Barrington Hall Seeks Docents To Lead Tours

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Are you a history buff? Do you like meeting new people from all over the world? Do you have some extra time on your hands?

If so, you may be a good fit for Barrington Hall, which is looking for docents to lead tours of one stop on Roswell’s Southern Trilogy of Historic Homes.

Situated on 7.5 acres in the heart of Roswell, this 1842 home belonged to one of Roswell’s founders, Barrington King.

Barrington and his father, Roswell King, founded the Roswell Manufacturing Company and settled what would become a thriving mill town on the banks of the Chattahoochee River.

Barrington Hall and the King family have a rich history and are central to the story of the creation of Roswell.

The historic house museum is open for tours seven days a week, so there are a variety of days and times available for volunteer participation. Docents and volunteers receive ongoing, behind-the-scenes educational opportunities, gift shop discounts, annual recognition at events and invitations to seasonal parties.

Not only is this home rich in history, but there are plenty of personal stories about the King family that prove to be fascinating as well as entertaining to visitors. One of Barrington Hall’s docents, Juliette, says her favorite story is one she tells when showing the George Camp bedroom.

“George rented a room from Barrington King from 1842-1852 and during that time ran the Roswell Manufacturing Company store and became the first postmaster of Roswell,” Juliette continued. “In 1847, one of the King sons, Thomas Edward King, got into a bit of trouble while attending Franklin College in Athens, Georgia. He and two friends rang the fire bell one night (while the president of the College was hosting a dinner for the graduating class). His friends were expelled, but because Thomas was a King, the president said he would write to his father about the incident. Thomas immediately sent a letter to the first postmaster of Roswell, George Camp, imploring him to intercept the letter before it reached his father.”

The dates for the next series of training sessions are pending. Anyone who is interested in becoming a docent or have questions about volunteering can contact Bill Browning at 770-640-3855 or wbrowning@roswellgov.com.

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Photo credit: city of Roswell