Georgia Natural Wonder #141 - Mt. Wilkerson - Vinings - Cumberland. 1,633

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #141 - Mt. Wilkerson - Vinings - Cumberland

I know I was suppose to move on from the Mountains to Classic South theme, I had some Caves and State Parks still to cover. There are several Whitewater and Wildlife Management Areas to cover. We haven't really touched on the small Wonders all around DeKalb County and here in Atlanta. But by golly I found 12 Wonders and made 12 Post on Cobb County. I have three more Wonders of Cobb County so let's clear this out before I continue our travels around the State. Mount Wilkinson is a low 981 foot tall mountain immediately north-northwest of and directly overlooking downtown Vinings, in southeast Cobb County, Georgia, USA.


I always thought it was called Vinings Mountain but whatever you call it, it has one of the most spectacular views of Atlanta.

Although it rises significantly from the surrounding terrain, it is actually at or slightly below the average elevation for the region, as it is in the Chattahoochee River valley.


Big Ole Luxury Apartments up here now.

Formerly called Signal Mountain, today it is commonly known as Vinings Mountain.



It is said that in 1864, U.S. Army General William T. Sherman got his first look at the church spires of Atlanta from the summit of Vinings Mountain.


From the Harper's Weekly.

The mountain, left only partly forested, is now topped with high-rise office towers, part of the Cumberland/Galleria edge city of metro Atlanta.


There is Vinings Overlook Townhome Association and the grand One Vinings Mountain.


The Overlook Office Complex with Kennesaw and Little Kennesaw Mountains in the distance to the north.

Among these buildings lies a small, private cemetery in which Hardy Pace (1785–1864), a founder of Vinings and operator of Pace's Ferry, is buried.



This is a treat, I always wanted to see this cemetery but the gate was always locked with "No Trespassing Signs".



Private cemetery on top of Mt. Wilkinson (aka: Mt. Vinings), resting place for members of the prominent Paces family of Atlanta.



Used to provide excellent, unbroken views of the city and surrounding area until the building of a nearby apartment building.


Hardy Pace.


His wife lucy,

On the top of the mountain is the private family cemetery for the Pace, Robinson, Randal, and Wilkie families.



My co-worker and lunch time buddy, Ernie Decker, said he went to Campbell High School with Julia Roberts, and that his class had several Keg Party's up here back in the 1970's.


Son -  Bushrod Pace.

I am guessing that is why gate locked because they grew tired of graves being vandalized.


Other Son - Solomon.

This may be only way for us to see this cemetery.



Family photos from Mt. Wilkerson Facebook Page.



Gorgeous views from Mountain Top Condo/Apartments of Atlanta AND Buckhead.



Namesake

Mount Wilkinson was named in honor of Mell B. Wilkinson, co-founder and first president of the Atlanta Scout Council. I could not find any more information on him.



It is located at what once was the Bert Adams Scout Camp (now located near Covington, Georgia).The Bert Adams Scout Camp was originally founded in 1928 in Vinings, Georgia. The new Bert Adams Scout Camp, located outside Covington, GA, was opened in 1960.


Ed Dodd of Mark Trail fame, was a scout at Bert Adams in Vinings. We did a deep tangent on him with GNW #103

Vinings, with its mineral springs, hilly terrain, and sylvan settings, was a popular retreat for Atlanta folks who wished to escape from the bustle of the city.  A camp near Vinings seemed to be the perfect choice, and the National Office approved the site. The 84-Acre property was pieced together through the efforts of Mr. Albert S. "Bert" Adams and the Adams-Cates Realty Company.  Various members of the Board underwrote the $3,000 purchase price. I could not find any more information on him.



Progress on the camp proceeded slowly at first.  By the summer of 1925 only the dam had been built, at a cost of $11,000.  Mr. "Dick"Darby of the Executive Board reported a couple of months later that the dam was not holding water satisfactorily.  This problem was eventually solved, allowing a 1.3-acre lake to form.  The lake was named for Mr. Darby in recognition of his efforts.



The camp was built on the pay-as-you-go plan, and construction was sporadic.  To get at least some use out of the property, it was opened up to the troops for weekend camping in the fall of 1925.  The original opening date of June, 1926, came and went with the camp still unready.



The news of  "Bert" Adams' death in December of 1926 greatly saddened his many friends.  Throughout his time as president, the council had worked towards completing the camp.  It has been his great desire to see it finished before he "passed out of the picture."  As a tribute to his efforts over the years, Mr. Law proposed that the new camp be named the "Bert Adams Boy Scout Camp" as a memorial to the man who had done so much for the council.  The motion was carried unanimously.  The Rotary Club of Atlanta, of which Mr. Adams and Mr. Law were past-presidents, gave its unstinted support of the proposal, and contributed generously in the February Campaign.


The Atlanta Rotary Club contributed one half of the $5,000 cost of the mountain and the other half was quickly made up by smaller gifts.

The fund-raising efforts were successful, and on April 3, 1927, Life Scout  Albert S. Adams, Jr. turned the first shovel-full of dirt at the groundbreaking ceremonies for the 60 x 100 foot dining hall, the main structure in camp. At one point it appeared as if all the hard work of the fund-raising campaign would be wasted when a fire broke out on the reservation, threatening the lumber stacks.  The sharp eyes and quick actions of the scouts of Troop 1, Vinings, under Scoutmaster R.H. Scott, saved the day, however.  The Scouts were able to contain the fire before it did too much damage, and the building materials were spared from the flames.


Yes, some of those boys are nekkid. Bathing suit must have cost a lot in 1930.

Finally, on Friday, June 11, 1927, the Bert Adams Boy Scout Camp was officially dedicated with appropriate ceremonies.  A newspaper announcement invited the general public to attend and inspect the camp.  Among the special guests present were Mr. Lewis H. Beck, Governor Clifford Walker, Atlanta Mayor I.N. Ragsdale, and Chief Scout Executive James E. West.  In his address, Dr. West indicated that Atlanta was one of only a few councils at that time to own any camping facilities.



Scouts arrived at camp individually and were assigned to a hut.  Each hut held 16 Scouts, and a staff member was assigned to look after each hut.  The huts were named after animals, the first hut beginning with the letter "a," down to the letter "i."  In order they were: antelope, bear, coyote, dolphin, eagle, fox, gopher, hawk and ibis. 


This building was one of at least 4 staff huts.  This type staff hut was located in sites 1, 2, 3, & 9.  The campers slept in Adirondack (3-sided) shelters, a few of which were moved to the Oscelola campsite at the new camp in Covington.  They are still there!

Each morning started with the sound of the bugle.  The bugler had a large megaphone hanging between two trees, and he would put the bugle up to the megaphone and blow "Reveille."  He would blow first toward the huts, and then he would rotate the megaphone and blow in different directions so it could be heard all over camp.  The bugle calls were a very important part of camp life.  The called the Scouts to every activity, to meals, Flag ceremonies, and sent them to bed at night.


This swimming pool was at sight to behold.  It was in a deep ravine with a creek running along one side.  No other buildings could be seen from the pool.  It was totally isolated from the rest of the camp.

The year 1937 saw the expansion of Camp Bert Adams by 59 acres.  This tract of land was the gift of Mr. William C Wardlaw as a memorial to his youngest son, Platt, who had died in 1923 at the age of fourteen.  A three-ton granite monument was dedicated during the regular camping season the following year on the new property.


Swimming Pool, Huts, and Chief Red Star - Based on several factors, we'd guess these to be from the 30's-40's era.


Lake Darby - Possibly from the early-to-mid 50's based on the scout wearing the pith helmet, which was popular in the 1950's.  As you can see the lake was very small, probably less than one acre.

The camp was located where Stone Ridge at Vinings (previously Cumberland Club) Apartments are currently located... that is if the name of the apartments hasn't changed."



The camp also included land that was sold to build the present day Cumberland Mall and surrounding office complexes and apartments. Here is an image from Google Maps that I have placed most of the camp landmarks, as well as I remember, over a satellite image.  Note that the Cumberland Mall perimeter road is at the top of the image, Interstate 285 is on the left, and Mount Wilkerson Parkway is at the bottom left corner.  Mount Wilkerson is at the bottom off the image.  There are high-rise offices and condos on top of the mountain now.



Below is an old hand drawn map of the camp in Vinings provided to me in 2015 by Leon McElveen who got the map from Tony Lett.  It shows some items that I did not remember, therefore are not in the image above.  I have no date for this map but I believe it is older than my recollection from 1960 since the nature museum is not on his map.  This map shows only 2 staff huts.  One at Lion's Lair Site (Site 1) and one near the Beard Site.  I definitely remember staff huts at campsites 1, 2, 3, & 9.  I believe the staff cabin shown to the right of site 5 must have been converted to the Nature Museum in the 1950's because I served on the staff there in 1960.  I don't remember us using sites 4, 5, Beard Site, 7, & 8.  As a camper in 1958 & 59 our troop camped in site 3.  When I was on staff in 1960 the nature staff (Rob Cross, Glen "Corky" McQueen, and myself, Bob Higgins) used the staff hut in site 9, not shown on this map.  I also don't remember the "White House" but it was probably the camp director's residence so I wasn't allowed there.  The ax yard was adjacent to the White House shown on this map.  The building identified as the Marshall Recreation Lodge was what we called the Quonset Hut.  It was used when outdoor campfires were rained out.



Streets in the immediate vicinity are still named for the camp (e.g. Bert Adams Road) and the mountain (e.g. Mt. Wilkinson Parkway).



The Mountains of Cobb County, a lot of folks would scoff having this as a Natural Wonder of Georgia, but the next time you are at Cumberland Mall, or the Galleria, or a Braves game, take a drive up here and catch the views.


Buckhead.

So glad we got to cyber trespass on the Cemetery, I had no idea this was a Boy Scout Camp, neat to find that information and images. Only 34 images so we tangent big on the town of Vinings.

Vinings, Georgia

Vinings is a census-designated place in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, just across the Chattahoochee River from Atlanta. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 9,734. A part of the Vinings, Smyrna, Cumberland (VSC) area, it is located between the affluent West Paces Ferry section of Buckhead in northwest Atlanta, and suburban Smyrna in Cobb County, adjacent to the Cumberland Mall. The U.S. Postal Service assigns both "Atlanta" to the ZIP code (30339) that includes Vinings (area of Cobb County between Interstate 285 and the Chattahoochee River).


The Home Depot is headquartered in Vinings.

History

Early on, Vinings was known as Crossroads, and then Paces, after Hardy Pace, circa 1830. He operated Pace's Ferry across the Chattahoochee River, in this area between Atlanta, Buckhead, and Smyrna. Paces Ferry Road is still the main east/west road through Vinings. The Western and Atlantic Railroad laid rail tracks from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Atlanta in the 1840s. Vinings became a construction station for the railroad, and was inadvertently named for William H. Vining, as he worked on the railroad construction of "Vining's Bridge" laying tracks in the area. The railroad is still state-owned as it was from the beginning, and is now leased to CSX.



The Union Army occupied the Vinings area during Sherman's Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War in 1864 and the subsequent March to the Sea. Pace's home, which had been used as a hospital for Union troops, was destroyed in the process. Vinings recovered after the war, as Governor Brown leased the railroad to Vinings to bring passengers to the springs and pavilions built to encourage a respite from the reconstruction of Atlanta. Vinings was officially recognized as a community in 1904, the same year the one-lane bridge was constructed across the Chattahoochee River. The town was never incorporated, though it had been discussed whether it should become a "township".


The Vinings Historic Preservation Society seeks to keep the town's history alive.

The area known as Vinings today may have first been traveled by nomads thousands of years ago, toward the end of the last Ice Age. Artifacts from that period have been found in other parts of Georgia.There is ample evidence of Vinings-area inhabitants during the Woodland and Mississippian eras, roughly from 1,000 B.C. to A.D. 1600. Their descendants, eventually formed the Native American groups we know as the Creek and Cherokee. Generally speaking, Creeks lived on the present-day Fulton County side of the Chattahoochee River and to the south, and Cherokees lived on the Cobb side and to the north.



Through the early 1800s, Europeans and their descendants continued to settle in the interior of the United States, pushing the country’s border westward. There was constant and increasing pressure on Native Americans to move even further west, away from the encroaching white population. By mid-century, the U.S. and Georgia governments had driven all Indians out of Georgia, taken away all their land in the state, and redistributed it to white settlers via a series of land lotteries from 1805-1835.



One of the lucky winners was a man named Hardy Pace from Putnam County, about 90 miles southeast of Vinings. He is thought to have amassed – through lotteries, trades and purchases – thousands of acres between present-day Buckhead and Smyrna. He left his father’s plantation in Putnam County, moving his wife and five small children to a remote area 80 miles northwest. There, he built a house on Land Lot 158; West Paces Ferry Road at Castlegate Drive in present-day Buckhead.



In 1839, Western & Atlantic Railroad track was being laid between Chattanooga and Atlanta, which was then just a frontier with a few railroad employees. Pace likely realized that Vinings (then called Crossroads) would become a construction hub for the railroad, and he settled there. Pace already owned and operated a ferry (Pace’s Ferry) across the Chattahoochee, and soon owned a grist mill, an inn and tavern, and farms. This area became known as Paces Crossroads, but the name would change again, thanks to the coming railroad.



In addition to Vinings itself, one of Hardy Pace's most enduring legacies is his name, used throughout Vinings and Buckhead for a multitude of streets, lakes, neighborhoods and businesses.


Statue Hardy Pace.


Pace Academy. My college sweetheart went here.

One difficult and time-consuming part of constructing the railroad was a rail line bridge around what was then called Pace’s Mountain. The Western & Atlantic assistant engineer who was responsible for this job was a young man from Delaware named William H. Vining.The terrain – a curved, steep slope and a creek (paralleling today’s Stillhouse Lane) – required constructing a wooden trestle bridge with an angle and curve that would support a turning locomotive.



The trestle bridge was a relatively lengthy project, and soon was known colloquially as Vining’s Bridge. Likewise, the men who came to help build the bridge lived in the temporary Vining's Camp. And after the railroad became operational, a depot was built at the tracks by present-day Paces Mill Road. Its official name: Vining’s Station.



Both Vining’s Bridge and Vining’s Station can be seen on maps and documents from the 1840s through the Civil War. Over time, people shortened the name, and in 1904, the village was officially recognized as Vinings.



In the summer of 1864, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s troops marched toward Vinings. Their goal was to destroy the Confederacy's supply line in Atlanta: the railroads. Pace, then age 78, left town. Union troops arrived on July 5. For the next 11 days, Gen. O.O. Howard used the Pace house as his headquarters while Sherman made plans and federal troops made advances into Atlanta.

Civil War Details

Sherman’s massive army converged on the Chattahoochee River across a broad front. General George H. Thomas, commander of the Army of the Cumberland, The Rock of Chickamauga, led his troops along the main road (Atlanta Road and the parallel Western & Atlantic Railroad) toward Shoup’s fortifications, while General John Schofield, commander of the Army of the Ohio, and his ill-fated colleague, General James M. McPherson, Commander of the Army of the Tennessee (who had at this point but two weeks to live), reached the river to Thomas’s right, below the Mayson-Turner Ferry. In addition, Major General John Stoneman, Jr’s cavalry reached the river at an even further distance west, opposite Sandtown.



Also Sherman sent Brigadier General Kenner Garrard’s cavalry some 16 miles up the Chattahoochee with instructions to seize a key bridge and ford located there, and then to cross the river and occupy the important industrial town of Roswell.



In the meantime, Thomas was instructed to demonstrate against the River Line to keep Johnston from responding to the Federal crossing that was in progress upstream. Johnston was quick to recognize the danger he now faced, with the federals poised to take possession of the ground between his army and the Union’s principal target, the city of Atlanta.



On July 5, the Confederate wagon train, shielded by Lieutenant General Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry, and under heavy Federal artillery fire, succeeded in crossing the Chattahoochee on two hastily constructed pontoon bridges. Once across, the bridges were cut loose to float to the southern shore, though one of them was carried by the current in the wrong direction and thus fell into Federal hands, a small consolation to Union forces that had allowed these vital supplies, so critical to continued Confederate resistance, to escape their grasp.


The Errant Pontoon Bridge: Paces Ferry Marker is at the intersection of West Paces Ferry Road SE and Paces Ferry Drive SE, on the right when traveling west on West Paces Ferry Road SE. The marker is just west of the Chattahoochee River.



General Oliver O. Howard in the meantime, took possession of the unoccupied and unguarded direct route to Atlanta via Pace’s Ferry and Buckhead.


Site: Hardy Pace's Res., Howard's Headquarters Marker is on Paces Mill Road 0.1 miles east of Paces Ferry Road SE, on the left when traveling east. The Hardy Pace house was burned to the ground during the Civil War, leaving only a granite step. The present house on the site was built by Solomon Pace sometime after 1865, and has no connection to the Civil War. 

The Pace House was built with the remains of the 17-room antebellum home of Vinings founder Hardy Pace. The house served as General Sherman’s temporary headquarters where he planned the siege of Atlanta. in 1864. Hardy’s son, Solomon Pace, returned home after the Civil War to find the home in ruins. Sometime between 1865 and 1874, Solomon painstakingly rebuilt the home—albeit more modestly—from doors, windows and remnants of several small cabins that survived the fire of the main house.


Today, The Pace House consists of three rooms: a parlor, a dining room and a bridal room. Adjacent to the Pace House, The Old Pavilion, itself a Vinings landmark, was a place where old Atlanta Society entertained and danced the night away during the late 1800’s and until the early 1900’s.


The 4th Corps at Vining's Station Marker is on Paces Ferry Road NW 0 miles west of New Paces Ferry Road SE, on the right when traveling west. The marker is located at the old Vinings railroad station, now a restaurant.



HEADQUARTERS FOURTH ARMY CORPS, July 5, 1864-9 p.m.
Brigadier-General WHIPPLE, Chief of Staff:

GENERAL: I have the honor to report that my command left camp at 5 this a.m. in pursuit of the enemy, and moved down the railroad, Brigadier-General Wood's division leading, followed by General Newton's, and then Major-General Stanley's.

General Wood met the enemy's dismounted cavalry, and commenced skirmishing with it about one mile and a half from camp. They delayed our advance as much as possible, making a stand at every advantageous position from that point to the place where I have gone into camp.

When about two miles from camp I learned from a report of one of my scouts that one of the trains of the enemy was moving toward the river on a road about two miles to our left. I directed General Newton to send a brigade of his division after it, but it had too much the start to be overtaken by infantry. At 10 a.m. my head of column arrived at Vining's Station on the railroad, and 11 a.m. 

I started down the road leading from there to Pace's Ferry. Very near the station the enemy's dismounted cavalry took up a position on a ridge behind rail barricades, and when General Wood's skirmishers came up they left their cover, and charging them, attempted to drive them back, but they were quickly repulsed, and from this point were slowly driven back to the river at the ferry. So closely were they followed that they had not an opportunity to destroy the pontoon bridge over which they crossed. They cut in on this side, however, and it swung over to the other side of the river.

I now hold this side of the crossing, and General Wood has gone into position on a ridge almost parallel with the river, and near thereto; General Newton in his rear, and extending to his left, and General Stanley on the left of General Newton.The losses in this command to-day have been very small for the results. We have taken 101 enlisted men prisoners.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

O. O. HOWARD, Major-General.


The 4th Corps Posted Along the River Marker is on Cobb Parkway SE (U.S. 41) 0.1 miles south of Paces Mill Road SE, on the right when traveling north. Right photo is looking south on Cobb Parkway (US 41) toward the Chattahoochee River Bridge.



In consequence of the crossing at Sope’s Creek by Federal forces, the Confederate army crossed the Chattahoochee in the night of the 9th (each corps had two bridges), and was established two miles from it. How did some get across?

GENERAL FIELD ORDERS, HDQRS. ARMY OF TENNESSEE, Numbers 3. July 11, 1864.

Intercourse between the pickets of the enemy and our own is strictly and positively prohibited. Officer of all grades are required to watch over the enforcement of this order, and to punish every infraction. General Johnston appeals to the good sense of the army to put an end to a practice so dangerous. Yesterday the enemy had a great interest in finding the fords in the Chattahoochee, and easily attained their object, the pickets by mutual agreement bathing in the river together. The engineers of the enemy most probably mingle with the bathers.

By command of General Johnston: 

A. P. MASON, Assistant Adjutant-General.



Schofield crossed the Chattahoochee at Sope Creek and Isom's Ferry, which will be discussed in our next post. This left Thomas and Howard free to move unmolested across the river on a pontoon bridge, Some of which was captured from the Confederates as mentioned above. 


Mt. Wilkerson featured prominent in this Harper Weekly's depiction of Howard's crossing Paces Ferry. 

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND, July 12, 1864.
Major-General SHERMAN:

General Howard reports two divisions of his command across the river and in position near Abernathy's house. Do you wish Palmer to cross at Pace's Ferry tomorrow or next day? I do not think Buell can reach there in time for him to cross tomorrow.

Abernathy's house is about one-fourth of a mile in front of Schofield's right center; Howard's troops overlap Schofield's right. I have directed Howard to send a division down the river to Pace's Ferry at daylight Thursday morning to cover the laying of the bridges at that place.

The road from Powers' Ferry to Abernathy's house is said to be good. Howard has one bridge at Powers' Ferry, but I want to replace that by McPherson's bridge, as it will be nearer to his position, and Buell's at Pace's Ferry will be nearer to mine.

GEO. H. THOMAS, Major-General, U. S. Volunteers.


Oliver Otis Howard

Thus ended military activity in and around the singularly formidable River Line fortifications, a campaign that might conceivably, in the hands of a more aggressive commander, have salvaged the Confederate cause. Sherman said significantly: “I have always thought Johnston neglected his opportunity there, for he had lain comparatively idle while we got control of both banks of the river above him."

Vinings History Continued

Pace died late that year. He and his wife, Lucy, are buried in a family cemetery on top of Vinings Mountain.After the war, Hardy’s surviving son Solomon returned to Vinings and built a new house, thought to be on the same site as his father's home. This is the Solomon and Penelopy Pace House that stands on Paces Mill Road today.



During the time of post-war Reconstruction, the Western & Atlantic Railroad built five open-air pavilions along its rail line to encourage Atlantans to venture out of the city. One of these pavilions, built at Vinings in 1874, became quite popular as a day-trip and special event destination. Train riders would disembark at Vining’s Station and walk the short distance to the pavilion for picnics, concerts, dancing and socializing.


The Old Pavilion was saved from demolition in 1996 and moved a few blocks to the Pace House property.

The Railroad was still the only way across the Chattahoochee for several more decades after the war.



In 1904, ferry service across the Chattahoochee at Vinings was replaced by a small one-lane bridge built across the Chattahoochee River to replace Pace’s Ferry. In that same year, the unincorporated Cobb County community on the northern end of the bridge was officially recognized as Vinings.



Finished at the dawn of a new century it was a $10,000 steel truss bridge. Locals were happy to have the bridge, even though they sometimes had to wait their turn to cross the one-lane structure.



For the next 70 years, the bridge was the only direct connector between Vinings and Buckhead.



In the early 1970s, Fulton County made plans to replace the dilapidated old bridge with a modern two-lane concrete bridge.



Thanks in large part to lobbying by nearby residents Cecil and Hermoine (Hermi) Alexander, the old bridge was preserved for pedestrians instead of being destroyed, and the new bridge was built alongside.



In 2010, Hermi's Bridge reopened following a complete rehabilitation, including reinforced pilings, new steel parts, added decking and railings, an approach sidewalk, a new coat and color of paint, and landscaping from the bridge to the drive in front of Canoe restaurant.



By the mid-1800s, Hardy Pace had amassed a fair amount of land in the hills northwest of Atlanta. In 1972, his great-great-granddaughter, Earle Carter Smith, sold a tract of that land in the heart of Vinings.



The buyer was Vinings resident Felix Cochran, a successful commercial real-estate developer. He decided to build a retail “town center,” with architecture reflecting the 19th century buildings nearby, including the Yarbrough House and Old Vinings Inn.



He called it Vinings Jubilee.



To ensure a degree of historic accuracy, local architects studied the historic homes still standing in Vinings and designed the shops and restaurants for Vinings Jubilee in the same style and spirit.



"We wanted Vinings Jubilee to look as if a different family built each store," Cochran told Inside Cobb in 1986, when the first phase opened. "I wanted residential-scale buildings incorporating the quality and the charm of the little houses you find around the center of Vinings."



The shopping center's one-, two-, and three-story buildings have awnings, varying styles of shingle siding, brick archways and flower boxes. There are brick sidewalks, stately street lanterns, a water fountain and a clock tower.



Since 1986, Vinings Jubilee has expanded several times, across the street and on adjacent parcels.



Felix Cochran was honored for his vision and community spirit in April 1996 by the Vinings Historic Preservation Society. He died just two months later.



One of Vinings’ most notable residents did not experience fame or fortune in her lifetime. But Nellie Mae Rowe (1900-1982) is now known as an important self-taught artist, whose works are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among other respected institutes.



In 1948, Nellie Mae began to transform her house into her art studio, calling it her “playhouse.” She also decided to decorate her yard with her art.



There were handmade chewing gum sculptures on the fence posts, drawings affixed to the house, large dolls sitting in chairs, and other objects, such as dinnerware hung from trees, Christmas ornaments and plastic images of Jesus.



The flamboyant exterior decor did not conform to local standards of taste and propriety, and the property was often vandalized. People assumed Nellie Mae was crazy or that she practiced voodoo.



By the 1970s, however, her home became a prominent local attraction. From 1973-1975, more than 800 people toured the house and yard, and signed her guest book.



Nellie Mae died in 1982, at age 82, of multiple myeloma. Her “playhouse” was eventually torn down, and a hotel now stands on the site.



Vinings is unincorporated, and is therefore under the jurisdiction of Cobb's county commission and other public services.


The shadow of Mt. Wilkerson.

Cumberland

In our effort to make comprehensive history tangents on all of Cobb County, let's include the Cumberland Mall and Galleria Mall area as it is the hottest spot of Atlanta now. You have the new Theater and the Baseball Stadium with the Battery Atlanta. And if you have driven by recently on I-285, you'll see what is already the tallest building in Cobb County with this new funky elevator ride. Cumberland is an edge city in Cobb County located in an unincorporated area of the northwest Atlanta metropolitan area, Georgia, United States. It is situated ten miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. With approximately 122,000 workers and 103,000 residents, Cumberland is the region's fifth-largest business district, and is marked by several modern skyscrapers rising from the wooded hills above the freeways.



History

Cumberland has changed immensely over the past 50 years. From 1927 to 1960, the area contained Camp Bert Adams, a Boy Scout reservation which still has a road bearing its name in the Vinings vicinity (the camp moved in 1960 to a site south of Covington). The area began seeing growth following World War II, but major development didn't occur until Cumberland Mall opened as Georgia's largest and metro Atlanta's sixth enclosed regional mall in 1973.



Cumberland Mall in the shadow of Mt. Wilkerson, well it's a tiny shadow top left image.



A decade later, the first office tower of the Cobb Galleria was built on 86 acres of prime space in what became the heart of the Cumberland district.



This paved the way for several other towers, retail strips and hotels.



During the summer of 1994, the Cobb-Marietta Exhibit Hall and Coliseum Authority built the $48 million Cobb Galleria Centre by renovating the existing mall there, and it has become another success for the district.



A few small shopping centers were constructed in the mid-1990s, and a Cumberland Mall expansion and renovation was completed in 2006.



Really fantastic pieces of architecture here in Cumberland area of Cobb County.



Damn it, now I got that Bloodrock song in my head.



Construction was completed on the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in late 2007, adding nightlife to the area.



The Atlanta Opera, founded in 1979, moved its base to this location.



The Atlanta Ballet will leave the Fox Theater for it's annual production "The Nutcracker" to move up here in 2020.



Economy

Cumberland's office towers house some of the area's 24 million square feet of office space, containing more office space than downtown Miami and making it metro Atlanta's fifth-largest commercial office district, after Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and Perimeter Center.



Companies such as Travelport,



The Home Depot,



Genuine Parts Company,



and The Weather Channel are headquartered in the area.



Cumberland also houses some ten million square feet of retail, with its focal point being Cumberland Mall.


The shining baseball Field across the Interstate. The Braves, stolen from Atlanta.

In 2017, the Atlanta Braves opened Sun Trust Park.



But the sun went down on Sun Trust.


The sun and that last game against the Cardinals.

It is now named Truist Park.



The Battery Atlanta is a mixed-use development surrounding the ballpark.



The Battery Atlanta is the South's preeminent lifestyle destination.



Braves game-day is way better than Turner Field.



The Battery rocks, even when there is not a game in town.


My daughter worked as Bull Riding Instructor at the PBR for a year.

The Stadium is at the west-northwest side of the interchange of I-75 and I-285, just north of the Galleria, with a pedestrian bridge connecting to the Galleria.


Has this bridge been built yet, I am still only finding an artist rendition?

Saving the best and newest for last, Thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas, has built a headquarters complex and test tower in Cobb County. 



The 420-foot tower will be one of the tallest for elevator testing and qualification in the world. It’s designed to have 18 shafts, allowing for testing of high-tech innovations, some of which haven’t yet hit the market. Executives say the company is trying to shake up an industry whose main product hasn’t changed for decades. 



The tower will also become a community attraction in its own right. It’s already the tallest building in Cobb County with an observation deck that will draw non-employees to take in skyline views after — what else? — riding an elevator to the top. 


Without a doubt, the most most impressive part of Cobb County today.

Top Row Dawg Addendum

This was an all Internet photos post. I drove up here recently, on my way to Sweat Mountain for some of my own photos. This is the view I remember as Col. Moore with Rentz Security Service.  The Overlook I office.


Damn they built a building in the view.


Let's crop that out and zoom it in.

Then, I really explored the Elevator Building.




All concrete.

The Baseball Stadium has a temporary sign.



No wonder the Atlanta Area Boy Scout headquarters was up here, leftover from Bert Adams Camp Mt. Wilkerson.



E CobbDawg Addendum

Thanks TRD, outstanding! That brings back so many memories
April 20, 2020 09:51AM

From Boy Scout days (my troop was Troop 5 sponsored by Second Ponce deLeon Baptist in ATL). Bert Adams in Vinings was a magical place, just the geography of the southern App hills and terrain, one of the best parts about growing up around here, then we were one of the inaugural Troops to summer camp when it moved to Covington. It was well done, but not the same as Vinings.

For many years the totem poles that were at the entrance to the camp were still sitting outside an antique store that you could see when driving by on Paces Ferry/Paces Mill.

In ‘74 & ‘75 my best friend and I used to hike from Sope Creek up to the top of Vinings Mtn. And back then there were, I think, 3 historic markers at the summit, one with details about Hardy Pace family and a couple on Sherman’s “visit.” But they were removed just before development started. It still grieves me when I see the buildings on the mtn that destroyed what was some of the most beautiful terrain in Ga, just IMO...

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Cumberland - Vinings - Mt. Wilkerson - we uncover a lot of the past but we elevated to foretelling the future a bit today. Enough of those Vodka ladies for Smyrna and Smirnoff, we turn to our hometown Baseball franchise, even if they ain't from Atlanta anymore.  Our Georgia Natural Wonder Girls are Tomahawk Chop Girls. Are we gonna be allowed to call them that still?