Hoe and Tell - Southern Garden History Society

Volume 1. Number 2
THE BULLETIN OF THE SOUTHERN GARDEN HISTORY SOCIETY
Second Annual Meeting
October, 1983
The Society will hold its second annual meeting in Natchez, Mississippi on April 6
and 7, 1984. This is the most beautiful time to be in historic Natchez, and you will want
to mark your calendar for this all important meeting. Plans are underway for a gala few
days. Ideas that are under consideration are: tours to private antebellum gardens, minilectures
on various subjects such as old garden roses, Longwood House, as well as an
introduction to the horticultural history of Natchez. Those of you who know Glenn Haltom
will know that this meeting, under her general supervision, will be a real treat. The
homes and gardens of old Natchez are justly famous and we will be there at the best of tines to
see them in all their glory. If you want to see Natchez at its best, come to the meeting
April 6 and 7, 1984. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
Another Old Salem Garden Conference, October 27-29
The Old Salem community will again serve as the setting for "Restoring Southern Gardens
and Landscapes," the fourth conference to be held dealing with historical horticulture in
the upper southern states. The program will present topics of interest to professional
and layman alike and provide an opportunity to learn and share information in the field
of landscape restoration in the South.
Registration may be made by contacting Mrs. JoAnn Grote, conference registrar, Old
Salem Inc.,Salem Station, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27108, telephone (919) 723-3688. The
conference fee of $115 includes the three meals and all other features listed in the program
Naturally you will have to make your own room reservations. Information on all these
subjects will be provided if you will contact the registrar.
The conference is sponsored by Old Salem, Inc., Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest
University, and the Stagville Preservation Center of the North Carolina Department of
Cultural Resources.
We might tempt you a bit by telling you that those who attend will not only get the
usual fare of superb lectures on timely subjects, but will also be treated to a delightful
evening at Tanglewood, the estate of the late William Neal Reynolds, outside the city of
Winston-Salem. Also, have you ever eaten in an elegant greenhouse? Come to this conference
and you will. A big dinner party is scheduled in the greenhouse at Reynolda Gardens.
The greenhouse was designed by Lord & Burnham in 1921, and has recently been restored.
Another evening will be spent in historic Reynolda House, home of the late Mr. and
Richard J. Reynolds. If all this peeks your interest, then come to Old Salem on October 27 .
SGHS Board to Meet
The board.of the Society will hold its fall meeting on.Saturday, October 29, 1983 at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Zachary T. Bynum, Jr. in Old Salem. Mrs. Bynum is a member of the
board and a founder of the Society, and the driving force behind the Old Salem conference.
Final plans for the annual meeting will be laid
and suggestions for future programs will be
entertained.. If you have comments please let
us have them. Send suggestions to Mrs. William
W. Griffin, 1330 West Garmon Road, Atlanta, .
30327. The board wants to represent you,
so please let us know what you want to be
involved in. This is YOUR Society.
If you have suggestions for future
board members, please send them in with.
some information about people suggested.
It Thanks to Hugh Dargan of South Carolina
for our bulletin title. It is his motto

Volume One, Number Two Summer, 1983
FIRST ANNUAL MEETING GREAT SUCCESS.
The first annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, was a tremendous success. Georgia
hospitality was at its best, and the weather was perfect, just cool enough for comfort,
but warm enough for spring flowers and delightful garden tours. No rain. Florence
Griffin and her local committee really went all out for the SGHS. Headquarters for the
meeting was the delightful Tower Place Hotel at Buckhead where local members greeted the
out of town guests on Friday afternoon and distributed packets of helpful materials about
both the meeting and the area. Many took time on Friday to shop in nearby Lenox Square,
and Phipps Square, two of the most elegant shopping districts in the United States.
Friday evening found everyone at the Atlanta Historical Society's McElreath Hall
where we were entertained at cocktails and a buffet supper in the Member's Room, and then
treated to a personal presentation by our own Catherine Howett, guest curator of "Land
of Our Own: Landscape and Gardening Tradition in Georgia, 1733-1983." Following
Catherine's talk about the exhibit, we had a private view of it. It is a wonderful
expierience, and please allow plenty of time to see it properly, as it is most comprehensive
and highly sophisticated. The idea was brought back to Georgia by Louise Richardson
Allen, who while in London saw the exhibit "A Thousand Years of Gardening in England."
Louise supplied the idea and much support, Catherine Howett provided the scholarily
research and wrote the catalogue, and Pat Crawford Hartrampf was exhibition chairman--
an unbeatable combination----adding up to success!
On Saturday our bus left the hotel at 9:00 for McElreath Hall where we toured the
historical society complex including The Quarry Garden, Tullie Smith House and gardens,
Swan House and garden, revisited "Land of Our Own," and saw the famed Cherokee Garden
Library, which is one of the largest and most comprehensive printed collections of garden
books in the country, and one of the glories of the Atlanta Historical Society. For
those who have not visited the Atlanta Historical Society complex, please do it. Much
that is essentially southern is here, and the feeling of each unit in the large complex
is different and delightfully presented.
Lunch on Saturday was at the handsome Cherokee Town Club in one of the second-floor
private dining rooms. After lunch our bus left for a tour of several Atlanta gardens
and neighborhoods, and we ended with tea at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Julian Shakespeare
Carr. The Carr garden, like the Carr house, was at a peak of perfection, and our
hosts were charming at each stop along the way. Anne Carr, by the way, is the chairman
of the Cherokee Garden Library committee.
On Saturday night the Society dinner was held at the distinguished Piedmont Driving
Club on the enge of Piedmont Park. The hall was beautifully decorated with arrangements
of fresh pring flowers, and wine was served prior to the seated dinner. Following
dinner President Duncan Callicott turned the evening's remarks over to John B. Flowers III.
vice president, who expressed the gratitude and appreciation of the entire group to
the Atlanta membership for the wonderful meeting. His remarks were ended with a toast
to the Atlanta members, and cheers followed. The first annual meeting was a huge success!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETS.
The Board of the SGHS met with Florence Griffin and her genial husband, Bill, at
their Gorman Road home in Atlanta, following the annual meeting. It was a very productive
meeting, and the next newsletter will give you more details about what was decided. We
were served a delicious lunch in fine Georgia style. FLorence and Bill Griffin are
collectors of Georgia furniture and are co-chairmen of the forthcoming exhibition of
Georgia furniture at the historical society. An exhibition of Georgia furniture could be
had by touring their house! They also collect antique books and prints, and a visit to
their home is like a visit to a small museum. It rounded off the weekend beautifully!

LANDSCAPE CONFERENCE TO BE HELD AGAIN AT OLD SALEM.
"Restoring Southern Gardens and Landscapes" will be held again at Old Salem October
27-29, 1983. Make your plans to attend. This promises to be one of the most interesting
and informative programs to date. In addition to the many fine sessions on garden
restoration, there will be social events at Tanglewood, the William Reynolds estate,
and a dinner in the greenhouses at Reynolds Gardens, which promises to be both a unique
and elegant occasion! Sponsors for the conference are Old Salem Inc., Reynolda Gardens
of Wake Forest University, and the Stagville Preservation Center at Durham, a division
of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. For more information write to
"Restoring Southern Gardens," Old Salem Inc., Salem Station, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27108.
DUNAWAY GARDENS ARE BRINGING BACK THE BLOOM.
Dunaway Gardens near Newnan, Georgia are one of Georgia's most beautiful spots, and
is now awaiting restoration. The 22-acre floral rock garden with seven natural springs
and multiple terraces was chiseled out of a Georgia hillside in the late 1920s to
become not only a popular tourist retreat but a nation-wide training ground for artistic
producers and directors. Cascading waterfalls, miles of meticulously laid rockwork
and a spectacular panorama of age-old trees were its hallmarks, and today a group is
seeking to raise $300,000 in order to begin the restoration. The Dunaway Gardens
Restoration Inc. is seeking dontations from anyone, so please respond if you feel you can.
It is a worthy project, and vital to Georgia garden restoration, as well as to
southern garden history. You can write to the group at Newnan, Georgia, and any
gift will be appreciated.
NATCHEZ WILL HOST 1984 ANNUAL MEETING.
Glenn Halton (Mrs. Robert B.) of Natchez has invited the SGHS to her lovely
Mississippi river city for its second annual meeting, early next April. The ladies of the
local garden clubs are working with Glenn in her effort to show us one of the nicest
times we could possibly have in Natchez. As those of us on the Board know, Glenn is
one lady that produces, and we all are anxiously awaiting our visit to Natchez. Natchez,
for those of you who might not know it, is the way we all wish the Old South could have
looked! Well, Natchez did! It is one of the most beautiful old cities in the country,
and it's houses and gardens are famed far and wide. Make your plans now to come to Natchez!
More details will follow.
NEWSLETTER NEEDS INFORMATION.
This newsletter is our principal organ for communication for the Society, and as such
we must have current, timely information about events and programs in the South relative
to garden history. Send in your information to the editor, John Flowers, 926 Dacian Ave.,
Durham, N.C. 27701. We hope to get a newsletter our four times this year, so let us hear
from you with items of interest. Of course we are sometimes short of space, but if we can
we will publish all that we receive.
MEMBERSHIP
Remember to tell your interested friends about membership in the Society. If you
can, write to our office: Southern Garden History Society, Old Salem Inc, Salem Station,
Winston-Salem, N.C. 27108 for brochures. Give some thought to how many you need and
let us know. We do not have an unlimited supply, but we do want you to have what you need.
The Southern Garden History Society is off to a great beginning, thanks to you all. Now,
there is lots to do to keep this great idea going, so pitch in and lets work together
for something that can mean a lot to the future of gardening in the South. We have a
splendid tradition of gardening in the South, and we need to get busy in recording our
garden title!!!!!!! history. By the way, we can thank Board member, Hugh Dargan for our newsletter