Jett Ferry and the Jett family

New blog posts each Monday

Roswell Manufacturing Company built a bridge over the Chattahoochee River in 1857, about thirty feet downstream from the current bridge.  McAfee’s Bridge, near the present-day Holcombe Bridge was built by Robert McAfee in 1834.  Before the bridges, ferries offered a way to get across the river. 

There were also two areas shallow enough to cross on foot, the Shallow Ford near today’s Roswell Road bridge and Island Ford, in the area where the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Island Ford is today. These shallow areas changed with the construction of dams, and are no longer traversable.

One of the ferries was run by the Jett family. James Jett and Rosanna Gregory Jett brought their family from South Carolina to Georgia around 1810. The couple had ten children. According to “Roswell: A Pictorial History,” James Jett began operating a ferry in 1819.    

The fourth Jett son was Theophilus, born in 1801.  Theophilus married Minerva Elizabeth Davis and they built a home at the intersection of today’s Eves Road and Terrace Club Drive in Roswell.  Eves Road was once known as Jett Road. Theophilus worked on the farm and operated the ferry in the late 1830s and early 1840s. (“The Chattahoochee River Crossings of Roswell, Georgia” by Michael D. Hitt)

This image of a covered bridge across the Chattahoochee River leading from Sandy Springs to Roswell appears in “Roswell: A Pictorial History.” This was not the original bridge but one constructed by Charles Dunwody after the Civil War. Confederate soldiers destroyed the bridge in an attempt to slow the Federals from crossing and continuing towards Atlanta and Decatur. The Union soldiers crossed the river by using the Shallow Ford, shallow area that was crossable.

Jett’s Ferry was somewhere between the location of today’s Ball Mill pump station on Old Riverside Road and where Ball Mill Creek meets the river on the south side.  Spalding Drive during this time was known as Jett Ferry Road and followed a path close to the river.  A wooden bridge over Ball Mill Creek washed out in 1929, which led to that section of the road being moved further south. 

Theophilus and Elizabeth’s son Adam Jett took over the ferry in the 1860s. The home of Adam Jett was along what is now Riverside Road in Roswell, near the intersection with Eves Road. He married Effie Anderson in 1877. After Effie died around 1890, Jett married Sarah Roberts.  

In a 1994 interview, Horace DeLong recalled picking cotton for Adam Jett. The DeLongs lived on the south side of the Chattahoochee River. Their home was in the same area as the Four Seasons neighborhood sign along Spalding Drive. DeLong remembered Adam Jett as having a “long beard down to his waist.” (Horace Delong oral history, Dunwoody Preservation Trust archives)

Local historian Jim Perkins found that the present-day Jett Ferry Road running northeast off Spalding Drive was not part of the original Jett Ferry Road, but part of the Old Nesbit Ferry Road. This would indicate that the road once led to the ferry belonging to the Nesbit family.

Many members of the Jett family are buried at the Mount Pisgah Methodist Church cemetery in Johns Creek, including Adam and Sarah Jett, Theophilus and Minerva Elizabeth Jett, and several siblings of Adam Jett.

A school bell travels from Roswell to Dunwoody

The story about the large bell that sits in front of the Spruill Center for the Arts today begins with a trip from Roswell. The bell was purchased near Roswell and brought to Dunwoody by horse and buggy. Who the bell was purchased from is not included in the story.

The earliest records of a Dunwoody School are from the late 1800s. The school was a one room wooden building. Zachariah Eidson donated land at the present site of the Dunwoody Library and Spruill Center for the Arts for the purpose of a school. 

Dunwoody school in the 1940s

Later, the one-room school was replaced with a larger painted wooden school, then a brick building.  Eventually, a modern building was built adjacent to the old school.  The older part burned in the 1960’s, an event that some Dunwoody residents still remember well.     

The bell at Dunwoody School was not only rung to announce the beginning and end of the school day, it was also rung to warn the people of Dunwoody of a fire or other emergency. 

During World War II, the bell rang to celebrate when one of the grades at the Dunwoody School had one hundred percent participation for their thrift stamp books. 

This photo of teacher Nettie Austin and her first grade students, shows them preparing to ring the school bell. The photo appears in the history book Ethel Spruill and Elizabeth Davis wrote, “The Story of Dunwoody.”

The bell today is held in a brick display structure and a white wooden historic site sign was placed nearby in 2011.

Jane Autry, a descendent of the pioneer Carpenter family, shared her memories of the bell from the 1940’s.  She remembered that the bell was in the attic of the school, with a rope that hung down in the hallway.  When every student in a grade filled out their World War II stamp book, the class would gather in the hallway for a celebration which included ringing the bell.  It would sometimes take two or three students to pull the rope and ring the heavy bell if it was a younger grade.  Principal Elizabeth Davis believed the ceremony of ringing the bell encouraged the children to fill their stamp books.

Mrs. Autry returned to Dunwoody Elementary from 1960 until 1973, when she worked as school secretary.  During this time, the new home for the bell was built. 

Other sources cited include: “The Story of Dunwoody:  1821-2001” by Elizabeth L. Davis, Ethel W. Spruill, Joyce Amacher, and Lynne Byrd. 

Charlie Agnew, Lawson General Hospital 1943

This fantastic photo of Charlie Agnew from 1943 was taken at Lawson General Hospital. Private Agnew reported to Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia in August, 1943, but by September 1943 he was injured during basic training. The accident involved an obstacle course.

Private Charlie Agnew at Lawson General Hospital, 1943. Photo from collection of Valerie Biggerstaff.

He was then sent to Lawson General Hospital in Chamblee for the benefit of their sports program for injured men. As you can see in the photo, he is preparing to “boot a football.” (Acme Photos, New York City, 1943)

The photograph provides a closer view of Lawson buildings than in other photos or postcards that I have seen. I also wanted to find out more about Charlie Joseph Agnew, but found little information so far..

Here is what I know about Agnew. He was from Philadelphia, born December 8, 1924. In the 1940 census he lived with his parents in Philadelphia and when he completed his draft registration card, he listed his mother, Mary Agnew. His father was James A. Agnew..

He married Margaret Jane Tait and they had three children.

Agnew was discharged July 23, 1945 at Camp Pickett in Virginia and he lived another 57 years until 2002.

As the photo description indicated, football and other sports were important in the healing process at Lawson General Hospital in Chamblee, Georgia. Dr. P J. Moore worked there as a surgeon after Charles Agnew was there. In an interview with me, Dr. Moore described how patients were taught to use their prosthesis in daily life and how to return to their families and lives. Moore showed patients how they could play golf despite their injuries. Football and baseball were other sports for staff and patients of Lawson.

Lawson General Hospital became known as the hospital for neurosurgery and prosthetics.

Even though I didn’t learn as much as I wanted about Charlie Agnew, I still love this photograph!

Chamblee Plaza shopping center opens 1960

Chamblee Plaza at Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Peachtree Boulevard first opened November 16, 1960. According to a special Chamblee Plaza section in the Atlanta Constitution that same day, a celebration was scheduled beginning with music from the Chamblee High School band. Mayor Woodie Malone was present for the grand opening.

The new shopping plaza included a Woolworth’s, Colonial Groceries, W. T. Grant, Jacob’s Drug Store, Kroger, Bellman Jewelers, Elliot’s Barber Shop, Corn Cabin, Economy Auto, and Excelsior Laundry.

This 1960 advertisement from the North DeKalb Record was provided by Leah Carden Jennings.

In early 2022, several alumni of Chamblee High School shared their memories of Chamblee Plaza. Bob Berbenich recalls standing in line outside Jacob’s Drugstore one Saturday morning in the mid-1960s to get a smallpox vaccine. Jacob’s Drugstore had been in Atlanta for 81 years in 1960.

Brian Smith was allowed to walk to Woolworth’s at the age of seven, where he enjoyed delicious French fries. David McCarthy remembers the banana splits and that sometimes the store had balloons to pop for a special price of 25 cents on a banana split. In 1963, the Atlanta Crackers held an autograph session at Woolworth’s, recalls John Drake.

Some Chamblee alumni had their first jobs at Chamblee Plaza, including Sue Ragan Griffith who worked at Jacob’s Drugstore, Janfra Ross Alexander who worked at Plaza Sportswear and Kate Quinn whose first job was at Hancock Fabrics. Others worked at Chamblee Plaza grocery stores.

There are memories of favorite music, such as James Fisher Lavender who shares, “I remember how excited I was to run down there after classes to buy the first Beatles album!” Some recall Turtle’s Records at Chamblee Plaza in later years.

Clark Brown remembers Leland Ball Music, where he got his first electric guitar. Carol Coy’s dad was one of the owners and the General Manager of Firestone/Texaco which opened at Chamblee Plaza in 1967.

As the 1970s arrived, businesses in the plaza changed. Tom Plamann remembers Winn Dixie, Big Star, Revco Drugs, and Hallmark Gifts. Chamblee Library was in Chamblee Plaza for a while. Masonic Lodge has been located at the north end of the plaza since around 1983, however the Chamblee Masons date back to 1903. At the other end is Bank of America, which began as C & S Bank.

There was also a Department of Motor Vehicle office where some of the students got their first driver’s license. Some students drove without a parent to take their driver’s license test-a situation that seems to have been accepted at the time. Kent Bright says, “I don’t recall being asked about a parent.”

Chamblee Plaza has gone through many evolutions since 1960 and some difficult days of empty space, but it is going strong today. Stores at the shopping center include Publix, T J Maxx, HomeGoods, Crunch Fitness, Ace Hardware, and restaurants including Chick Fil A and Dunkin Donuts.

December 8, 1941 fire destroys Chamblee High School

People who grew up in the northern section of DeKalb County and are old enough to remember Pearl Harbor Day remember that Chamblee High School burned down the following day.  News of the fire spread quickly among families in Chamblee, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, and Doraville. 

Students from throughout north DeKalb County attended Chamblee High School, as it was the only high school in the area. 

J. W. (Dub) Brown, who would later become Mayor of Chamblee, was a student at the school that year.  Other students include George Pierce, Jr. Vivian Pierce, Manget Davis, Marion Chesnut, Charles Minors, and Malcolm Drake.  Graduation for the class of 1942 was at Oglethorpe University.  (Past Memories, Present Progress, Future Dreams, A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee, 1983, by Vivian Price Saffold)

According to an Atlanta Constitution article, Chamblee School Building Destroyed in $75,000 Fire, December 9, 1941, the fire took place on December 8th and started in the school laboratory.   The two-story brick school was located on what was then known as Dunwoody Road. 

M. E. Smith was principal of Chamblee High School during that time.  On the day of the fire, he was overcome by smoke when he returned to the building to try and retrieve textbooks and other valuables.  He was honored by the students and graduates in 1955 to recognize thirty years as a teacher and principal at Chamblee High School.

Firemen from nearby Lawson General Hospital, a military hospital adjacent to Naval Air Station Atlanta and on land that is now DeKalb Peachtree Airport, came to help put out the fire.  There were also firemen from U. S. Veterans Hospital #48, located further south on Peachtree Road, and the Druid Hills fire station.

The band director, Dr. D. C. Edwards, managed to get a grand piano and thousands of dollars of band instruments removed before fire destroyed them.  The band had performances scheduled around Christmas 1941 in McDonough, Norcross, and for the patients of nearby Lawson General Hospital.

The shop building and home economics building were spared in the fire because they were separate from the main building.  The main building had twenty-one classrooms.  After the school burned down, classes were held in other places around the community, such as Chamblee Baptist Church.

There were five hundred students enrolled at Chamblee when the fire of 1941 occurred.  Over one thousand people are reported to have come out to see the fire.  Some remember riding in the car to see the sight of their school burning.   Fortunately, the fire started about 6:00 p.m. and no one was in the building at the time.

1950s style scammer Margaret Gray lived off Happy Hollow Road

The Cassidy Lamb House on W. Fontainebleau Court was home to Clara Cassidy, Baxter and Midge Maddox, Harold and Charlotte Ebersole before it became the home of Janet Gray, aka Mrs. Gray. Gray both charmed and deceived the people she came into contact with.

Margaret Burton aka Janet Gray. Photo courtesy of DeKalb History Center

Thanks to the DeKalb History Center, I learned the surprising story of Margaret Burton aka Janet Gray, often referred to as Mrs. Gray. Marissa Howard, Programs and Membership Coordinator at DeKalb History Center, made the connection that the house Gray lived in on Happy Hollow Road and the Happy Hollow summer home I have written about were the same. The story of Gray and her crimes in Decatur, Georgia are included in a 2019 blog post at dekalbhistory.org titled, “True Crime-Margaret Burton aka Mrs. Gray,”

Gray had at least 21 aliases during her years as a criminal across the United States and in Europe. When she arrived in Decatur, she applied for a job as office manager for a group of doctors. Her appearance, manner and stories led people to believe she was a wealthy socialite. She was 51 years old, described with long silver hair and youthful skin. She claimed her father was president of Panama, that she owned mining interests in Colorado, and that her husband was a Colonel who had died. Her husband was a hotel night manager in Athens, Georgia.

Gray impressed the doctors and was given the job at a salary of $400 per month. A University of Georgia student working in the office reported that Gray usually came in to work in the morning, left about 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., and returned much later in the afternoon. She may have been out shopping because information surfaced later about charge account balances owed at several retail stores. Gray owed $1,600 at the Leon Frohsin store in Atlanta, where she had bought over 50 hats. She owed $300 and $400 at two other stores and $30 to a photographer.

She bought a $6,000 pink Lincoln and four other cars. The Lincoln later was used for the getaway of Gray and her daughter Shelia Joy. Shelia Joy was known by neighbors on Happy Hollow Road as Candy Laine or Candace Victoria Lane, Gray’s niece.

Gray kept 40 show dogs at the Happy Hollow property. One dog was a cocker spaniel that won awards at the Westminster Dog Show in 1956. Another went by the name Capital Gains. Gray entered her dogs in the Columbus, Georgia Kennel Club’s annual dog show for two years. Those who met her in Columbus were shocked when they learned she was a thief. (The Sunday Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, GA, August 18, 1957, “Mrs. Gray Owed Everybody”)

In the 1950s, many people paid cash for their doctor visits. Gray was pocketing all the cash paid by patients at the Decatur office. This went unnoticed for a long time, until an accountant was called in for an audit and discovered her thievery. When Gray heard an audit was planned on July 19, 1957, she fled Decatur and Georgia. She arranged for the dogs to travel by moving van and sadly they did not all survive the trip.

She made the mistake of securing a bookkeeper job in a doctor’s office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, thinking she could get away with it again. An office employee saw the Decatur story in the Tulsa newspapers and informed the doctors. Mother and daughter were captured by the FBI in Tulsa, Oklahoma and charged with transporting stolen property across state lines. (Atlanta Constitution, August 22, 1957, “Mrs. Gray seized in Tulsa at job in doctor’s office”)

Janet Gray’s first trial ended in a mistrial. In February of 1958 Janet Gray appeared for her second trial at DeKalb Superior Court for embezzling $186,757 from the clinic where she worked. “Mrs. Burton admitted she bought three houses, expensive automobiles, show dogs, furniture and a swimming pool, she said she used the rest of the money for lavish living for herself and her daughter.” (Macon News, Feb. 5, 1958, “Mrs. Burton’s Statement Admits Theft of $50,000)

Gray was indicted on February 8, 1958, with two counts of larceny. When she heard that she could serve two to five years at Reidsville State Prison, she fainted.

Sheila Joy Gray left Atlanta in September of 1957 and went to live with an uncle. Janet Gray served eighteen months before being extradited to California to face additional charges. She spent 240 days in jail in California. Then she was deported for “failure to keep the Government informed of her address and conviction of two crimes involving moral turpitude and criminal misconduct.” She eventually returned to California to live the remainder of her life.

Homeowners fight widening of Ashford Dunwoody Road

If you travel in the Perimeter area today, where I-285 meets Ashford Dunwoody Road, then you are probably accustomed to the traffic and the businesses, hotels, restaurants and apartments up and down Ashford Dunwoody. In 1980 there were still many single family homes on the road and only two lanes.

Ashford Dunwoody Road was widened in 1981. The announcement that the road would be widened came in 1980, nine years after the opening of Perimeter Mall. The community of Dunwoody opposed the widening, predicting commercial development would push its way into the residential areas.

The Dunwoody Homeowner’s Association started a petition and worked to stop the widening of Ashford Dunwoody Road and of Mount Vernon Road. Protestors gathered along the side of the road with signs. Attorney Bill Hurst filed a class action suit on behalf of the DHA. The suit asked for a court ordered injunction to halt the four-lane construction.

The DHA was successful in stopping the widening of Mount Vernon Road, except for the section from Ashford Dunwoody Road to the Fulton/DeKalb County line. They were also able to keep the speed limit from moving 35 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour. (“The Queen of Dunwoody: Remembering Community Visionary Joyce Amacher,” by Lynne Barfield Byrd)

Although the plan to widen Ashford Dunwoody Road was not stopped, DHA President Terry Huetter felt the efforts of the community to stop the widening did have a positive effect, saying “It probably wouldn’t have ended up being a parkway otherwise.” (Atlanta Constitution, April 23, 1981, “Homeowners cringe as Ashford-Dunwoody expands”)

Once the battle to stop the four-lane expansion of Ashford Dunwoody Road was lost, the Dunwoody Garden Club campaign to beautify the median began. The club decided to make the best of the situation, led by club president Joyce Amacher. (Dunwoody Crier, March 25, 1982, “Ashford Dunwoody median landscaping begun last week”)

After several conversations with Tom Moreland, Director of the Georgia State Highway Department, Joyce Amacher and Lynne Byrd were able to convince him to use funds intended for a concrete median towards landscaping.

Dunwoody Garden club members went to developers and tenants in the Perimeter area, local civic organizations, local businesses, and elected officials to raise the necessary funds. All property owners on Ashford Dunwoody Road between I-285 and Mt. Vernon Road were asked to participate.

County Commissioner Jean Williams assisted Amacher in obtaining $10,000 from the developers of the Ravinia-Hines Development. A donation of $10,000 was also secured from Lane Properties. State representative Bruce Widener was able to secure $16,000 from the state. Taylor and Mathis paid for the landscape plan, which was completed by Hickory Hill Landscaping.

The original landscaping plan called for a variety of maple and oak trees, along with Bradford pears, many types of shrubbery and 18,000 pieces of ground cover. The median is maintained today by the Perimeter Community Improvement District.

A DOT official predicted in 1981 that traffic along Ashford Dunwoody Road would increase 60 to 70% over the next twenty years.

Civil Defense, Air Raid shelters and blackouts in Atlanta area during WWII

In 2021, Dr. Howard Cotton shared with me what it was like in Boston as a 12 year old after Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941. As a child, he was concerned that his town could be invaded or bombed as had happened to cities in other parts of the world. He remembers, “All automobile headlights were required to have black paint covering the top 1/3-1/2 to lessen visible light from possible bombers at night.” Cotton’s dad served as an air raid warden as part of the Civil Defense Corp, patrolling the neighborhood to ensure no lights were visible during air raid drills.

That made me wonder about Atlanta. Were precautions in place for Atlanta?

Before the U.S. entered WWII, Atlanta and other cities were receiving instructions on what actions should be taken. Atlanta was considered a railway and air transportation gateway in 1941. A May 2, 1941 article in the Atlanta Constitution originating from Washington, D. C., gave information about what steps Atlanta needed to take. Frank Bane, Director of the Division of State and Local Co-operation, Office of Emergency Management did not want to cause hysteria in the city. He advised Atlanta there was no immediate need for air-raid shelters, but they should give thought to what steps they would take if they were necessary in the future.

A pamphlet was provided, “Civil Defense Protective Construction.” However, Frank Bane cautioned that, “The issuance of this bulletin is not the signal for starting work on any of the protective structures described.” Once again, he advised plans should be prepared, “even though we hope they will never have to be put into effect.”

The information in the pamphlet was mostly technical information based on the experiences of European cities since the beginning of WWII. Many entrances and at least two exits were recommended for air-raid shelters. They would need to provide necessary conveniences and first aid facilities. It was also suggested they be built in a way that could be utilized during peace time. Perhaps they could serve as a garage, storage shed or bank vault.

Just three days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor an air-raid shelter was announced in Decatur at 401 Oakland Street, the home of Mrs. W. Guy Hudson, Executive Secretary of DeKalb Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce. The 1500 square foot concrete underground structure already existed before Pearl Harbor, having served as a city sewerage disposal tank 20 years earlier. A flower garden was planted at ground level.

In November of 1942, an air raid shelter was opened at the Municipal Market on Edgewood Road in Atlanta.

By February 1942, 20,000 people had already completed a 25-hour course and received certificates as Atlanta air raid wardens. The first certificates were issued at Grant Park School.

Registration of DeKalb County citizens for civilian defense positions began December 15, 1941. The DeKalb County Civilian Defense Corps, under the leadership of Vernon Frank, met in the 401 Oakland Street shelter for coffee and donuts. The shelter was complete with electric lights and running water. (Atlanta Constitution, Dec. 10, 1941, “DeKalb Boasts First Air Raid Shelter in Dixie.”)

A blackout test was held on February 26, 1942. You can read more about blackouts in the Atlanta area in my recent Dunwoody Crier article here.

Also, look for this article of memories of Pearl Harbor Day, published in the Dunwoody Crier in 2021 to commemorate the 80th anniversary.

Lockridge Forest, Winters Chapel and other names

Jeremiah Winter came to an area north of Atlanta in the late 1860s and saw the need for a church. Winters Chapel Methodist Church began in a grove and then Winter decided they could cut logs from the property, “have them sawed and hull us up a church.” The church and road are named for him. (winterschapel.org)

This Winters Chapel church sign and glimpse of the church behind the sign is part of the Doraville archives at DeKalb History Center.

Ralph Glaze shared his memories of the beginnings of Lockridge Forest subdivision along Winters Chapel Road in a 2017 video recording with Dunwoody Preservation Trust. Glaze’s father Herman Glaze owned a store at the corner of Peeler Road and Winters Chapel Road. Herman Glaze bought land from W. Y. Womack, Pink Womack, and Ida Morgan, accumulating about 100 acres at one point. The land purchased from Ida Morgan was where the store was built and is today the location of Auto Zone. Glaze Road is located off Peeler Road

Later Ralph Glaze moved to Lockridge Forest, a neighborhood that is partially in DeKalb County and part is in Gwinnett County. Glaze recalls that a man named Lockridge bought the land to develop from brothers Pink Womack and W. Y. (Young) Womack. Some of the street names can be directly attributed to the Womack family. There is a Womack Road and Womack Court.

There is also a Womack Drive off Winter’s Chapel Road, further toward where Winter’s Chapel Road meets Highway 141.

One of Pink Womack’s children was Geraldine, and Geraldine Court is named for her. She married Buck Kinnard and Kinnard Drive was named for him.

Glaze recalls two sawmills along Winters Chapel Road, one just south of the entrance to Winters Chapel United Methodist Church and cemetery and the other further north, at the entrance of Lockridge Forest today. The sawmills were still there in the 1940s and 1950s. One sawmill was owned by Mr. Tanner from Stone Mountain, who leased the land from Pink Womack.

Glaze believes the Womacks along Winters Chapel Road were third or fourth cousins to the Womacks who owned land at Tilly Mill Road and Womack Road, where Georgia State University Dunwoody campus to today.

There are other names in Lockridge Forest that remain a mystery, Arrie Way, Abby Court, Tilton Lane, and Sumac Court.

Sandy Springs Camp Meeting

Sandy Springs Methodist Church camp meeting was held on church property, conveniently near the spring for which the community is named. The first Sandy Springs Methodist Church building was a log cabin constructed on five acres donated by Wilson Spruill sometime between 1849 and 1851.

Civil War maps, drawn by Union soldiers, show the location of the Methodist campground, indicating the tradition began pre-Civil War. (“Images of America: Sandy Springs,” by Kimberly M. Brigance and Morris V. Moore)

Each year following the last work on the crops before harvest time, better known as laying by time, families would gather at the campground for five to ten days of religious meetings, singing, food, and socializing. They stayed in small structures called tents, which were log cabins or shacks with sawdust floors.

To prepare for camp meeting, the family gathered food, bedding and cooking utensils. Women sewed new clothes for the family so they could look their best for the event, which was the summer vacation of a farming family. People also brought their musical instruments to entertain friends between sermons.

Sandy Springs camp meeting in 1912 ended on August 11th after almost a week of daily sermons.  “The tents were filled with hundreds of worshipers from the surrounding territory, and the final service was marked by short sermons by four prominent divines,” announced the newspapers. (August 12, 1912, Atlanta Journal, “Sandy Springs camp meeting has closed”)

This photo of the Sandy Springs Methodist campground gives a small view of the tents or small cabins that were located at the campground. The photo is from “Images of America: Sandy Springs,” by Kimberly M. Brigance and Morris V. Moore. The young women in the photo are Clara, Ella, Flavela and Evelyn Owens.

The preachers who attended camp meeting were provided room and board. A large tent that could hold ten men was located on the camp property where a water tower was later built. (“Sandy Springs Past Tense,” by Lois Coogle)

The 1927 camp meeting was advertised in the Atlanta Journal newspaper. The location was Sandy Springs, 12 miles north of Atlanta on Roswell Road. The advertisement included the names of guest preachers and the directors that year for camp meeting. Directors include President Lon Burdette, Secretary Aldine Chambers, J. A. Mabry, John Copeland, M. P. Powers, J. E. Butler, and J. N. Reed. (Atlanta Journal, August 21, 1927, Sunday services to draw throngs to Sandy Springs”)

Fire destroyed the camp tents and arbor in 1931. A larger more modern arbor was built and used until 1959 when it was removed. The tents were not rebuilt.

Young people often looked forward to camp meeting as a time for courting. One Sandy Springs camp meeting romance was that of Buck Casey and Lizzie Burdette, who married at camp meeting on August 21, 1898, at 3 p.m. The parents of the young woman objected, but the couple planned to meet and marry at camp meeting and “Rev. Whitfield was on hand and quickly tied the matrimonial knot.” This news bulletin was reported in an August 22, 1898 Atlanta Journal article titled “A Runaway Marriage.”

Embry Hills neighborhood and shopping early days

The September 11, 1969 Homes section of the Atlanta Journal newspaper featured an article about the second phase of the Embry Hills subdivision. The neighborhood is described as one mile east of the Expressway (I-85) and just south of the new perimeter highway at Chamblee-Tucker Road. The I-285 Perimeter was not completed until 1969.  

The neighborhood got its name from the owner-developer, Jack Embry of Embry Realty Company. He was both realtor and home builder. Embry later served as President of the DeKalb Real Estate Board and President of the DeKalb Developer’s Association. He was also Chairman of the Board of the Embry National Bank. (Atlanta Constitution, March 31, 2003)

70 homes in the first phase were already sold and occupied by 1960. The first phase included a range of architectural design including contemporary and traditional. The second phase offered 56 lots. Embry announced there would be a total of 233 homes when the subdivision was complete.

Prices in phase two ranged from $25,000 to $37,500 and lots averaged 100 by 200 feet.

One model home is described as a ranch-style brick home with three bedrooms. Another home is a four-bedroom tri-level brick home.

The neighborhood adjoined the site of Atlanta Baptist College, today’s Mercer University of Atlanta. Since the land that became Mercer was originally owned by the Warren family, it seems like Embry Hills probably was as well.

The 14-acre site right next door to the neighborhood was purchased by the DeKalb County Board of Education from the Warren family for a new elementary school. That became Warren Elementary School..

The Embry Hills Club is mentioned in the 1960 article, where a swimming pool was built on 10 acres for resident member of Embry Hills. The first Girl Scout Brownie troop I was in used to meet at the Embry Hills Club in the mid-1960s.

The developer, Embry, also zoned 22 acres at the highway along Chamblee Tucker Road for a shopping center. The Embry Hills shopping center has evolved many times through the years.

I can’t remember much about the early years of Embry Hills, but there was a dance studio and a fitness center. A little research online told me that the fitness center was My Fair Lady “Beauty retreat and figure salon” in 1971 with two other locations at Cheshire Bridge and Sandy Springs.

Everything about this ad for My Fair Lady screams 1970s. It appeared in a 1971 Atlanta Journal.

Alan Wilson remembers working at the Embry Hills Winn Dixie in 1972 when the Doraville refinery fire occurred. He could see flames and smoke from that vantage point.

Other memories for me include Huddle House and S & S Cafeteria and a dance studio. I believe it was called Barbara Bramble Dance Studio, but that is one of those memories that is a bit vague even though I took classes there!

Larkin Copeland store on Chamblee Dunwoody Road

Once I know what used to be in a specific location many years ago; whether it was a home, business, school or church, I imagine that place still being there. That’s how it is with Larkin Copeland’s store. The store was located on land that is now Dunwoody Village. It sat where Walgreens in Dunwoody Village is today. It was a two-level brick store on the east side of the Roswell Railroad tracks near the Dunwoody Depot. The first floor of the store featured an arched doorway and two arched windows on either side of the door. Copeland’s home was next to the store.

Copeland married Lavada Ball in 1887. Both of their families had deep roots in Dunwoody. Copeland was one of nine children of Obediah and Salina Corley Copeland, whose home was where Dunwoody Springs Elementary School is located.

Lavada Ball was the daughter of Martin and Martha Sentell Ball and granddaughter of Peter and Margaret Robertson Ball. Peter Ball operated the mill along what is known as Ball Mill Creek.

Larkin Copeland was a farmer in 1900, according to the U.S. census. The 1910 census indicates Larkin Copeland is operating the store and his oldest son Howell works there as well. Larkin and Lavada’s other children were Ethel, Fred, and Grace. Chamblee Dunwoody Road was the path of the Roswell Railroad during this time, so the census identifies their street as Southern Railway.

The Roswell Historical Society and city of Roswell Research Library and Archives has a photograph of the store in their collections. Along with the photo there is a note identifying Larkin Elijah Copeland standing in front of his store in Dunwoody Georgia. It also identifies the location using the names of today, near the intersection of Chamblee Dunwoody and Mount Vernon Road.

The store photo is a photo card dated 1908 and addressed to Mrs. S. M. Copeland of Chamblee, Georgia. According to the Roswell archives the note on the card reads, “Hello! Grandma, How do you like this?” The card is signed by Larkin and Lavada’s son Fred.

Visit the Roswell Historical Society website to see more photographs and to learn about other items in their archives, including artifacts, maps, manuscripts, newspapers and textiles.

A 1915 map of Dunwoody indicates that Larkin Copeland was planning to divide his land on Chamblee Dunwoody Road into several lots. He died in November of that year and the development never happened. Lavada Ball later moved to Atlanta and lived until 1958.

This 1915 map of the intersection of Chamblee Dunwoody Road with what is now Mt. Vernon Road and Nandina Lane, shows Larkin Copeland’s plan to divide his land into lots for sale. That never happened. (Map from the archives of Dunwoody Preservation Trust)

The spelling on the photograph of the store and on Larkin Copeland’s grave marker leaves the e out of Copeland. However, most other records of the family show the spelling Copeland.

The Copeland’s daughter Grace went on to run a grocery store in Atlanta along with her husband Dillard Blackwell. Blackwell’s Grocery was located at 1128 Oak Street in Atlanta.

In “The Story of Dunwoody,” written by Ethel W. Spruill and Elizabeth L. Davis in 1975, there is a documented memory of the Roswell Railroad which includes the Copeland store. The memory comes from Annie Roberts Wing, who married Henry Wing and was the daughter of Roswell Railroad engineer Ike Roberts. She remembered riding Old Buck, the engine of the Roswell Railroad, to Dunwoody to pick the first violets of spring and shop at Larkin Copeland’s store. Her purchases usually included shoes and some “eatables.”

Sandy Springs sandlot baseball

Use the search box below to find more local history articles or view the archive at the bottom of the page.

The Morgan Falls Athletic Complex is on 27.26 acres at 450 Morgan Falls Place in Sandy Springs off Roswell Road. The complex includes t-ball and baseball fields, a football field, concession stand, picnic pavilion, and a playground.

The park was first planned by Fulton County in 1967. Two parks were planned for the southern part of Fulton County in Palmetto and near Fairburn, and two parks in Sandy Springs, Hammond and Morgan Falls. (Atlanta Constitution, March 30, 1967, “Four Parks Planned by Fulton”)

Baseball games were popular in Sandy Springs long before Morgan Falls Athletic Complex existed. The community had a sandlot team, sometimes referred to as the “Sandy Springs nine” in the Atlanta newspapers.

According to “Images of America Sandy Springs,” by Kimberly M. Brigance and Morris V. Moore many games were played at an unofficial ballpark between Boyleston Drive, Hammond Drive, Mount Vernon Highway and Roswell Road.

Baseball had begun by 1934 in Sandy Springs, because an outdoor meeting and wiener roast was held in August of that year to plan and raise money for uniforms. (Atlanta Constitution, August 8, 1934)

This 1940s Sandy Springs baseball team includes, front row, left to right, Bill Sewell, Carl Jameson, Al Holbrook, George Coleman and Hubert Nix. On the back row, left to right, Charles Sewell, Billy Hair, Doyle Mabry, Richard Coleman and Richard Johnson. This team played on a ball field between Roswell Road, Boyleston Road, Mt. Vernon Highway, and Hammond Drive. (Photo is from “Images of America: Sandy Springs,” by Kimberly M. Brigance and Morris V. Moore on behalf of Heritage Sandy Springs.)

When the Regenstein family moved to ten acres on Mount Vernon Highway in 1946, Robert Regenstein became an umpire at the baseball field. When his efforts to bring city of Atlanta water to Sandy Springs were successful in 1950, the community held a Fourth of July celebration, which included square dancing and baseball.

When Robert and Jean’s daughter Barbara was born, employees of Regenstein’s store bought a baby sized baseball uniform for her. The couple took Barbara to the Sandy Springs field in the uniform.

Scheduled league games for August 1, 1948, included Sandy Springs at Roswell and Alpharetta at Austell as part of the North Atlanta League; Dunwoody at Smyrna, State League; Irvindale Dairy vs. Tucker at Piedmont Park and Norcross at Duluth in the County League. 

The Atlanta papers regularly reported on the various sandlot team results and the special achievements of the players. Bill Hardigree of Sandy Springs was the fielding star of a game against the Federal Pen (Penitentiary) team. Sandy Springs won seven to four and Hardigree got six of those seven runs. (Atlanta Constitution, “Hardigree Leads Sandy Springs,” Sept. 17, 1951)

John Davis moved to Sandy Springs with his family in 1962 at the age of ten. Little League baseball had recently become popular in the community. Davis recalled, “By the 1960s, baseball in Sandy Springs had taken on a life of its own and had become part of the town’s spirit, even if there was no official place to play it.” Local businesses and organizations sponsored teams, buying sports equipment and uniforms including Arlington Cemetery, the Optimist Club, Swofford Shoes, Northside Pharmacy, and Bondurant Sporting Goods. (Sandy Springs Gazette 2018, “Root, Root, Root for the Home Team”)

Davis played on a team sponsored by Arlington Cemetery. He remembered the team marching down Roswell Road as part of a parade. The league played on fields at Mount Vernon Baptist Church and St. John United Methodist Church and at local elementary school fields.

According to the Oct. 1, 1948 Atlanta Constitution, the Sandy Springs baseball team of 1947 won the Fulton County sandlot baseball team title. They were honored with a banquet held by the East Point Elks Club.



Former Morrison Farms on Osborne Road becomes park land

The city of Brookhaven added to their greenspace and park property in January of 2024 when they purchased 3086, 3068 and 3064 Osborne Road. When I first wrote about 3086 Osborne Road in Brookhaven over a year ago, the former home of the Morrison Farms nursery, the properties were under contract with a different buyer. When that contract fell through, the city made the decision to buy the acreage, bringing total greenspace up to 106.83 acres.

Read more

New photos from Lulah Hills, the former North DeKalb Mall

This week I’m posting some new photographs of the North DeKalb Mall area, which is on its way to becoming Lulah Hills. I wrote about the changes in North DeKalb Mall along with some Rich’s history back in May of 2021.

You can read updates on the changes taking place on the property here. Although I am nostalgic about Rich’s and North DeKalb Mall, I’m looking forward to seeing the development of Lulah Hills.

Read more

Time to talk peaches

The August 13, 1962 Atlanta Constitution featured a story about dried peaches, “Home Dried Fruit Wakes Memory.” You need some dry, sunny weather to dry peaches. Apparently peaches don’t handle a rain shower well. The instructions read, “To dry peaches, you simply wash the peaches, cut in about 1/8 inch slices, lay on a piece of tin and place in the hot sun. Bring in at night and put in a cool, dry place and return to sun the next day. The peaches should be dry. If not, place in a very low oven and stir occasionally until completely dry.”

Read more