Powder Springs, Georgia
1940 – 2013
On April 17, 1940 all the ladies in the community were invited to organize and join a garden club. The meeting was held in the home of Mrs. Faye Lindley with twenty two ladies present.
The club was named the Co-Operative Garden Club. The first President was Mrs. B. L. Barton. The other officers elected were: Mrs. Cecil Barr, Vice President, Mrs. M. J. Miller, Secretary, and Mrs. Parks Lindley, Treasurer.
Other Charter Members were: Mrs. J. K. Brown, Mrs. W.L. Jennings, Mrs. Verna Lawler, Miss Hazel Lindley, Mrs. F. E. Norris, Mrs. K. E. Norris, Mrs. W. R. Tapp, Sr. and Mrs. J. C. Vaughn.
This may not be complete due to the original list being lost at some point.
Their pledge as gardeners was to do all in their power to take care of our trees, flowers and birds, and to watch for opportunities to make and keep our community clean and beautiful. The Club would met in the homes of the members once a month. Dues were set at ten cents a month. The members had certain requirements. Each one was to plant three mimosa trees. At every meeting, each member was to bring an arrangement of flowers. These could be a miniature not over eight inches tall, a single specimen or a tall arrangement to be judged.
In April of 1941, the Club changed its name the Mimosa Garden Club and was federated. In November of the same year, the Club was affiliated with the Garden Club of Georgia, and later the National Council of Garden Clubs, and the Marietta Educational Garden Center.
The members have kept their pledge through community and individual projects. They sponsored side walk plantings of watermelon red crepe myrtles in 1942. These grew so large that they obscured the vision of the motorist and had to be cut down later. At this time the total membership was limited to twenty five ladies. During the war years (1941 – 1945), programs and exhibits were changed to Victory Vegetable Gardens and canned food exhibits. The members donated cooking fats which they had saved. The Club received a small amount of money and red food stamps. The food stamps were given to the school cafeteria.
In 1944 Mrs. Thomas (Louise) Clonts sponsored a Junior Garden Club named the Dirt Daubers. It was not active after 1945.
After the war, the Mimosa Garden Club returned to keeping their pledge as gardeners to take care and keep the community clean and beautiful. They continued to study horticulture, flower arranging and how to help maintain the trees, flowers, herbs, birds and butterflies in the community. Many outstanding arrangements have been made by the members over the years.
In the 1950’s they sponsored a Georgia Power Cooking School. They sponsored more than eight flower shows and sent arrangements made by various members to the Cobb County Fair where they won several blue ribbons. They also sent flowers and arrangements to Rich’s Garden Center.
In 1978 Mrs. Faye Lindley inspired the Garden Club to set up a Meditation Garden at the Powder Springs City Cemetery. The ladies have continued to maintain this garden over the years.
The Club decided to landscape the Powder Springs Park. Hastings Seed Company offered their assistance in making a plan. Roses, Iris, and Magnolia Trees were planted there.
In the 1980’s they bought barrels for the downtown area of Powder Springs which they planted and maintained. They planted bulbs at the new Powder Springs Civic Center (The Ron Anderson Memorial Center).
In 1984, the Club helped with organizing the Powder Springs Beautification Committee. On December 13, 1984, there was an event commemorating the Certification of the Committee. Harold Norris was The Team Leader in this project. He was one of the charter Members of the Seven Springs Historical Society. In later years, the Powder Springs Beautification Committee changed its name to Keep Powder Springs Beautiful Association, and are currently still active.
In 1988, Mrs. Willie Mae Godfrey led the Club to establish a Memorial for the members at the Seven Springs Historical Society Museum in Powder Springs Park. Trees were planted in honor and memory of several of the members who had passed away.
In 1989, with the help of Imogene Abernathy and Bonnie Yeager the club planted an herb garden at the Seven Springs Museum.
The Garden Club also asked the Mayor to call a public meeting to establish a Powder Springs Cemetery Association to provided perpetual care. (City Cemetery located on Old Austell Road on the right). This project has been successful and supported by the community.
Through the years many ladies, individually, have made flower Gardens, Rock Gardens, Herb Gardens, day lily gardens, and a colorful cottage garden. Mrs. Martha Brown landscaped her own yard to reflect the beauty of Calloway Gardens. Imogene Abernathy planted a unique herb garden at her home. Several of the members especially worked with horticulture.
Mrs. Martha Brown and Mrs. Dot Burkett faithfully provided special flower arrangements for the Baptist and Methodist Churches for many years. Others have worked on yearbooks and scrapbooks for the Garden Club, winning many awards. During the 1990’s there were many projects undertaken by the Garden Club.
They planted flowers, trees, landscaping on the Grounds of the newly organized Powder Springs Senior Center at the Old Powder Springs Elementary School.
A Butterfly Garden was planted with flowers that would attract the Butterflies, at the Seven Springs Historical Society Museum. Stepping Stones were installed using old grind stones from the Murray Landrum grist mill that had operated in Powder Springs in the early 1900’s. These stones were donated to the Museum by Marsha Doughtery.
A golden path of flowers was planted in honor of the 1996 Olympics. These flowers were planted in 1995 so that they would be in bloom during the Olympics. Snapdragons, marigolds, dahlias, daises, roses, lilies among others that are beautiful.
The Club built Butterfly and Blue Bird House. Some were hung around town and others were sold as fundraisers.
Mrs. Patti Briel and Mrs. Betty DuPre won a state award in 1995 with the Club’s scrapbook.
As the twenty first century came, things were changing which offered new challenges for the Mimosa Garden Club. The years 2000 through 2013 were not as well documented as the earlier ones. However, they left a lot of their scrapbooks, Minutes of meetings, collection of books and various other documents to the Seven Springs Historical Society and are housed at the Museum where we welcome anyone who wishes may come and enjoy their handiwork.
The Mimosa Garden Club continued to work to carry out their Pledge to take care of our trees, flowers and birds and to watch watch for opportunities to make and keep our community clean and beautiful.
The Club continued maintaining the flower and herb gardens and trees they had planted around the Seven Springs Museum. When we experienced the flood in 2009, they helped to revitalize and care for the flowers, herbs and trees around the Museum and other areas in the community.
The Garden Club actually contributed and supported the Garden Clubs and organizations they were members of all through the many years they existed. They worked with these organizations on various projects around the Community, County and State, supporting them monetarily or by volunteering in any way that was needed.
The Garden Club also supported many charities over the years with donations, making crafts for their residences, fund raising and volunteering. Some of these included: the restoration of the Garden Center in Marietta; Open Gate Home for the abused and homeless children; Cobb County Beautiful Roadways with wild flowers on the medians; the American Cancer Society; and Milledgeville Garden Therapy Program at the State Mental Hospital.
The Club continued to increase their knowledge, enjoyment by Members going on field trips to see the many gardens and Horticulture Centers around the state and visiting the Biltmore Estates Gardens in North Carolina.
Even though the Mimosa Garden Club was disbanded in 2013, they will always be known for their many kinds of contributions and their enjoyment for the preservation of all of Nature’s Beauty. The Club, in it’s seventy three years of service, has left its Legacy in many of the trees, gardens and flowers that they had planted throughout the Community
As a member of the Garden Club of Georgia, the Mimosa Garden Club was presented with a large circular sign depicting the Garden Club of Georgia’s logo. The sign was originally erected at the parking area of the old Seven Springs Museum in the trees and flower gardens they had planted.
When the Seven Springs Museum moved to the Bodiford House, the sign was moved and hung on the back wall of the house under the screened in porch for all to enjoy when they park their cars at the Museum.
In 2017, the Seven Springs Historical Society acknowledged and Honored the Mimosa Garden Club, it’s members and charter members for their contribution to the community and the Seven Springs Historical Society and Museum with a plaque which is displayed in the Museum.
This 2018 history of the Mimosa Garden Club has been compiled from information gathered by Sarah Frances Miller, various Club documents, notes, scrapbooks and Minutes of their meetings.