From 1940 to the Present
The Sandy Springs Garden Club began with seventeen women interested in
their community who were present at the first meeting. Sponsored by the Iris
Garden Club of Atlanta, the new garden club members chose the club's name
to represent what was then an unincorporated area of Fulton County. The group
put together the first set of Constitution and By-laws, and the members chose
an old house on the grounds of a local schoolhouse as their meeting place.
Together the first members decided on a series of programs that set the pace
for the years to come. First there was a flower exchange; then landscaping
in front of the school; and then a club flower show. Monies were raised by
rummage sales, benefit bridge parties, yard sales, bazaars, and a club members'
cookbook. One year all the proceeds from a Tour of Homes went towards landscaping
Ridgeview High School. Other funds were used to landscape other high schools
in the area, as well as to donate trees and bluebird houses. Financial support
from the club was given to hospitals located in the area including Northside,
Scottish Rite, and St. Joseph's Hospitals. A full year's tuition scholarship
was provided for three students for their graduate study year in the School
of Environmental Design at the University of Georgia. And for many years,
contributions were given to the Sandy Springs Mental Health Center.
The SSGC was admitted to the Garden Club of Georgia in April, 1942, and went
on to sponsor other garden clubs in the area in the ensuing years. The civic
accomplishments of the Club were many and included the beginning of a P.T.A.
at Hammond Elementary School and the establishment of the Sandy Springs Woman's
Club in 1948. The garden club has the distinction of being the first civic
organization in the area. Several members of the Club were co-founders of
the Sandy Springs Library in 1965. All the plantings around the original library
building were planted and maintained by the club members. In keeping with
the sense of civic-mindedness shared by the members of the club, the SSGC
president approached the Portman-Barry Developers in 1984 about obtaining
an old house near the present intersection of Mount Vernon Highway and GA
400. The garden club wanted to convert the house into a Community Garden Center
and meeting rooms, as well as a permanent home for the Fulton County Federation
of Garden Clubs. Portman-Barry agreed to the gift and also pledged $15,000
to cover the cost to move the farm house to the new location. The land around
the springs for which Sandy Springs was named had been acquired by Fulton
County, and this became the perfect setting for the historic house It was
moved to the area near the springs on October 9, 1985. The areas around the
house were planted in keeping with its historical background, and the park
grounds continue to be maintained by members of the garden club and others.Research
soon confirmed that this suburban cottage was in fact a remodeled farmhouse,
circa 1869, one of eight known 19th-century structures remaining in the Sandy
Springs area.
Walter Jerome Williams and Harriet Austin Williams, his second wife, lived
in the farmhouse from 1894 to 1936 when both died. Mr. Williams' first wife
was named Susan, and this couple filled the house with their six children.
Research indicates that Jerome Williams and his first family lived on this
land and in this same house, establishing its original date of construction
about 1869.
Major and Marie Payne bought the farmhouse in 1939. They moved it back eight
feet from the newly-widened Mt. Vernon Highway and completely remodeled it.
The Payne's sold the house and land to Portman-Barry for commercial development
in 1982.
The Sandy Springs Garden Club leadership soon realized that their house-moving
project would have to be a community effort. The search for a chairman to
led to Frances Glenn Mayson, a member of the garden club, and her husband
Joey. The couple had finished the renovation of the 1929 Glenn home, Glenridge
Hall, and they were well-known in the area for their interest in preserving
historic structures. They accepted the challenge, and soon the farm house
was moved and efforts began to ready the house for use. Joey Mayson headed
up an organizational meeting of interested citizens in January 1985 to create
a community group to oversee the development of the house and other possible
historic sites. Officers were elected and the Sandy Springs Historic Community
Foundation was formed -now known as Heritage Sandy Springs.The
historic farmhouse is located at 6075 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandy Springs,
GA 30330, Telephone: 404-851-9101.
The Sandy Springs Garden Club is still involved with the Sandy
Springs Library and the Williams-Payne House as ongoing projects. A project
began in 2006 involves the club's participation in the Sandy Springs Festival
at a booth selling flowers, seeds, and handmade crafts. Members also work
at the festival gates and in other capacities during the weekend event. The
money made at the festival is donated for plants and landscaping in the gardens
at the Williams-Payne House. Members are now active in learning to be Master
Gardeners, flower arrangers, horticulturists, and preservationists. Members
attend classes offered by the Garden Club of Georgia to learn how to stage
and participate in flower shows, and the members support and compete in the
Southeastern Flower Show. The club has been active in a new Reading Park at
the Sandy Springs Library. The members are working with the City of Sandy
Springs to participate in the landscaping of a new linear park which will
transform part of the city. Members work with city, state, and non-profit
groups to improve and beautify our city. The club members look to the future
as the membership grows, and the club continues to be involved as an important
civic and community organization.
The Sandy Springs Garden Club has the distinction of being the first civic organization in the area.
A half of a mile north of I-285 and a couple of blocks west of Roswell Road in the heart of the City of Sandy Springs, the Williams-Payne House faces Sandy Springs Circle. Sandy Springs Garden Club works with others in the community to preserve and protect this historic site and the urban green space, the home of the original “sandy springs” that still bubbles to the surface in the park.
