Flannery O'Connor and her mother, Regina, quite often took their main meal at lunch at the Sanford House, a very elegant restaurant in downtown Milledgeville. The Sanford House had a regional reputation, and travelers would often drive out of their way to stop in for a delicious meal. The 1825 Federal-style house was located on the east side of Wilkinson Street, just across from the campus of Georgia State College for Women. In 2008, the Foundation published The Sanford House Cookbook, filled with original recipes from the restaurant. We are proud to announce that a third printing of the cookbook is back in the gift shop at Andalusia.

The author is Mary Jo Thompson, who was the co-owner and manager of the Sanford House, with Fannie Appleby White, from 1951 until the establishment closed 1966.  Miss Thompson later served as the manager and curator of the Old Governor’s Mansion, owned and maintained by Georgia College, in Milledgeville.  She served two terms as a trustee of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and was the chair of its scholarship committee.  Miss Thompson also served on the Board of Directors of the Flannery O’Connor-Andalusia Foundation from 2002 to 2006.  She was a close friend of Regina Cline O’Connor and paid many visits to see her and Flannery O’Connor at Andalusia.

The third printing of The Sanford House Cookbook features spiral binding along with plastic-coated covers and divider pages, making the book more durable in the kitchen. This attractive cookbook includes an introduction and cartoons by Josephine Keese King (author of The O'Connor Perpetual Calendar) and also a copy of a handwritten letter from Flannery O'Connor to Mary Jo Thompson and Fannie White. The Foundation sold and shipped copies of the book from the first two printings to customers all around the country, including women who worked at the Sanford House while they were in college in Milledgeville. It makes an excellent gift and keepsake. Call us today to order your copy (478-454-4029).