Birdwood is a estate in

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second largest city in southwest Georgia after Albany, Georgia, Albany. The city deems itself the "C ...

. Its main building is a two-story mansion built in 1931–1932 in then-popular

Georgian Revival style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

at the center of what was a 48-acre property. With . The mansion is basically U-shaped in plan, with a two-story colonnade connecting across the ends. It was built for

William Cameron Forbes William Cameron Forbes (May 21, 1870 – December 24, 1959) was an American investment banker and diplomat. He served as Governor-General of the Philippines, governor-general of the Philippines from 1909 to 1913 and ambassador of the United States ...

(1870-1959) of Boston, Massachusetts, "as a seasonal residence and a place to practice and play

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

in the winter." Forbes was a grandson of

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

and served as a diplomat for the United States, including serving on the

Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The first Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Preside ...

and as governor general in the Philippines for presidents T.R. Roosevelt and Taft. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1986. It is now part of

Thomas University Thomas University is a private university in Thomasville, Georgia. It offers associate, bachelor, and master's degrees. History The main building and grounds were originally a portion of Birdwood Plantation, the winter house of W. Cameron For ...

, now named Forbes Hall.

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) Colonial Revival architecture in Georgia (U.S. state) Houses completed in 1932 Houses in Thomas County, Georgia National Register of Historic Places in Thomas County, Georgia {{GeorgiaUS-NRHP-stub