The last Saturday of February was chilly but I was in a great mood and packed up early arriving in Roswell before noon. Mimosa Blvd. parallels Alpharetta Street a block west. This must of been the part of the original old Roswell as many of the historic homes branch off this lovely wide road. Settled around 1830 by Roswell King, the area was dominated before the civil war by cotton fields and the textile mill on nearby Vickery Creek. While the mill was burned to the ground during the war many of the fine homes remain. Three rather famous: Bulloch Hall, Barrington Hall and the Smith Plantation are all within about a mile of each other.
I found a few less pretentious abodes at the other end of Mimosa near the corner with Magnolia St. I am a big fan of southern domestic architecture. It is simple, almost Shaker with a hint of Greek revival. As usual now, I did a few prep thumbnails before I opened the oil. My drawing box fits right on top of my pochade and contains everything I need. It’s a wonderful mahogany
cigar box. The first house is Kimball Hall presently a popular venue for weddings. Right next door (823 Mimosa Blvd) was this rather neat bungalow with matching dormers and craftsman style windows. The light just got brighter warmer as the day went along. I only stopped twice, once to eat a packed sandwich and another to greet my daughter Jen and grandson Cole who drove by and noticed grandpa doing what he does—paint. 