Hutcheson Ferry Park
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One of Chattahoochee Hill's emerald jewels, Hutcheson Ferry Park is a passive recreation park. It is ideal for a nature walk on its lush green pasture or some exploration on its granite outcrop. It also is well used -- and well loved -- as an event venue and has hosted the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concerts, and the Chatt Hills Country Fair.
We invite you to read the history of the park below, by local historian Carole Harper, and read more as stories and photos are added to the links at the right. |
HISTORY OF THE HUTCHESON FERRY PARK PROPERTY
Submitted by: Carole Harper, June 24, 2011 for the Chatt Hills Newsletter
Time Line on LL 4, Dist. 7, Coweta, Now Campbell Co.., GA.
Robert Wilkerson – August 3, 1831
Executed Campbell Co. ., GA., August 3, 1831. Deed from Thomas Cheves of Campbell Co. to Robert Wilkerson of Greene Co.; 202 ½ aces. Lying in LL #4, Dist. 7, Coweta, now Campbell Co. GA. $612. Wit. Richard Moore, Hugh Brewster. No recording date entered.
A house was eventually built but proof of its age is not known. We know that the Richardson house and the Gentry house were adjacent and identical in floor plans. John Landus Richardson was married to Elizabeth Malinda Wilkerson the daughter of Robert and Clarissa Wilkerson. Landus was the great, great, great grandfather of Mary Ann Richardson Grace and she has shared her stories about the families who were the early settlers on Hutcheson Ferry Park.
Thomas Cheves married Elizabeth Weaver, the sister of Andy Baker Weaver. Then their daughter married James Landus Richardson, and his brother William Matthew Richardson married Mary Elizabeth Weaver, who was Andy’s daughter. With all of this tongue twisting it is proof that the Weaver family was very much connected with the Gentry house.
Daniel Wiley and Julia Augusta - 1903
The Daniel Wiley and Julia Augusta Sewell Gentry clan were the next known owners of the property.
Moving from a small farm they owned on Vernon Grove Road, the Gentry family left in a wagon with their 9 children and arrived on Hutcheson Ferry road in 1903. Their names were, Ethel, Frank, Wayne, Clifford, Lena, Charlie, Mert, Lester & Willie.
Willie (William Thomas) was born in 1896 and was 7 years old when they came to their new home on Hutcheson Ferry Rd. Their son Tom Gentry lives in Akron, Ohio and is 88. He remembers his father talking about the ride on one of the wagons with all the furniture with Willie sitting on top.
A ghost story is nearly always woven into the history of these settlers’ lives and this one if no different. Mrs. Grace remembers two of her aunts, Lizzie and Fannie Richardson, had been out walking and decided to stop by the Gentry’s to say hello. They saw a strange woman on the porch combing her hair and crying and thought they should not stop. When they got to the Richardson house they found Mrs. Gentry there visiting with her grandmother. They asked about her “company” and recanted their experience. Mrs. Gentry got very upset and left immediately. The girls were told NEVER to speak of it again.
The Depression was felt in this area much like all the rest of the nation and more so in certain areas. Here the farmer’s crops were ruined leaving them no food and jobs could not be found. In order to survive families often moved in with each other. Money was scarce and the boll weevil was plentiful.
The four earliest settlers to live on the park land were the Cheves’, Wilkerson’s, Weavers, and Gentry’s.
Willie and his wife Cornelia and young son Tom moved in with his brother in-law Jim & Callie Robinson for eight years. News that tire plants were opening in Akron, Ohio, caused a great migration of approximately 30 men to leave this area and seek their fortune there. They got jobs with Firestone, Goodyear, General Tire and others.
Jim Robinson had recently received his inheritance and with his money he was able to buy a T Model and this was a way to get him to Akron to try and find a job. Along with Henry Thompson and a man he knew who was a saw miller they struck out for places unknown because there were no maps to tell them the routes – it took them over a week to find Akron. Jim and Callie and son James lived in Akron for over 25 years before moving back to the old home place at 10875 Hutcheson Ferry Rd.
Willie and Frank Wiley - 1929
After the death of their mother in 1929 Willie and Frank bought the farm. Frank later sold his half to Willie and moved to Atlanta.
Johnny Thompson - 1948
The property was leased to Johnny Thompson, a brother in-law, in 1929 and he farmed this land for 20 years before buying it from Willie Gentry in 1948.
Sometime during this period a small rock quarry was established on the property and according to James Robinson, a family relative, the street named “Gravel Road, was derived from this business. The road is located directly across from the entrance of the park.
Homer and Lela Morris –
Homer Morris and his wife Lela were the next owners of what is now the park itself and it consisted of approximately 115 acres. Their house is a small white frame home with 4 rooms and joins the park. The present owner is Mrs. Shirley Thomas.
Ned Peek and William Cochran - 1962
Ned Peek and William Cochran purchased the property from the Morris’s in 1962. Ned bought the house and 9 acres and William bought the remaining 103 acres. Ned and his wife Janice lived in the old farm house commonly called the Morris place, and their first child Donna was born there. William Cochran used his land for pasture.
This part of the story would not be complete without mentioning a tenant of Mr. Cochran’s, simply known as “Hatchet”. A loveable character with a build of 6’5” and maybe 125 lbs., he was an awesome sight to the neighborhood kids. He lived alone in a small tenant house on the property and was always in a state of intoxication on week-ends.
A group of young boys were lying in the grass after dark one night across the street from Hatchet’s place trying to see if they could spot a UFO. Suddenly Hatchet appeared and since his skin was as black as coal he could not be seen until was standing beside the boys. That was the last late night adventure looking for UFO’s.
The name “Hatchets Hill” was suggested as one of the names for the park.
Bennie and Elaine Jones -
Bennie and Elaine Jones purchased Ned Peek’s 9 acres and lived in the Morris house before they built their home on Hearn Road in 1966.
Tim Simpson -
Tim Simpson, a pro golfer, was one of the last owners of the park property before it was purchased by the Conservation Fund. The town of Palmetto bought 3 acres joining the park property leaving 100 acres for Hutcheson Ferry Park.
Conservation Fund and Fulton County – March 2003
The Conservation Fund purchased the property in March 2003 from their revolving fund as their first investment in Fulton County. The Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance then negotiated with Fulton County for the land to become a passive recreational park owned and maintained by the County.
Chattahoochee Hills – October 10, 2010
Through a special offer made by Fulton County, newly incorporated cities were able to purchase county parklands within their boundaries for $100/acre. So in 2008, a volunteer group formed as Friends of Chatt Hills Park, and collaborated with the Chattahoochee Hills Civic Association and the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance to raise over $200,000 for the city to purchase its parklands.
The campaign was a huge success, with more than one third of the households contributing. On October 10, 2010, the acquisition was complete and the city of Chattahoochee Hills officially owned all four of its parks: Rico Park, Cochran Mill Park, the Chattahoochee River Park (to be named in the future), and Hutcheson Ferry Park.
Submitted by: Carole Harper, June 24, 2011 for the Chatt Hills Newsletter
Time Line on LL 4, Dist. 7, Coweta, Now Campbell Co.., GA.
Robert Wilkerson – August 3, 1831
Executed Campbell Co. ., GA., August 3, 1831. Deed from Thomas Cheves of Campbell Co. to Robert Wilkerson of Greene Co.; 202 ½ aces. Lying in LL #4, Dist. 7, Coweta, now Campbell Co. GA. $612. Wit. Richard Moore, Hugh Brewster. No recording date entered.
A house was eventually built but proof of its age is not known. We know that the Richardson house and the Gentry house were adjacent and identical in floor plans. John Landus Richardson was married to Elizabeth Malinda Wilkerson the daughter of Robert and Clarissa Wilkerson. Landus was the great, great, great grandfather of Mary Ann Richardson Grace and she has shared her stories about the families who were the early settlers on Hutcheson Ferry Park.
Thomas Cheves married Elizabeth Weaver, the sister of Andy Baker Weaver. Then their daughter married James Landus Richardson, and his brother William Matthew Richardson married Mary Elizabeth Weaver, who was Andy’s daughter. With all of this tongue twisting it is proof that the Weaver family was very much connected with the Gentry house.
Daniel Wiley and Julia Augusta - 1903
The Daniel Wiley and Julia Augusta Sewell Gentry clan were the next known owners of the property.
Moving from a small farm they owned on Vernon Grove Road, the Gentry family left in a wagon with their 9 children and arrived on Hutcheson Ferry road in 1903. Their names were, Ethel, Frank, Wayne, Clifford, Lena, Charlie, Mert, Lester & Willie.
Willie (William Thomas) was born in 1896 and was 7 years old when they came to their new home on Hutcheson Ferry Rd. Their son Tom Gentry lives in Akron, Ohio and is 88. He remembers his father talking about the ride on one of the wagons with all the furniture with Willie sitting on top.
A ghost story is nearly always woven into the history of these settlers’ lives and this one if no different. Mrs. Grace remembers two of her aunts, Lizzie and Fannie Richardson, had been out walking and decided to stop by the Gentry’s to say hello. They saw a strange woman on the porch combing her hair and crying and thought they should not stop. When they got to the Richardson house they found Mrs. Gentry there visiting with her grandmother. They asked about her “company” and recanted their experience. Mrs. Gentry got very upset and left immediately. The girls were told NEVER to speak of it again.
The Depression was felt in this area much like all the rest of the nation and more so in certain areas. Here the farmer’s crops were ruined leaving them no food and jobs could not be found. In order to survive families often moved in with each other. Money was scarce and the boll weevil was plentiful.
The four earliest settlers to live on the park land were the Cheves’, Wilkerson’s, Weavers, and Gentry’s.
Willie and his wife Cornelia and young son Tom moved in with his brother in-law Jim & Callie Robinson for eight years. News that tire plants were opening in Akron, Ohio, caused a great migration of approximately 30 men to leave this area and seek their fortune there. They got jobs with Firestone, Goodyear, General Tire and others.
Jim Robinson had recently received his inheritance and with his money he was able to buy a T Model and this was a way to get him to Akron to try and find a job. Along with Henry Thompson and a man he knew who was a saw miller they struck out for places unknown because there were no maps to tell them the routes – it took them over a week to find Akron. Jim and Callie and son James lived in Akron for over 25 years before moving back to the old home place at 10875 Hutcheson Ferry Rd.
Willie and Frank Wiley - 1929
After the death of their mother in 1929 Willie and Frank bought the farm. Frank later sold his half to Willie and moved to Atlanta.
Johnny Thompson - 1948
The property was leased to Johnny Thompson, a brother in-law, in 1929 and he farmed this land for 20 years before buying it from Willie Gentry in 1948.
Sometime during this period a small rock quarry was established on the property and according to James Robinson, a family relative, the street named “Gravel Road, was derived from this business. The road is located directly across from the entrance of the park.
Homer and Lela Morris –
Homer Morris and his wife Lela were the next owners of what is now the park itself and it consisted of approximately 115 acres. Their house is a small white frame home with 4 rooms and joins the park. The present owner is Mrs. Shirley Thomas.
Ned Peek and William Cochran - 1962
Ned Peek and William Cochran purchased the property from the Morris’s in 1962. Ned bought the house and 9 acres and William bought the remaining 103 acres. Ned and his wife Janice lived in the old farm house commonly called the Morris place, and their first child Donna was born there. William Cochran used his land for pasture.
This part of the story would not be complete without mentioning a tenant of Mr. Cochran’s, simply known as “Hatchet”. A loveable character with a build of 6’5” and maybe 125 lbs., he was an awesome sight to the neighborhood kids. He lived alone in a small tenant house on the property and was always in a state of intoxication on week-ends.
A group of young boys were lying in the grass after dark one night across the street from Hatchet’s place trying to see if they could spot a UFO. Suddenly Hatchet appeared and since his skin was as black as coal he could not be seen until was standing beside the boys. That was the last late night adventure looking for UFO’s.
The name “Hatchets Hill” was suggested as one of the names for the park.
Bennie and Elaine Jones -
Bennie and Elaine Jones purchased Ned Peek’s 9 acres and lived in the Morris house before they built their home on Hearn Road in 1966.
Tim Simpson -
Tim Simpson, a pro golfer, was one of the last owners of the park property before it was purchased by the Conservation Fund. The town of Palmetto bought 3 acres joining the park property leaving 100 acres for Hutcheson Ferry Park.
Conservation Fund and Fulton County – March 2003
The Conservation Fund purchased the property in March 2003 from their revolving fund as their first investment in Fulton County. The Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance then negotiated with Fulton County for the land to become a passive recreational park owned and maintained by the County.
Chattahoochee Hills – October 10, 2010
Through a special offer made by Fulton County, newly incorporated cities were able to purchase county parklands within their boundaries for $100/acre. So in 2008, a volunteer group formed as Friends of Chatt Hills Park, and collaborated with the Chattahoochee Hills Civic Association and the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance to raise over $200,000 for the city to purchase its parklands.
The campaign was a huge success, with more than one third of the households contributing. On October 10, 2010, the acquisition was complete and the city of Chattahoochee Hills officially owned all four of its parks: Rico Park, Cochran Mill Park, the Chattahoochee River Park (to be named in the future), and Hutcheson Ferry Park.