The house was set off by a park of live oak trees and a reflecting pond on one side.  During the Civil War, Greenwood was used as a Union hospital and many of the outbuildings were destroyed.

Upon the death of Ruffin Barrow in 1864, Greenwood was sold to Captain John A. Stevenson, a New Orleans boat builder who restored it to usefulness after the destruction of the war years.  Stevenson's heirs donated the home to his adopted German-born daughter Arabella, who married Charles H. Reed and raised a large family.

By 1915, the Greenwood house and surrounding acreage had been sold to Frank and Naomi Fisher Percy, who completely restored the home and furnished it with massive antiques. 

The Percys opened the home to the public to share their treasure, one of the most magnificent mansions in the South, featured in magazines, toured by thousands and serving as the setting for movies.

On the night of August 1, 1960, the elderly Percys had retired to the rear of the home to enjoy the company of a visiting grandson.  The lights went out as a noisy electrical storm front passed through.  Thunder crashed and lightning rent the summer sky.  The storm's noise prevented anyone from hearing an ominous crackling until it became a roar, the roar of flames consuming the old, dry home.

Lightning had struck the northwest corner.  Within three hours, nothing was left of Greenwood but 28 Doric columns and some chimneys, and thus it languished for nearly a decade until new owners purchased the site and began the 15-year undertaking of constructing a near-duplicate of the original house.

Now furnished with a mixture of antiques and period reproductions, Greenwood has been the setting for several recent movie and television productions, including North and South.

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