Twelve Oaks was a prominent plantation (according to some the biggest and most beautiful plantation) in Clayton County, Georgia. It neighboured Tara, Mimosa, Pine Bloom and Fairhill.
Twelve Oaks is described as a beautiful white-columned house that crowned the hill like a Greek Temple, by the Flint river. It has many chimneys and French windows. The interior is dashing and includes six great bedrooms, a dining room, parlour rooms and a large hall. It also has a cellar and a rose garden, as well as jessamine bushes.
The long path leading to Twelve Oaks is lined with twelve oak trees, hence its name.
History[]
It belonged to the Wilkes family for a very long time before John Wilkes (born 1800) inherited it. He married Ms Hamilton here and raised his three children at Twelve Oaks: Ashley (1840), India (1842) and Honey (1845). John Wilkes hosts his many barbecue parties here.
During the Civil War, Twelve Oaks was burned by the Yankees. John Wilkes died in the War in 1864 and was buried at the burned grounds of Twelve Oaks. India and Honey Wilkes were able to flee to Macon, and Ashley and Melanie moved to Atlanta, where they raised their son Beau Wilkes.
Twelve Oaks' main marble hall, with its grande spiral staircase is one of the most iconic sets in Hollywood history. Oddly enough, the hall is never described in much detail in the book and most scenes that are depicted that take place somewhere else in the book.
Twelve Oaks was actuallly not one location in the film version. The porch was a set with painted-on windows, the front door of which led directly into the studios where the interiors had been built. All chandeliers and ceilings on screen are actually matte paintings. The books in the library were also fake. The garden scenes were filmed in Bush gardens Pasadena.
