Macon Magazine

A magnificent mansion in the middle of College Street has been home to memorable moments and movers and shakers in Macon's history. Perhaps one of the most iconic pieces of architecture in our city has an unique history of vegetable shortening, a Pulitzer Prize and modern-day medicine. Quite the combination. Only in Macon may you find such a page-turning gem with pages still to be written. e building has a story as tall as its staircase to tell. e McCaw-Massee House at 619 College St. was constructed in 1901 for Macon Manufacturing Company President Wallace E. McCaw. He is credited with creating one of the South's most cherished cooking counterparts, the one-and-only Crisco. In fact, it is rumored that the building's brick design was a nod to the color of the vegetable shortening. Nearly a decade later, businessman William Jordan Massee Sr. purchased the home while also investing his time and resources greatly in Macon. From his business expeditions and railway ownership to his travels and fine dining experiences, Massee Sr.'s personality was as large as the Massee Apartments he helped build. As the story goes, Massee Sr. once met renowned playwright Tennessee Williams, who was friends with his son, Jordan Massee Jr., in the early 1940s. Williams was so inspired by Massee Sr.'s dynamic and commanding presence that he mirrored him in the Big Daddy character in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof." Williams wrote the play, his personal favorite, while spending a great deal of time in Macon and eventually won a Pulitzer Prize for his work. Williams was always nostalgic about his time in Macon. "I'm sure I felt a poetry in Macon that was only there for a stranger tired of New York and perfectly willing to be annihilated and absorbed by the elements," Williams is quoted as saying in "Tom, e Unknown Tennessee Williams" by Lyle Leverich. In a new chapter, the home, which has been commonly referred to Macon mansion still has a mission WITH A STORIED HISTORY, A BELOVED HOUSE BECOMES AN ARCHITECTURAL GEM FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY BY HANNAH JETT THEUS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAVE BJORKMAN AND ERIC ROBBINS JORDAN MASSEE SR. AND JORDAN MASSEE JR., LEFT. IMAGE OF A STORY ABOUT THE MASSEE APARTMENTS, BUILT BY THE MASSEES, AS PUBLISHED IN THE TELEGRAPH. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 | maconmagazine.com 43

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