Fulton County Botanical Gardens

The Lost Eden of Atlanta: The Fulton County Botanical Garden

Chapter 1: A Landscape of Ghosts

Beneath the roar of jet engines at Fulton County Airport and the heavy traffic of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive lies a landscape haunted by its own history. Atlanta has long been a city defined by rapid reinvention, often burying its most profound and violent chapters under layers of asphalt and commercial development. While the eastern neighborhoods famously paved over the battlefields of 1864 with shopping centers and transit stations, the western edge of the city near the Chattahoochee River harbors its own forgotten tragedies. Long before civic leaders dreamed of transforming this terrain into a utopian botanical garden, the land along Gordon Road (now Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) and Bakers Ferry Road served as a thriving pioneer settlement.

The area was heavily shaped by the Mayson family. James Lucas Mayson, born in Abbeville, South Carolina, in 1799, eventually settled on the west side of Atlanta. Alongside his contemporary, Daniel R. Turner, Mayson established a vital ferry crossing over the Chattahoochee River in 1844, giving rise to the historic Mayson Turner Road. The family established a deep footprint on the land, building homes, a family cemetery, and the Mayson Methodist Church. The church, originally a branch of Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was organized around 1860 on property donated by James L. Mayson. Notably, the congregation was known for its racial diversity before the Civil War.¹

However, the tranquility of this riverside settlement was obliterated during the Atlanta Campaign. In the summer of 1864, the horrors of the Civil War arrived at the Mayson property. A force of 1,600 Union troops descended upon the area, setting up a massive encampment. The federal soldiers forced the local residents to flee, occupied the property, and initiated a scorched earth campaign. They burned the housing and the Mayson Methodist Church to the ground.

The surrounding geography, including the nearby Lick Skillet Road, became a staging ground for bloody skirmishes like McCook’s Raid and the Battle of Ezra Church. Lick Skillet was a winding dirt road of the 1860s which passed Ezra Church (near the southeast corner of modern Mozley Park) and continued southwest to Gordon Terrace, where it joined Gordon Road and ran westward to a cross-roads settlement called Lick Skillet, now known as Adamsville. The road, Mozley Drive, did not exist in 1864. Lick Skillet Road is cited frequently in reports, Confederate and Federal, as are two other landmarks of the battlefield: Ezra Church and the Alms House. The latter stood near the present Gate House of the West View Cemetery. The Battle of Ezra Church began with the advance of Confederate Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee’s army corps (deployed east and west of the Alms House), northward across Lick Skillet Road to attack Union forces. General Sherman’s legions had utilized the area before engaging in the heavy fighting. Over time, Lick Skillet Road became Gordon Road, which later became Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.²

When the smoke finally cleared, the land was left scarred, soaked in blood, and reduced to ash. For decades, the property sat quietly, slowly reclaiming its wildness as the city of Atlanta rebuilt itself miles to the east. It would take over seventy years for civic leaders to look at this haunted, ruined landscape and envision a paradise.

Chapter 2: The Autocrat and the Politician

The dream of transforming the bloodied soil of the old Mayson and Green properties into a horticultural masterpiece was driven by a brilliant but uncompromising man named Eugene Schofield Heath. Born in Ohio in 1880, Heath possessed impeccable academic credentials that he wielded with absolute authority. He earned an A.B. from Ohio Wesleyan and an A.M. from the University of Nebraska, later completing the residence requirements for a Ph.D. at the University of California. Heath and his wife, Atlanta native Virginia Shropshire, were married on December 28, 1909, and uniquely earned their master’s degrees simultaneously at Nebraska.³

Heath’s early career was distinguished. He served as the Head of the Department of Botany at Pomona College and worked as an Instructor of Botany at the University of California from 1916 to 1917. By 1920, Heath had relocated to Georgia, serving as the Professor of Biology at Oglethorpe University. Residing at 934 Waverly Way NE, he became a fixture in Southern academia.⁴

In 1926, Heath founded the Georgia Botanical Society, serving as its president for nearly three decades. He engineered the society to be an exclusive, invitation-only organization. Writing in the November 1986 issue of the botanical journal Tipularia, naturalist Marie B. Mellinger provided a vivid, unvarnished retrospective of Heath’s leadership. Mellinger noted that the organization should have been called the Heath Society, for he was the absolute ruler. Early members recalled him as a charmer, but as “opinionated as all get out.” He became visibly angry if anyone corrected him, and on his carefully planned afternoon field trips, he was the undisputed master. Members noted that you did not dare ask questions other than the name of the plant, and he named things as you tagged along. One member recalled that he carried a hand lens but never a botany book, noting that he “never admitted that there might be a plant he did not recognize.”⁵

His wife, Virginia, served as a crucial counterbalance to his irascibility. Described as a true Southern lady, she was highly diplomatic. When Mr. Heath was ornery, she smoothed things over, giving camellias to those who were ill and arranging rides for members to meetings.⁶

Heath found a crucial political ally in Troy G. Chastain. Chastain was the president of the Atlanta Chemical Company and was elected to the Fulton County Commission in 1938. Appointed as the chair of the parks and agricultural committee, Chastain proposed a comprehensive parks system for Fulton County in 1939. His primary motivation was to stem the rise in juvenile delinquency. Chastain believed the county could not make a greater contribution to its citizenship than by providing recreation and training under the leadership of professionals. To achieve this, he identified five parks and one massive botanical garden that could be built on county-owned land. The proposed recreation areas included North Fulton Park on Powers Ferry Road, Adams Park near the West End, Dixie Lake Park near Fairburn, Chapman Park in College Park, and Boulder Park, which would sit adjacent to the proposed Botanical Gardens in Southwest Fulton.⁷

Chapter 3: The New Deal, the Brick Company, and the Earthworks

The opportunity to build the garden arrived via the economic engines of the New Deal, but the very ground beneath the proposed site carried a dark legacy. In 1931, the Fulton County Commission began hotly debating a land swap involving the county’s old Alms House property and a massive 1,200-acre tract owned by the notorious Chattahoochee Brick Company in Southwest Fulton on Adamsville Road.⁸ The brick company, founded by former Atlanta Mayor James W. English, was the epicenter of Atlanta’s brutal convict leasing system. After years of debate, the county ultimately finalized the purchase of 1,304 acres near the county’s “river convict camp” directly from the Chattahoochee Brick Company in March 1937 for $52,160.⁹ It was upon this bloodied, labor-scarred soil that Chastain and Heath planned their horticultural project.

By 1937, Works Progress Administration workers under Heath’s strict supervision were already cataloging flora in Atlanta, placing 2,000 labels on trees across 13 city parks.¹⁰

To build a standalone botanical garden, the WPA offered a massive federal grant, provided local municipalities could match it with land and resources. A coalition of civic groups, spearheaded by the West End Businessmen’s Association, the Atlanta Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Georgia Botanic Society, the Atlanta Chapter of University Women, and the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, lobbied the Fulton County Commission to dedicate the historic tracts to the garden.¹¹

Advocacy was highly coordinated. In 1937, the Georgia Garden Club circulated a promotional story titled “The Georgia Botanic Garden,” written by Edith Harrison, to drum up grassroots support.¹² In April 1938, the Fulton County Commission officially agreed to set aside 450 acres for the project. The WPA agreed to spend $58,000 over six months to develop the garden, contingent upon the West End Businessmen’s Association raising $6,800 to furnish additional funds. The $53,000 WPA allotment was for the first six months, with similar amounts needed for the second and third six-month periods of the 18-month project. The estimated operating cost was $15,000 per year, to be raised by admission fees, though students engaged in botany study would be admitted free. Jesse Armistead, chairman of the committee working on the garden for the West End Business Men’s Association, led the delegation presenting the plan to the commission.¹³

To meet the fundraising goal, George L. Wilson, president of the business men’s association, and Edgar F. Schukraft, vice president and chairman of the committee raising the funds, launched a public appeal. They solicited small contributions from all Atlantans, stressing the educational and aesthetic benefits the garden would bring to the county. The Georgia Nurserymen’s Association pledged $10,000 worth of shrubbery when the project started. Dewey Johnson, president of the Atlanta Federation of Trades, appeared before the commission to support the project, noting it would mean vital jobs and money for the county. Demonstrating their commitment, each county commissioner personally pledged $100 to the fund.¹⁴

In December 1938, the Fulton County Commission took its first official steps by setting up $750 for a contour survey of properties on Cascade Road, an early proposed site before the Gordon Road location was finalized. W.O. DuVall, attorney for the West End Business Men’s Association and Chairman of the Joint Atlanta-Fulton County Bond Commission, led the delegation requesting the survey, presenting proposals for a botanical garden on county-owned property off Cascade Road.¹⁵ By January 1939, it was reported that the 459 acres constituting the site of the Fulton county botanical gardens would provide a variety “second to none in America,” if Chastain’s plans were consummated. A contour map was being prepared, and federal officials indicated they would cooperate fully.¹⁶ By March 1939, plans were expanded to devote 250 acres of the tract specifically to park purposes, including picnic grounds and play areas.¹⁷

In May 1939, the Atlanta Federation of Women’s Clubs, led by Mrs. Hinton Blackshear, joined the West End Business Men’s Association in an effort to establish a botanical garden for this section. A resolution was sent to the Fulton County Commissioners approving the project and $750 was voted to be used for surveying in order to landscape the garden.¹⁸

In September 1939, the acquisition of land for the Fulton County Park System was under investigation by a subcommittee appointed by the grand jury. Commissioner Troy G. Chastain and Commissioner Dr. Charles R. Adams were the first witnesses called. The county had six park projects in various stages of construction, including the Botanical Gardens in Southwest Fulton.¹⁹

In February 1940, the commission approved sponsorship of a WPA project for the development of the botanical garden in West Fulton county and assigned Claude Mills as supervisor.²⁰

In May 1940, civic leaders took steps to end the unexplained inaction in planning a huge botanical garden. A special committee was under instructions to secure as early as possible necessary blueprints from the county.²¹ The West End Business Men’s Association reported that they had ordered the laying out of roads preparatory to work by WPA forces. Jesse W. Armistead, chairman of the association committee, described the botanic garden as a scientific collection of trees, shrubs, flowers and other plants brought together for scientific study and esthetic pleasure, a park-like area filled with beautiful landscapes, where plants of all species are arranged so as, first, to inspire interest and then a full appreciation of their many values for human use and enjoyment. He noted that the final papers for WPA approval were in the course of perfecting and would soon be sent to Washington for sanction by the federal government.²²

Following intense lobbying, the Fulton County Commission officially placed Eugene Heath on the county payroll on June 25, 1940, at a salary of $225 a month to formally direct the garden. Landscape architects William L. Monroe and Winton H. Reinsmith drafted a detailed design. Their surviving blueprints defined the garden’s boundaries within the triangle of River Camp Road, Gordon Road, and Bakers Ferry Road.²³

The county invested heavily in the site’s infrastructure. According to a later report by Commissioner Chastain, over $40,000 was spent constructing a curved, terraced amphitheater, a grass-banked reservoir, and two stone gatehouses.²⁴ Given the history of the Chattahoochee Brick property, the construction of the garden’s water features relied on convict labor. Utilizing 125 boys from the local Reformatory, a small stream was dammed to create an artificial lake. While early reports estimated the lake at 6 to 7 acres, later editorials noted it expanded to nearly 20 acres. Officially designated on the blueprints as Mirror Lake, it featured a massive 22-ton poised rock near its lower edge. During the construction phase, county employee W.E. Doyal and commission chief Frank Neely were frequently photographed inspecting the dam’s progress.²⁵

The rugged terrain of the new park proved challenging for some early visitors. In June 1940, City Councilman C.M. (Mac) Bolen and his family were thrown from their horses, including a fractious sorrel named “Zephyr,” during a riding foray near the Fulton Botanical Gardens.²⁶

Chapter 4: A Botanical Wonderland and Aspirational Models

To justify the expenditure of public funds and WPA resources, Atlanta’s civic leaders invoked famous horticultural institutions as aspirational benchmarks. They argued that the Fulton County project could rival the Shaw Gardens in St. Louis, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in New York, and even the Kew Gardens near London. By aligning their local project with these institutions, backers successfully framed the Gordon Road site not just as a park, but as a scientific and cultural asset for the South.²⁷

Heath’s botanical vision was to let plants grow in their natural state without a rigid, artificial layout. He told reporters in 1940 that the garden would take 200 years to complete, emphasizing the slow, organic nature of his work.²⁸ By 1941, the garden contained 518 varieties of rare and native flora, with Heath planning to introduce 400 more. He planted Spanish moss, the graybeard parasite, and two species of cactus brought in from Stone Mountain. He introduced carnivorous plants including the pitcher plant, the sundew, and the butterwort.²⁹

Heath scouted the city for unique specimens to transplant to the Gordon Road site. In June 1940, he identified a botanical anomaly on West Hunter Street he dubbed the “Trees in Love,” consisting of a weeping mulberry, a magnolia umbrella, and a southern sycamore that had grown intertwined.³⁰ In August 1940, Eugene Heath was called upon to identify exotic blooms found in Mrs. M.L. Wise’s backyard on Piedmont Road.³¹ During his surveys of the main property, Heath discovered a rare Hexalectris orchid, commonly known as brunetta. He documented its appearance, noting its madder and purple-striped lip, five light tan perianth segments with dark tan stripes, and an ivory center column with two tan lobes.³²

The garden was supported by donations from 75 local garden clubs and civic entities. Plantings included 1,250 rhododendrons, 350 mountain laurels, and 90 hemlocks from the U.S. Forest Service. West End realtor George Wilson donated a collection of gardenias. Mrs. James R. Little donated 12,000 daffodils. Benjamin Sill provided three truckloads of hemerocallis and 40 holly ferns. Commissioner Ellis Barrett and Mrs. Louise Gibbs of Palmetto donated water lilies and lotus plants. Mrs. Geneva Tucker donated Horsetail, also known as Equisetum.³³

Norman Butts landscaped the main entrance and supplied plants for a large exterior bed. To guide visitors, the county placed road signs on the five roads leading to the garden. Each road was named after a scientist by a committee that included Heath, Mrs. Little, Mrs. Emma Garrett Morris, Edgar Schukraft, and Beverly DuBose.³⁴

As noted by historians at the Atlanta History Center, the physical Fulton County Botanical Garden was strictly segregated due to the Jim Crow laws of the era.³⁵ However, archival records reveal that the WPA project leaders engaged with the Black community regarding botanical education. On May 19, 1938, Eugene Heath and WPA Supervisor Miss A.A. Morris attended the installation meeting of the Diana Smith Flower Garden Club, a Black women’s garden club, at the home of Mrs. Lottie Jones on Ashby Street. Alongside Professor B.F. Bullock Sr. of Atlanta University, Heath and Morris spoke to the club about the WPA Flower Garden Project, promoting botanical education across racial lines even as the physical park remained segregated.³⁶

Chapter 5: The Matriarchs and the Pioneer Myth

The political survival of the garden was heavily dependent on a network of civic-minded women in Atlanta. Chief among them was Roberta Perryman Little. Born in 1871, Mrs. James R. Little was a prominent civic leader residing at 2472 Peachtree Road NW. She founded the Department of Georgia Products for the Atlanta Federation of Women’s Clubs. In 1939, under her guidance, the Federation conceived the idea of the Fulton Botanical Gardens and began pushing the county for its realization.³⁷

In January 1941, Mrs. Raymond H. Wolfe, president of the Atlanta Federation of Women’s Clubs, called upon the County Commission to carry through plans for a botanical garden.³⁸ The Atlanta Federation of Women’s Clubs passed a resolution urging the county to retain the botanical director post. They insisted the garden be held to its purpose of scientific study and commercial experiment rather than becoming merely a recreation park.³⁹

To build support, local leaders brought in outside experts. In February 1941, Heath hosted George H. Pring, superintendent of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Heath showed color films of the Missouri gardens at the home of former Governor John M. Slaton.⁴⁰ In May 1941, the director of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden testified at an Atlanta smoke abatement hearing, arguing that the life and beauty of parks and gardens must be preserved from industrial smoke and fumes.⁴¹

To guide the project, Commissioner Chastain appointed a twenty-five member advisory committee in May 1941. Chaired by Mrs. Little, the roster included Dr. M.L. Brittain, Alvin Cates, Gregory Bowden, Leroy Wynn, Mrs. Robert Cooney, Mrs. T.K. Glenn, Mrs. Samuel Inman, Mrs. Murdock Equen, Mrs. Max Land, Dr. T.F. Abercrombie, C.H. Bishop, Miss Allie Mann, Mrs. Emma Garrett Morris, Mrs. Oscar Palmour, Mrs. Howard Patillo, Mrs. Laura Davis Webster, Edgar Schukraft, Frank Carter, Kendall Weisiger, H. Reid Hunter, Mrs. R.L. Turman, Jere Wells, and W.A. Cagle.⁴² The grand jury inspected the Botanical Gardens and commended their appeal to the general public.⁴³

Roberta Little’s daughter, Elizabeth “Betty” Little Meriwether, eventually took leadership of the project. Born in 1905, Betty Meriwether graduated from Agnes Scott College in 1926 and married Charles A. Meriwether in 1930. She was the founder of the kindergarten at The Lovett School, an active member of the Ivy Garden Club, president of the Rabun Gap Nacoochee Club, and a docent for the Swan House.⁴⁴

The garden grounds also incorporated local pioneer history. The land purchased for the garden was formerly the plantation of Clem Greene (1829–1889), a nineteenth-century planter, sheriff, and lieutenant in Cobb’s Cavalry. In the summer of 1877, Greene reported to local papers that his fields along Green’s Ferry Road were infested with grasshoppers devouring his cotton and corn.⁴⁵ The original plantation home, built around 1843, still stood on the property and bore physical scars from the Civil War. Fulton County restored the home, wiring it for electricity and piping in water. Renamed Crape Myrtle Hall due to the planting of 50 large crape myrtle trees around it, the home featured 12-foot ceilings and large window frames.⁴⁶ In December 1941, the Fulton County commissioners ordered that the garden be developed for educational purposes along lines advocated by Mrs. Little’s committee.⁴⁷ The commission hired a landscape architect to direct planting and installed electrical fixtures in Myrtle Hall.⁴⁸

In addition to the home, the property featured a replica of the Clem Greene School, an 1857 one-room log schoolhouse. Greene originally built the school to educate his own children, his brother William’s children, and those of his tenants. He eventually opened it to pupils from Lick Skillet (Adamsville) for five cents a day.⁴⁹ In 1943, Mrs. W.C. Vivian Dameron organized the Clem Green Pioneer School Club. The club used the replica cabin to host back-to-school events celebrating 1850s pioneer life, featuring period dress and spelling bees.⁵⁰

Chapter 6: The War Years and the Post-War Revival

The momentum of the late 1930s was halted by World War II. In January 1942, a proposal was submitted to retain Dr. Heath at a reduced salary of $150 per month to manage the garden, but the war effort took precedence.⁵¹

During this period, the county’s penal infrastructure adjacent to the garden underwent major changes. In September 1942, the Fulton County Commission—spearheaded by Troy Chastain—voted 3-to-2 to abandon the 3,000-acre River Convict Camp. Chastain noted the camp had cost nearly $183,000 to operate in 1941 and argued its closure would save the county $50,000 annually, citing a drop in the convict population.⁵² Inmates were transferred to the Ben Hill camp and the Colored Industrial Farm, and veteran employees like Warden J.H. Adams were dismissed.⁵³

Later in 1942, the county leased adjacent land to the U.S. Navy for a flying field, which eventually became the Fulton County Airport (Brown Field). Commissioner Chastain stepped down in 1942 and passed away in 1945 at the age of 60.⁵⁴

During the war, the garden’s infrastructure saw alternative uses. In 1943, State Guard units used the amphitheater for tactical exercises.⁵⁵ By 1945, the lake was opened for public fishing. In June 1945, the Garden Memorial Foundation, Inc. planned a World War II veterans memorial centered around the botanical garden. Directors included Mrs. Pope F. Brock, Charles Manley Brown, Mrs. Charles Howard Candler, Scott Candler, Mrs. H. Benson Ford, Mrs. Arthur I. Harris, Mayor Hartsfield, Frank H. Neely, Mrs. J.J. Nicholson, and Robert Strickland.⁵⁶

In August 1945, local children in Adamsville collected paper to raise funds for garden beautification.⁵⁷ In December 1945, Staff Sergeant Preston Farrish and Private Bob Hollis planted a holly tree as a tribute to World War II veterans.⁵⁸

In April 1946, the Fulton County Commission voted to create a board to develop the 459-acre tract near the Chattahoochee River into a Botanical Garden, at the request of Mrs. James R. Little.⁵⁹ The 15-member commission was formally organized with Roberta P. Little as Chairman, Harry A. Alexander and Beverly M. DuBose as Co-Chairmen, and Mrs. Emma Garrett Morris as Secretary.⁶⁰ Other members included Judge Bond Almand, Alvin B. Cates, George Chandler Harris II, Mrs. Robert H. Jones, Albert G. Mathews, Frank A. Mathews, Wiley L. Moore, G.W. McDowell, Mrs. Oscar Palmour, Edgar Schukraft, and Mrs. Robert L. Turman.⁶¹

In May 1946, local boys boating on the lake discovered a submerged 1938 Ford sedan in ten feet of water. Police Captain Robert Flournoy supervised the removal of the vehicle, which had been reported stolen in February 1942 and had rested at the bottom of the lake throughout the war.⁶²

During the summer of 1946, the garden hosted Sunday open houses organized by civic groups. Joe Brown Junior High students attended classes at the gardens in sketching, biology, and photography, which were recorded on film.⁶³ In July 1946, the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs endorsed the project, and Eugene Heath led public hikes through the property.⁶⁴ In August 1946, 600 Atlanta Jaycees served as hosts, and the county approved a yearly budget of $3,000 for a full-time custodian and guide.⁶⁵

In June 1947, Muggsy Smith proposed draining, cleaning, and restocking the lake with bass and bream to promote fishing.⁶⁶ In September 1947, the county provided a model flying field on Gordon Road near the garden for the Atlanta Aero Engineers.⁶⁷ In December 1947, the county approved $3,000 for materials to repair the lake dam.⁶⁸

Chapter 7: The Miss Atlanta Tree Contest

To maintain public interest, the Botanical Garden Commission launched the “Miss Atlanta Tree Contest” in September 1948. The contest sought the finest specimens of ten tree varieties within 15 miles of downtown Atlanta: short-leaf pine, loblolly pine, American beech, American elm, American magnolia, Eastern red oak, white oak, sweetgum, sycamore, and yellow poplar.⁶⁹

Nominations came from civic clubs, schools, and private homeowners across the city.⁷⁰ Charles H. Driver, who had succeeded Heath as director of the gardens following horticultural studies at Cornell University, served as a judge alongside Heath, Professor Wilbur G. Duncan of the University of Georgia, and Haskell Venard.⁷¹

The winners were announced in November 1948, with awards going to the Fernbank Forest Association (loblolly pine), Emory University (short-leaf pine), Joseph E. Birnie (American beech), Mrs. George H. Small (Eastern red oak), Mrs. J.R. Jenkins (white oak), Spelman College (American elm), the Inman Park Woman’s Club (American magnolia), Alva B. Lines (yellow poplar), Exposition Cotton Mills Co. (sweetgum), and Morningside School (sycamore).⁷²

Chapter 8: Vandalism, the Timber Sale, and Industrial Rezoning

Despite public interest, the garden suffered from vandalism and lack of security. In June 1946, Heath reported that unauthorized visitors had damaged rare plantings, estimating that fencing the property would cost $25,000.⁷³ Roberta P. Little passed away on May 30, 1947, at age 78.⁷⁴ Mrs. Oscar Palmour was elected chairman in 1949, followed by Mrs. Charles Meriwether in May 1950.⁷⁵

As Atlanta expanded, municipal priorities shifted toward airport growth and industrial development. In September 1950, the Fulton County Commission voted to sell timber rights on the 2,500-acre county tract—which included the Botanical Gardens—to James T. Malcom for $30,500.⁷⁶ Commissioners J.H. Aldredge and Tom Camp opposed the sale, pointing out that higher bids had been submitted.⁷⁷

Although the commission attempted to void the contract because it had not been recorded in the official minutes, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in October 1952 that the county could not invalidate the agreement on those grounds.⁷⁸ In November 1952, sawmills moved onto the property to clear-cut mature trees, effectively ending the botanical garden project.⁷⁹ The Botanical Garden Commission was formally disbanded that year. In July 1954, the county health department closed the 12-acre lake after water testing failed sanitary standards.⁸⁰

Chapter 9: Epilogue and Surviving Legacies

The replica Clem Greene Schoolhouse remained on the site through the late 1950s, surviving an August 1959 fire thanks to responding county police officers.⁸¹ In 1965, the Great Southwest Corporation purchased 3,000 acres along the river to construct the Fulton Industrial District and Six Flags Over Georgia. In 1967, the company moved the schoolhouse across the river into the theme park, where it was preserved as the “School for Lost Parents.”⁸² The corporate grading of the surrounding riverbank land also resulted in the emergency salvage and eventual destruction of the ancient indigenous settlement of Sandtown (9-Fu-14).⁸³

The scientific mission initiated by Eugene Heath was carried forward by the Georgia Botanical Society. In 1952, Norma Kelton Seiferle succeeded Heath as president. Alongside her husband, Edwin James Seiferle, she led conservation efforts across the state, discovered the Chattahoochee Azalea in western Fulton County in 1965, and helped design the gardens at the Tullie Smith House.⁸⁴

In 1965, the society established a native plant arboretum at the Governor’s Mansion on West Paces Ferry Road, which was later transferred to the Swan House grounds at the Atlanta History Center in 1975.⁸⁵ In 1984, building on surveys begun under Seiferle, the society published the Atlas of the Vascular Flora of Georgia.⁸⁶

The dream of a public botanical garden in Atlanta was revived in 1973, leading to the incorporation of the Atlanta Botanical Garden in 1976 and its permanent home in Piedmont Park.⁸⁷

Today, the original 459-acre Gordon Road garden site is occupied by the industrial facilities of the Fulton County Industrial District and the runways of the Fulton County Executive Airport (Charlie Brown Field). While the gardens were lost, the street name Boulder Park Drive, the course of Utoy Creek, and the historic Mayson family cemetery remain as physical markers of the landscape’s layered past.

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• The Atlanta Constitution. “Grand Jury Presentments.” November 1, 1941.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Judges Search For Prize Tree.” October 27, 1948.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Keeping Up With Atlanta.” March 16, 1948.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Mrs. Little, Civic Leader, Dies at Home.” May 31, 1947.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Mrs. Palmour New Botanical Head.” June 19, 1949.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “New Personnel Is Placed Upon County Pay Roll.” June 25, 1940.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Orchids Bloom In Back Yard Of Atlantan.” August 6, 1940.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Paper-Collecting Bull And Pals.” August 29, 1945.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Plan to Enlarge Botanic Gardens.” March 2, 1939.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Resolutions To Be Presented Today at Federation Meet.” January 15, 1941.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “River Convict Camp Will Be Abandoned.” September 23, 1942.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Seaboard Avenue Proud Of Its Two Fine Trees.” January 2, 1950.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Southside Property Is Showing Activity,” March 28, 1937.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Stolen Auto Found Under Lake’s Waters.” May 31, 1946.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Ten Dismissals Are Approved By Commission.” November 5, 1942.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “These Interesting People.” September 9, 1947.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Troy Chastain Is Reappointed Head of Board.” January 8, 1942.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “U.S. Funds Sought For Development Of Scenic Parks.” January 20, 1939.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Uncle Remus To Tell Tale ‘In Person’.” August 29, 1946.
• The Atlanta Journal. “941,000 Nod On 10 Projects Asked by Fulton.” December 8, 1947.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Almshouse Plans To Cost County $3,000.” December 4, 1941.
• The Atlanta Journal. “As Ever There Such A Name As Lick Skillet.” May 13, 1931.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Atlanta Tree Winners Designated by Judges.” November 7, 1948.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Board Votes To Drop River Convict Camp.” September 22, 1942.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Bolen and Family Tossed by Horses.” June 11, 1940.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Botanical Open House.” July 12, 1946.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Business Men’s Association In Session.” May 5, 1939.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Clem Green School Club Presents Scholarships.” September 27, 1972.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Club Women Urge Civic Program.” January 16, 1941.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Convict Flees South Camp.” August 1, 1947.
• The Atlanta Journal. “County Acquires 1,304-Acre Tract.” March 24, 1937.
• The Atlanta Journal. “County Assists Botanical Garden Plan.” April 14, 1938.
• The Atlanta Journal. “County Commission Again Looks for Trouble.” September 20, 1950.
• The Atlanta Journal. “County Commission To Fix Salaries Of Seven Officials.” December 7, 1938.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Ever Green In Memory.” December 8, 1945.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Extending the Smoke Curb.” May 16, 1941.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Fulton Drops Efforts To Restrain Malcom.” November 30, 1952.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Fulton Increases Speed Limits in Outlying Areas.” August 8, 1946.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Fulton’s Botanical Garden.” February 18, 1941.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Grand Jury Presentments.” November 2, 1943.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Jaycees Hosts at Botanical Gardens.” August 4, 1946.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Land Ownership And Fulton Park System Probed.” September 13, 1939.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Leaders Act To Start Great Botanic Garden.” May 14, 1940.
• The Atlanta Journal. “McDowell Stevens Marriage Told.” October 21, 1949.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Native Flora Feature of May Show.” April 24, 1949.
• The Atlanta Journal. “New County Commissioner To Decide Almshouse Swap.” May 7, 1931.
• The Atlanta Journal. “New Egan Park Sewers Assured by Commission.” May 2, 1946.
• The Atlanta Journal. “No Swimming Allowed in County Pond.” July 16, 1954.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Oldest School In Fulton Hit by Fire.” August 12, 1959.
• The Atlanta Journal. “People and Events.” September 8, 1946.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Planning Commission Issues Master Plan for Local Parks.” March 9, 1952.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Plans Drawn to Develop Botanical Gardens.” January 27, 1949.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Squabble on County Timber a Dead Issue.” October 15, 1952.
• The Atlanta Journal. “West End Men Hosts at Gardens.” June 16, 1946.

1. Mayson Methodist Church records, Record Group No. 030, Pitts Theology Library, Emory University.
2. “As Ever There Such A Name As Lick Skillet,” The Atlanta Journal, May 13, 1931, 13; Thomas J. Brown, “John Bell Hood: Extracting Truth From History” (Master’s thesis, San Jose State University, 2011), 32, 34.
3. Oglethorpe University, The Yamacraw (Yearbook), 1920; Yolande Gwin, “Honeymoon Delayed for 50 Years,” The Atlanta Constitution, July 16, 1959, 22.
4. Oglethorpe University, The Yamacraw, 1920.
5. Marie B. Mellinger, “Botany for breakfast,” Tipularia (November 1986): 25, 26.
6. Marie B. Mellinger, “Botany for breakfast,” Tipularia (November 1986): 25, 26.
7. Thornton Kennedy, “Chastain’s legacy looms large in park bearing his name,” Fulton Neighbor, August 11, 2021.
8. “New County Commissioner To Decide Almshouse Swap,” The Atlanta Journal, May 7, 1931, 12; “Appraisers Value Almshouse Tract,” The Atlanta Constitution, April 23, 1931, 5.
9. “County Acquires 1,304-Acre Tract,” The Atlanta Journal, March 24, 1937; “Southside Property Is Showing Activity,” The Atlanta Constitution, March 28, 1937, 32.
10. Herman Hancock, “Parks Program to Help Youths Shun Crime Asked,” The Atlanta Constitution, July 30, 1939, 13A.
11. “Fulton’s Botanical Garden,” The Atlanta Journal, February 18, 1941, 12.
12. “Georgia Garden Club Bulletin Features Program Suggestions,” The Atlanta Constitution, October 14, 1937, 10.
13. “450 Acres Voted For County Garden,” The Atlanta Constitution, April 14, 1938, 11; “County Assists Botanical Garden Plan,” The Atlanta Journal, April 14, 1938, 25.
14. “Botanical Garden Drive Is Launched,” The Atlanta Constitution, April 17, 1938, 4.
15. “County Commission To Fix Salaries Of Seven Officials,” The Atlanta Journal, December 7, 1938, 16.
16. “U.S. Funds Sought For Development Of Scenic Parks,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 20, 1939, 1.
17. “Plan to Enlarge Botanic Gardens,” The Atlanta Constitution, March 2, 1939, 9.
18. “Better City Housekeeping’ Is Aim Of Civic Improvement Committee,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 14, 1939, 50.
19. “Land Ownership And Fulton Park System Probed,” The Atlanta Journal, September 13, 1939, 5.
20. “County Approves New Sewer Tax Affecting 7,000,” The Atlanta Constitution, February 8, 1940, 3.
21. “Leaders Act To Start Great Botanic Garden,” The Atlanta Journal, May 14, 1940, 20.
22. “Business Men’s Association In Session,” The Atlanta Journal, May 5, 1939, 50.
23. “New Personnel Is Placed Upon County Pay Roll,” The Atlanta Constitution, June 25, 1940, 1.
24. Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center, “Elizabeth Meriwether landscape plans for the Botanical Gardens Park, Fulton County, Georgia,” ahc.VIS426, Cherokee Garden Library.
25. “Fulton’s Botanical Garden,” The Atlanta Journal, February 18, 1941, 12.
26. “Bolen and Family Tossed by Horses,” The Atlanta Journal, June 11, 1940, 7.
27. Frank Drake, “Fulton County Botany Display Project Begun,” The Atlanta Constitution, June 30, 1940, 9A.
28. Doris Lockerman, “Fulton Botanical Garden To Display Native Flora,” The Atlanta Constitution, June 2, 1946, 12B.
29. Frank Drake, “Fulton County Botany Display Project Begun,” The Atlanta Constitution, June 30, 1940, 9A.
30. “Orchids Bloom In Back Yard Of Atlantan,” The Atlanta Constitution, August 6, 1940, 19.
31. “Garden Films Will Be Shown To Atlantans,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 12, 1941, 4A.
32. “Botanical Garden Gets Many Rare Plant Gifts,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 5, 1947, 8C.
33. “Botanical Garden Gets Many Rare Plant Gifts,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 5, 1947, 8C.
34. Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center, “Elizabeth Meriwether records of the Fulton County Botanical Garden Commission,” ahc.MSS1049, Cherokee Garden Library.
35. “Society,” Atlanta Daily World, May 26, 1938, 3.
36. “Mrs. Little, Civic Leader, Dies at Home,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 31, 1947, 4.
37. “Club Women Urge Civic Program,” The Atlanta Journal, January 16, 1941, 8.
38. “Resolutions To Be Presented Today at Federation Meet,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 15, 1941, 15.
39. “Botanical Group To Honor Visitors At Wingfield,” The Atlanta Constitution, February 9, 1941, 2C.
40. “Extending the Smoke Curb,” The Atlanta Journal, May 16, 1941, 20.
41. “25 Are Named For Botanical Garden Study,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 22, 1941, 27.
42. “Grand Jury Presentments,” The Atlanta Constitution, November 1, 1941, 10.
43. Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center, “Elizabeth Meriwether records,” ahc.MSS1049.
44. Don Long, “Old Fulton Home Will Be Made Southern Museum,” The Atlanta Journal, September 4, 1940, 8.
45. “Millions of Grasshoppers,” Columbus Daily Enquirer, June 8, 1877.
46. “Almshouse Plans To Cost County $3,000,” The Atlanta Journal, December 4, 1941, 43.
47. “Almshouse Plans To Cost County $3,000,” The Atlanta Journal, December 4, 1941, 43.
48. Jean Butts, “‘Spitballs Grounded’ at ‘Kid’ Party,” The Atlanta Journal, September 11, 1953, 6.
49. Georgia Historical Society, “Clem Greene Schoolhouse” Historical Marker.
50. “Troy Chastain Is Reappointed Head of Board,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 8, 1942, 9.
51. “Board Votes To Drop River Convict Camp,” The Atlanta Journal, September 22, 1942, 6; “River Convict Camp Will Be Abandoned,” The Atlanta Constitution, September 23, 1942.
52. “Ten Dismissals Are Approved By Commission,” The Atlanta Constitution, November 5, 1942, 22.
53. Thornton Kennedy, “Chastain’s legacy looms large in park bearing his name,” Fulton Neighbor, August 11, 2021.
54. “Grand Jury Presentments,” The Atlanta Journal, November 2, 1943, 22.
55. Herman Hancock, “Council To Study 40-Acre Park Tract As Site for War II Memorial Garden,” The Atlanta Constitution, June 15, 1945, 1.
56. “Paper-Collecting Bull And Pals,” The Atlanta Constitution, August 29, 1945, 5.
57. “Ever Green In Memory,” The Atlanta Journal, December 8, 1945, 2.
58. “County To Develop Botanical Garden,” The Atlanta Constitution, April 25, 1946, 8.
59. “Commission To Push Plans For Botanical Gardens,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 29, 1946, 6.
60. “Commission To Push Plans For Botanical Gardens,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 29, 1946, 6.
61. “Stolen Auto Found Under Lake’s Waters,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 31, 1946, 9.
62. “West End Men Hosts at Gardens,” The Atlanta Journal, June 16, 1946, 17; “Botanical Open House,” The Atlanta Journal, July 12, 1946, 25; “Jaycees Hosts at Botanical Gardens,” The Atlanta Journal, August 4, 1946, 17.
63. “Executive Committee Gives Endorsement To Projects,” The Atlanta Constitution, July 14, 1946, 16C.
64. “Botanical Open House,” The Atlanta Journal, July 12, 1946, 25.
65. “Jaycees Hosts at Botanical Gardens,” The Atlanta Journal, August 4, 1946, 17; “Fulton Increases Speed Limits in Outlying Areas,” The Atlanta Journal, August 8, 1946, 22.
66. “Botanical Garden To Hold Open House,” The Atlanta Constitution, July 9, 1947, 12.
67. “Fulton County Provides Field For Model Plane Enthusiasts,” The Atlanta Constitution, September 14, 1947, 1.
68. “40 Recreational Developments In Fulton County,” The Atlanta Constitution, December 4, 1947, 34; “Keeping Up With Atlanta,” The Atlanta Constitution, March 16, 1948, 22.
69. Bill Boring, “Atlantans Eligible: Tree Contest Announced By Botanical Commission,” The Atlanta Constitution, August 29, 1948, 59.
70. “Contest Waxes Warmer,” The Atlanta Constitution, October 3, 1948, 2; “Plans Drawn to Develop Botanical Gardens,” The Atlanta Journal, January 27, 1949, 12.
71. “Judges Search For Prize Tree,” The Atlanta Constitution, October 27, 1948, 15; Hugh Park, “Around Town: Judges Are Out On A Limb,” The Atlanta Journal, October 17, 1948, 141; “Seaboard Avenue Proud Of Its Two Fine Trees,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 2, 1950, 2.
72. “Atlanta Tree Winners Designated by Judges,” The Atlanta Journal, November 7, 1948, 44; “A Beauty Contest We Indorse,” The Atlanta Constitution, October 8, 1948, 11.
73. Doris Lockerman, “Fulton Botanical Garden To Display Native Flora,” The Atlanta Constitution, June 2, 1946, 12B.
74. “Mrs. Little, Civic Leader, Dies at Home,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 31, 1947, 4.
75. “Mrs. Palmour New Botanical Head,” The Atlanta Constitution, June 19, 1949, 15A; “Botanical Officers,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 28, 1950, 23.
76. Margaret Shannon, “Fulton Board To Sell Trees At Adamsville,” The Atlanta Journal, September 19, 1950, 1.
77. Frank Majors, “Timber Rights Deal Defended by Boynton,” The Atlanta Constitution, September 21, 1950, 12; “County Commission Again Looks for Trouble,” The Atlanta Journal, September 20, 1950, 26; Franklin Nix, “Legal Snarls, New Bid Likely to Scrap County’s Controversial Timber Deal,” The Atlanta Journal, September 24, 1950, 26.
78. “Fulton Drops Efforts To Restrain Malcom,” The Atlanta Journal, November 30, 1952, 39; “Squabble on County Timber a Dead Issue,” The Atlanta Journal, October 15, 1952, 6.
79. “Fulton Drops Efforts To Restrain Malcom,” The Atlanta Journal, November 30, 1952, 39.
80. “No Swimming Allowed in County Pond,” The Atlanta Journal, July 16, 1954, 25.
81. “Oldest School In Fulton Hit by Fire,” The Atlanta Journal, August 12, 1959, 35.
82. John Ely, “Establishment of Six Flags Over the Deconstruction of Sandtown,” Master’s Thesis, Kennesaw State University, 2025.
83. John Ely, “Establishment of Six Flags Over the Deconstruction of Sandtown,” Master’s Thesis, Kennesaw State University, 2025.
84. Marie B. Mellinger, “Botany for breakfast,” Tipularia (November 1986): 26; Jennie Oldfield, “Norma and Edwin Seiferle: Atlanta Pioneer Conservationists,” Atlanta History Center, November 28, 2020.
85. Marie B. Mellinger, “Botany for breakfast,” Tipularia (November 1986): 28, 29, 30.
86. Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center, “Georgia Botanical Society records,” ahc.MSS979.
87. Archive Atlanta, “Episode 312: Atlanta Botanical Garden,” podcast transcript.