consumption. Filled with concern for his dear wife’s health, Godfrey set out to find a place where cool mountain air would bring her peace and comfort.
In 1841, he found that blissful sanctuary among 4,000 acres of pristine Northwest Georgia wilderness. He brought Julia and their six children here, naming the estate Woodlands and building a grand Italianate mansion at its heart. Godfrey envisioned Woodlands to simply serve as a gorgeous retreat for his family, not a working plantation, as so many estates were at the time. Instead, he surrounded Woodlands with gardens reminiscent of the estates of his home country. Godfrey would eventually grow his family home to a 10,000-acre spectacle of European-inspired beauty.
Sadly, even the rejuvenating mountain air of their new home was powerless to halt Julia’s illness, and she succumbed to consumption in 1845. However, even death could not stop the love Godfrey felt for his wife. Turning to spiritualism, he would stroll the gardens of Woodlands, communing with his wife and receiving from her the blessing to complete the estate, that their family could call it home for generations.
Woodlands and the Barnsley Family
As he’d always intended, Godfrey passed his mountain estate on to the next generation. But not long after his daughter Julia took over stewardship of Woodlands, the awful shadow of war would stretch across this land, putting the estate in harm’s way. Sherman’s infamous march to the sea passed right through this land, and Woodlands found itself under Union occupation following a brutal battle on the estate.
Julia lost her first husband after the war and began rebuilding the estate alongside her new husband, Charles H. Schwartz, in 1872. The following year, Godfrey Barnsley was interred in the family plot at Woodlands, and his daughter, Julia, would join him 28 years later.
As the property passed through generations, it would endure through heartbreaking tragedy. In 1906, a tornado took the roof off the grand Italianate manor. Unable to repair it, the family simply made their home in the kitchen wing. Eventually, Julia B. Barnsley’s eldest grandson, Preston, was appointed executor. A prize fighter who battled under the name “K.O. (Knockout) Dugan,” Preston was a dubious choice to lead the family forward. When disputes erupted over the estate’s financial affairs, what could have been a simple family squabble turned tragic. In 1935, Preston shot and killed his own brother Harry, and was sentenced to prison.
In 1942, the last descendants of the Barnsley family sold off their stake in Woodlands. By the 1950s, it was converted to a cattle and poultry farm. It would seem that this fabled property’s story had reached its end.
Reinvention at Barnsley
For decades, the property sat in ruin, overwrought by vegetation and crumbling in abandonment. In 1988, it found its savior in the most unlikely of places. Prince Hubertus Fugger of Bavaria was the head of one of the oldest and most powerful banking families in Germany, and he had his eye on these grounds as a potential land investment.
It was simply meant to be another financial transaction, but soon he found himself drawn to the inherent beauty of the North Georgia estate he’d discovered. Barnsley Family Historian Clent Coker convinced him to not only restore the property, but to bring it to greater glory than it had seen in its heyday. Under the watch of Horticulturist Steve Wheaton, the grounds and gardens were revived with more than 200 varieties of roses and Downing-style arbors that embraced the natural beauty of the land.
Barnsley Resort opened to the public in 1999, embracing Godfrey Barnsley’s vision of an awe-inspiring estate set among gorgeous foothills and spanning classic English luxury with bucolic Southern charm. When it opened, a diversity of outdoor activities from horseback riding to hiking shared billing with a Jim Fazio-designed golf course, the world-famous Spa at Barnsley Resort, and unparalleled dining. These amenities were enriched in 2018 with the addition of The Inn at Barnsley Resort and Georgian Hall with its 5,000-square-foot ballroom.
Today, under the ownership of South Street Partners, the enduring appeal of this magnificent resort has only increased, with enhancements to the original cottages and Biergarten and exciting new recreational opportunities like pickleball and improvements at the Beretta Shooting Grounds. In 2025, the elevation continued with the addition of a second resort pool, a new restaurant Jules (inspired by Julia B. Barnsley) by Chef Shaun Doty and interiors from David Thompson (who also designed B-Liner at Kiawah Island Club) and the addition of a Himalayas putting course.
From the day Godfrey Barnsley first set foot on these grounds to its marvelous modern iteration as a famed resort, this land has held a wealth of stories. As its story continues, we thank you for joining us.