Ward inherited
t h e l a n d now known a s
SouthWood from his father,
George W. He married
Sarah Jane Chaires, daughter
o f B e n j a m i n C h a i r e s , a
wealthy farmer, banker and
land baron. She inherited
properties from her father that
were later incorporated into the
SouthWood land. T h e o r i g i n a l h o u s e a t
SouthWood burned down prior
to 1880; however, some of the
bricks in the
original house
remained intact and are now in
use in the foundation of the
present SouthWood house. The
present house was built about
1865 on the Northeast corner of
Adams and Pensacola streets in
downtown Tallahassee. M a t t i e Ward H e n d e r s o n
inherited the land from her parents
Sarah Jane and George T. In
1939, Mattie’s grandson, George
Henderson, moved the family
home from downtown Tallahassee
to the foundation of the original SouthWood house. Henderson took care to mark every piece of
wood in each room during the
disassembly and moving process
so that the wood was precisely
replaced in the present house. The
six Ionic columns you see in the
present house were added after
the house was moved to its current
location. Maintained and preserved the Southwood House continues to
be the premier event location in Tallahassee. Available for event rental, visit us at www.southwoodgolf.com
