Autrey Mill Nature Preserve & Heritage Center

Last updated
Autrey Mill Nature Preserve & Heritage Center
USA Georgia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within the state of Georgia
Location Johns Creek, Georgia, United States
Coordinates 34°01′15″N84°13′58″W / 34.02079°N 84.23267°W / 34.02079; -84.23267
Area46 acres (19 ha)
Established1989
Governing bodyAutrey Mill Nature Preserve Association
www.autreymill.org

The Autrey Mill Nature Preserve & Heritage Center is located in Johns Creek, Georgia, United States. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The Autrey Mill Nature Preserve & Heritage Center provides a venue where visitors can learn about the past as well as appreciate nature. The property is located on 9770 Autrey Mill Road, Johns Creek, Georgia. It is a haven to humans and animals alike from the busy metro-suburb north of Atlanta. Its purpose is to conserve its historical and natural environment while educating the community about its mission. Guided cell phone tours are available for its natural and historical assets.

History

The park and the grounds are owned by the city of Johns Creek, GA. The operations are run by its governing body, The Autrey Mill Nature Preserve Association. This association was formed in 1987 by local activist Margaret Krueger with assistance from fellow neighbor Judy Webb to protect and preserve a portion of 240 acres set for development. The site included the remains of an old grist mill, as well as its dam. [4] Philanthropist, John Ripley Forbes, who organized other local preserves such as Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell, GA was also an instrumental supporter of the project. [5]

Property

The 400 year plus of history have the Preserve and Center positioned on a 46 acres (19 ha) of land. [3] The preserve also contains a 2-mile (3.2 km) walking trail, creek, gardens and many animals. During a 2006 historic assets survey done by Fulton County, archeologists discovered a shaft gold mine, part of the mill foundations, the mill dam site, and remnants of the miller's house foundation. [4] [6] It also lies on land that was previously owned by the Cherokee in 1755. They were later forced off the land in 1830, gradually settling in Oklahoma traveling on the Trail of Tears. [3] The property was granted to settlers in the Cherokee County Gold Lottery of 1832. It passed through several owners before being sold to Ransom Autrey, owner of the grist mill, which operated until the 1900s. Various owners of the property followed, with the last private owners, the Debray family, making extensive building additions to the site during the 1970s. [6]

Geographic features

The area surrounding Autrey Mill houses 28 species of native trees, 58 species of native plants (including the Pink Lady's Slipper orchid), and 110 native wildlife species. Most of the Nature Preserve is covered by forest, with wetlands and a small river known as "Sal's Creek" which runs throughout. [3]

Heritage Village

The Heritage Village consists of several historic buildings from the site and local area.

Many of these buildings were moved to the site from different locations in Johns Creek and surrounding environs. The Visitor Center is an original building to the site, dating back to 1860 as a tenant farm house. The Debray family added rooms to the existing structure, and today it serves as the staff offices and display area for animal exhibits. In addition to renovations to the Visitor Center, the Debrays added a carriage house, which is now the Farm Museum. They renovated a 1940s barn on the property, which now serves as the center's teaching center, as well as a small chapel which no longer exists. In concert with the association's conservation goals, several local buildings of distinction were moved to the site when they were compromised by demolition. The first of these buildings was the Summerour House, which was built in the 1880s on the property now owned by Northeast-Spruill Oaks library. [7] It is a Victorian-style Farmhouse with five rooms, constructed by the Summerour family, one of the large landowners in the area. H.H Summerour introduced a popular strain of cotton called "Half and Half" with bolls that were half seed and half lint. [8] Eventually the house and property was sold to the Spruill family in 1918 and moved to Autrey Mill in 1992. [8] Along with the Summerour house, came a small two room tenant house that belonged to the farm. The Old Warsaw Church started out as campground in 1822, supposedly used by the Moravians, and purportedly gave Warsaw its name. A church was built on its campgrounds in the 1860s on Medlock Bridge Road near the intersection of State Bridge. In 2004, it was moved to Autrey Mill and restored in 2008. [9] The heritage village also includes the Green General Store, which was located at the corner of Buice Road and Old Alabama. Owned by the Green Family, it was built in the 1920s and closed in the 1940s. The store, along with its small Delco Remy generator building which supplied power to it, was moved in 2004. [6]

Heritage Collections

Autrey Mill is home to many different types of historical collections, particular to its buildings. The Summerour House and Tenant Farm House have period furniture, household and kitchen items including textiles and photographs representative of life on an early 1900s farm. Notable items are butter churns, chamber pots, laundry washboards and tubs, and a cast iron stove. The Farm museum contains farm tools utilized by early farmers. Notable items include a doctors buggy, a pea sheller, scythes, ploughs and equestrian items. The Green Store has the largest collection, including items sold in the store during its operation, as well as personal items. Notable collection pieces are 1920s quilt tops, garments, glass soda bottles, store ledgers that range from 1920s to 1940s, war mementos and original vintage signage. The Warsaw Church collection includes its original sign, with plaques on the pews commemorating families that belonged to the congregation. The Visitor Center houses the live animal collection, as well as natural history, including the Forsten Native American Exhibit. [3] [10]

Native American Structures and Collection

Near the Forest trail entrance, is a model of a Native American hunting lodge from the 17th century and wooden tipi, built by Tom Blue Wolf and his workmen. In September 2008, a replica Native village was opened at the park. [2] [NATIVE AMERICAN STRUCTURES REMOVED FEB. 2024] In the Visitor Center, a small exhibit of the Forsten collection is on display. The collection was donated by the Forsten family in 2011, and has almost 300 pieces of Southeastern American Indigenous projectile points, gorgets, atlatl weights and other artifacts. [11]

Animal Collections

The Center contains replicas of native animals to Georgia. It also has many live exhibitions of insects, reptiles and amphibians. In addition there are rabbits, chickens and ducks that reside in two enclosed pond areas outside the Visitor Center. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedar Mill, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Cedar Mill is a suburb in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area of the United States; it is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Washington County, north of U.S. Route 26 and west of the Willamette Stone. It received its name from a sawmill on Cedar Mill Creek, which cut Western Redcedars that were once the dominant tree in the area. The mill's pond was near the intersection of 119th and Cornell Road, and could still be seen into the 1960s, although the mill itself had ceased operating in 1891. The name was established in 1874 with the opening of a U.S. post office named Cedar Mill. As of the 2010 census, the community population was 14,546.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta History Center</span> History museum and research center located in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia, US

Atlanta History Center is a history museum and research center located in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia. The Museum was founded in 1926 and currently consists of nine permanent, and several temporary, exhibitions. Atlanta History Center's campus is 33-acres and features historic gardens and houses located on the grounds, including Swan House, Smith Farm, and Wood Family Cabin. Atlanta History Center's Midtown Campus includes the Margaret Mitchell House & Museum. The History Center's research arm, Kenan Research Center, is open by appointment, and provides access to the archival collections. Atlanta History Center holds one of the largest collections of Civil War artifacts in the United States. 

There were several historic mills around the metro Atlanta area, for which many of its current-day roads are still named. Most of the mills date back to the 1820s and 1830s, and were built along the area's many streams. The locations of many of these mills are shown on a map of 1875 showing U. S. military operations around Atlanta in 1864. This map is now located in the U. S. Library of Congress but can be seen on the webpage linked here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic New England</span>

Historic New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation organization in the United States. Historic New England owns and operates historic site museums and study properties throughout all of the New England states except Vermont, and serves more than 198,000 visitors and program participants each year. Approximately 48,000 visitors participate in school and youth programs focused on New England heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park</span> National Historical Park in LaRue County, Kentucky, U.S.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park is a designated U.S. historic park preserving two separate farm sites in LaRue County, Kentucky, where Abraham Lincoln was born and lived early in his childhood. He was born at the Sinking Spring site south of Hodgenville and remained there until the family moved to the Knob Creek Farm northeast of Hodgenville when he was two years old, living there until he was seven years of age. The park's visitor center is located at the Sinking Spring site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagn Bygdesamling</span>

Bagn Bydesamling is a small museum located in the hamlet of Dolven, south of Bagn at Sør-Aurdal in Innlandet county Norway. The museum is situated in the traditional district of Valdres and is run as a subsidiary of Valdres Folkemuseum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carter National Historical Park</span> National Historical Park of the United States in Georgia

The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, located in Plains, Georgia, preserves sites associated with Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States. These include his residence, boyhood farm, school, and the town railroad depot, which served as his campaign headquarters during the 1976 election. The building which used to be Plains High School serves as the park's museum and visitor center. As Carter lives in Plains, the area surrounding the residence including the burial site of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter (1927–2023) is under the protection of the United States Secret Service and is not open to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascade Heights</span>

Cascade Heights is an affluent neighborhood in southwest Atlanta. It is bisected by Cascade Road, which was known as the Sandtown Road in the nineteenth century. The road follows the path of the ancient Sandtown Trail which ran from Stone Mountain to the Creek village of Sandtown on the Chattahoochee River and from there on into Alabama. Ironically, the name lived on even after the Indians were expelled in the 1830s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johns Creek, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

Johns Creek is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 82,453. The city is a northeastern suburb of Atlanta.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is a governmental agency headquartered in Wheaton, Illinois, United States. Its mission is to acquire and hold lands containing forests, prairies, wetlands, and associated plant communities or lands capable of being restored to such natural conditions for the purpose of protecting and preserving the flora, fauna and scenic beauty for the education, pleasure and recreation of the citizens of DuPage County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackacre Nature Preserve and Historic Homestead</span> United States historic place

Blackacre State Nature Preserve is a 271-acre (110 ha) nature preserve and historic homestead in Louisville, Kentucky. The preserve features rolling fields, streams, forests, and a homestead dating back to the 18th century. For visitors, the preserve features several farm animals including horses, goats, and cows, hiking trails, and a visitor's center in the 1844-built Presley Tyler home. Since 1981, it has been used by the Jefferson County Public Schools as the site of a continuing environmental education program. About 10,000 students visit the outdoor classroom each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Rural Life</span> National museum in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK

The National Museum of Rural Life, previously known as the Museum of Scottish Country Life, is based at Wester Kittochside farm, lying between East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire and Carmunnock in Glasgow. It is run by National Museums Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornhaugh</span> Human settlement in England

Thornhaugh is a civil parish and village in the city of Peterborough unitary authority, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. For electoral purposes the parish forms part of the Glinton and Wittering ward and is in the North West Cambridgeshire constituency. It was formerly in the Soke of Peterborough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reynolds Nature Preserve</span>

Reynolds Nature Preserve is a 146-acre (59 ha) tract of protected forest located in Morrow, Georgia, United States. The nature preserve is owned and operated by Clayton County Parks and Recreation. The park has three miles (5 km) of hiking trails, a Civil War era farm, native plants path, heritage garden, wildlife ponds, native azaleas, a wildflower field, and an interpretive center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overmyer–Waggoner–Roush Farm</span> United States historic place

The Overmyer–Waggoner–Roush Farm is a historic farmstead on the southern edge of the village of Lindsey in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Composed primarily of buildings constructed in the middle of the nineteenth century, it has been converted into a park and designated a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stamford Museum & Nature Center</span> American museum

The Stamford Museum & Nature Center, located in Stamford, Connecticut, is an art, history, nature, and agricultural sciences museum. The property covers 118 acres beginning about half a mile north of the Merritt Parkway. It was originally a private estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn Valley State Park</span> State park in Yorklyn, Delaware, United States

Auburn Valley State Park is a state park, located in Yorklyn, Delaware, United States. The park, which is around 360 acres, preserves the former home and estate of the Marshall family as well as portions of the family's former mills alongside the Red Clay Creek and additional land purchased by the state. The preserve contains several miles of trails open to walking and biking, including a 1.2 mile paved loop. The state owns conservation easements on 160 acres of privately owned land adjacent to the park to help maintain the park's rural character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dauset Trails Nature Center</span>

Dauset Trails Nature Center is a private, non-profit nature center located near Jackson, Georgia, United States. The nature center is open year-round, except for certain holidays.

The Arabia Mountain Path (AMP) is a paved biking and hiking trail connecting sites within the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, Georgia, United States, built by the PATH Foundation. The trail covers more than 30 linear miles and features hills, sections of boardwalk, a serpentine bridge, and access to 13 free trail head parking areas. The AMP connects a number of visitor destinations and recreational areas including Panola Mountain State Park, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, the Mall at Stonecrest, and historic Lithonia, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Churchville Nature Center</span>

Churchville Nature Center is a facility of the Bucks County, Pennsylvania Department of Parks and Recreation and is located in Churchville, Pennsylvania. The center focuses on environmental education, public outreach and the preservation of native wildlife through its wide range of programs, projects and surveys. The nature center offers educational programing year round through its Environmental Education and Lenape Village departments. The center features a native butterfly house and covers 55 acres of wildlife preserve.

References

  1. "Northside Notes: Autrey Mill adds to nature scene". The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution. July 5, 2001. p. JH2. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  2. 1 2 "Wander woodlands, historic buildings. Places To Go With Kids: Autrey Mill Nature Preserve". The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution. April 21, 2001. p. D3. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Home". autreymill.org.
  4. 1 2 Earle, Joe "Neighbors' Plot: Nurturing Nature in Midst of Ritz" Atlanta Journal Constitution December 1, 1988
  5. Anderson, Will "Mother Nature's faithful metro Atlanta beau at 84, Boston native John Ripley Forbes hasn't slowed down..." Atlanta Journal Constitution, May 6, 1988
  6. 1 2 3 Historic Assets Report, Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center, Fulton County, GA, April 21, 2006
  7. "Friends of the NESO Library".
  8. 1 2 Cordell, Actor (May 14, 1992) "Farmhouse transplanted to Autrey Mill" Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  9. "Warsaw Cemetery and Church Preservation Association". Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  10. Georgia Historical Society, Affiliate Chapter Report, September 8, 2008
  11. Compton, Joan. "Homepage - Autrey Mill Nature Preserve & Heritage Center". www.autreymill.org. Retrieved 2016-04-30.