Murphey Candler Park Caretaker's Cottage

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When I first wrote about the small old home at Murphey Candler Park in 2011, I knew the home as the Sea Scout Hut. Later, I learned it was used as a caretaker’s cottage for the park prior to the Sea Scouts. I went to Murphey Candler Park recently to see if the home still standing and it was. I have heard the city of Brookhaven plans to demolish the old home and it looks quite neglected at this point.

These photos show how the caretaker’s cottage looks as of April 2022.

The caretaker’s cottage at Murphey Candler Park is located across from the ball fields. The house, which dates to somewhere between the 1920s and 1930s was originally on Peachtree Road in the Brookhaven area where Cherokee Plaza is now located.  That location would indicate that it was possibly part of the Goodwin property, but I have not been able to verify that. The old wood house was moved to its new location in the 1950’s to be the residence of the Murphey Candler Park caretaker, Mr. Melvin Farrell.  It was customary for large parks to have a caretaker during that time.

The Dunwoody Kiwanis Club, with Dick Fraser heading up the effort, founded the park as a service project in the 1950’s.  Commissioner Scott Candler supported the project and agreed to build a lake in the park.  The land was donated by the M. A. Long and Fred Wilson families.  Members of the Kiwanis Club went door to door to solicit donations for playground equipment.


These early photos of Murphey Candler Park construction were shared by Shane Day Boyer.

The Ferrell family shared photographs and memories of their time living in the cottage at Murphey Candler Park when Rebecca Chase Williams and I were putting together our Images of America: Brookhaven book a few years ago. Gail Ferrell, brother Bud, sister Sharon and their parents shared the home in the park. Everyone in the family helped out in some way. Their father laid out the baseball fields and their mother ran the concession stand. The children worked at the pool.

Ferrell family photos while living at Murphey Candler Park caretaker’s cottage.

The Sea Scouts organization was originally begun by Lord Baden-Powell of England, who thought older Boy Scouts should be trained in boat management and seamanship to prepare for service on ships for their country.  Sea Scouts Ship 288 began meeting in Murphey Candler Park in 1965.  The first Sea Scout meeting at Murphey Candler Park were held in a hut on the east side of the lake.  In 1978, they needed a new place to meet after a fire destroyed their hut.  The caretaker’s home was no longer being used for its original purpose.  The Sea Scouts added two wings, a large meeting room modeled after a ship and its bridge as well as a garage to house their boats. 

Sea Scouts Ship 288 owned various boats over the years, including a 16-foot wooden sailboat and a 32-foot Cris Craft.  They frequently traveled to other places where they could use their boats.  They practiced their boating skills on Lake Lanier, the Chattahoochee River and the Intracoastal Waterway.  In 1979, they were invited to Washington, D. C. by President Jimmy Carter.  In 1996, the group disbanded.

The caretaker’s cottage was used for a time by Americorps.

The Murphey Candler Park Conservancy has had as their mission for many years the care of the park, including rehabilitation and repurpose of the caretaker’s cottage. However, the park is now a city of Brookhaven park with new plans including demolition of the old house to make way for parking spaces. It reminds me of lyrics from an old Joni Mitchell song, “they paved paradise, put up a parking lot.” Well, the caretaker’s cottage may not be paradise, but with some repairs and care it could have been a great place with a lot of history.

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