Historic Landscape Initiative
The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. has been actively involved with various aspects of preserving the landscape history in the state of Georgia since the 1930s. For the past twenty years, one of its signature programs is the Georgia Historic Landscape Initiative (GHLI). GHLI is a collaboration among The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. and the Cherokee Garden Library, Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center, and the University of Georgia, College of Environment + Design, Historic Preservation Program. The purpose of the GHLI is conducting a statewide inventory of historic gardens and landscapes of Georgia. The history of GHLI is described in detail here.
Phase One of the effort was completed in 2018 with the publication of Seeking Eden: A Collection of Georgia Historic Gardens by Staci L. Catron and Mary Ann Eaddy with photographs by James R. Lockhart. You may purchase a copy of Seeking Eden from the University of Georgia Press or other online booksellers. Proceeds go towards the GCG’s Historic Landscape Preservation Grant Program.
Grant program requirements can be found here.
The documentation collected through the GHLI is preserved and made available to the public free of charge at the Cherokee Garden Library, Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.
A complete list of completed surveys is available here.
In 2018 the GHLI began Phase Two of its landscape documentation program focusing on vernacular landscapes. You can read more about recent GHLI sites in the Cherokee Garden Library newsletter, Garden Citings, including The Harold Rittenberry, Jr. Home and Garden, Athens, Georgia, and The Promised Land, Gwinnett County, Georgia.
Individuals who would like to volunteer to work with the Georgia Historic Landscape Initiative, please contact:
Staci L. Catron
Cherokee Garden Library Director
Kenan Research Center
Atlanta History Center
404.814.4046