In 1936, the Garden Club of Georgia established a fund to create a living memorial honoring the twelve founders of the Ladies' Garden Club of Athens-the first garden club in America, organized in 1891.

With funds contributed by Garden Club of Georgia members, Dean Hubert B. Owens along with his staff and students from the University of Georgia’s Department of Landscape Architecture, designed and developed what would become the nationally acclaimed Founders Memorial Garden.  Completed in 1946, the garden serves not only as a museum of landscape design but also as a living laboratory for the study of botany, forestry, and related disciplines.

Spanning two and one-half acres on the grounds of the former Headquarters House, the garden features a formal boxwood garden, two courtyards, a retrace, a perennial garden, and an arboretum.

As the garden took shape, GCG acquired and restored the old smokehouse, transforming it into a living museum dedicated to the twelve original garden club members. It was furnished in the style of the period, and today houses historical mementos, pictures, and a painting depicting the historical first meeting of the garden club.

Rental policies and contract information can be found on the Founders Memorial Garden website. Please contact the Director and Curator, Gareth Crosby, at gcrosby@uga.edu or 706-542-8972 for rates and availability.

Founders Memorial Garden
325 Lumpkin Street
Athens, GA 30602