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Peachtree Garden Club records

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS681

Scope and Contents of the Records

This collection contains minutes, committee reports, financial statements, membership information, and correspondence that documents the civic and social activities of the club. Materials from Presidents Brenda Dreyer and Dean Smith comprise a substantial section of the collection from the years 1999 to 2003. Also in the collection are scrapbooks as well as GCA manuals and meeting programs from the GCA Annual and Zone Meetings beginning with 1932. A large amount of material details the GCA Zone VIII 2005 Meeting, hosted by the PGC.

Dates

  • 1923-2019, undated

Creator

Restrictions on Access:

This collection is open for research.

Restrictions on Use:

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

The Peachtree Garden Club (PGC), Atlanta's first garden club, was founded in 1923 to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening among amateurs, and the membership is limited to those who own a garden and take an active interest in its design, management and culture. The club was invited to join the Garden Club of America (GCA) in 1926 and helped to organize numerous other garden clubs such as The Garden Club of Georgia in 1928. Among the club's early achievements was the establishment of the Garden Center at Rich's in 1934, the First Atlanta Flower Show in 1934, and subsequently the Atlanta Flower Show Association in 1935, which later became the Southeastern Flower Show in 1988. The club also established the Dogwood Festival in 1936.

Administrative/Biographical History

The club's roadside beautification projects include the Peachtree Beautification Project from 1933-1936. Several other community projects were undertaken, such as the Lawson General Hospital garden in 1941 and in 1943 a Victory Garden at the Egleston Hospital for Children, (later named the Laura Davis Webster Garden). Boxwood and herb gardens were donated to the Founders' Garden at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. The PGC has worked on several conservation projects such as developing and maintaining the Swan Woods at the Atlanta History Center, a 10-acre ecological laboratory, beginning in 1967, which received the GCA Founders Fund Award in 1969. The garden became one of the notable Gardens for Peace in 1985.

Administrative/Biographical History

The PGC has published several books, including The Garden History of Georgia, 1733-1933 (PGC commissioned by the GA Bi-Centennial Committee in 1933) and Architecture of Neel Reid of Georgia with Cherokee Garden Club in 1973. The PGC established the Neel Reid Scholarship Fund in 1946 for UGA School of Environmental Design and later added the Neel Reid Traveling Fellowship to support students furthering their academic endeavors in their Landscape Architecture degree. The PGC continues to play an active role in community conservation projects and promoting the love of gardening and horticultural knowledge.

Extent

26.09 linear ft. (30 document cases and nine oversize boxes)

Language

English

Arrangement of the Papers

This collection is arranged alphabetically by titles supplied by staff.

Acquisition Information:

Gift of the Peachtree Garden Club, 1969 (1969.2); 1989 (1989.51), (1989.306); 2007 (2007.71); CGL 1980 (#1031); 1981 (#1474), (#1491); 2004 (2004.213); 2018 (2018.136); 2019 (2019.128), with subsequent additions.

Related Archival Materials

Peachtree Garden Club visual arts materials, VIS 289, Cherokee Garden Library, Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center

Processing Information:

Collection processed in 2009, with subsequent additions

Title
Peachtree Garden Club records
Author
Jennie Oldfield
Date
October 2009
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040