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The History of Chastain Park
The park is rich in local and regional significance. This chronology highlights some of the key events and developments of this land and the evolution of Chastain Park.
Creek Indian Settlement until 1821
To the southwest of the Chattahoochee, the earliest residents of this area were the Muscogee Creek Indians, a nation of traders and farmers. Creeks once lived in the floodplain of Nancy Creek and farmed the area that is now the North Fulton Golf Course. Just south of W. Wieuca Road where the ball fields are located was the site of the Creek Indian Village. They traded land to European settlers for peace, eventually giving up all their land in this area. (The Cherokee were a larger, more powerful tribe, were on the northeastern side of the Chattahoochee, their land covering most of northern Georgia.)
Over the years the floodplain in this area has been filled in more than ten feet. A state archeologist once suggested that the remains of an ancient Indian village exist below the fill.
1822 – 1878 ~ Land sale to Europeans
Chronicled history of the site begins with the sale of property to Rene C. Pettit of Henry County on January, 1822, in a land lottery for eighteen dollars. Another section of the property was bought by William Baxter in December, 1826, in the same land lottery for eighteen dollars. All of the property was originally part of Henry County, which became DeKalb County in 1840. DeKalb County records of the property were lost in a fire at the Courthouse. In 1854 Thomas P. Far, Trustee, bought 220 acres of the property selling 39 acres in 1878 to Washington P. Johnson and 300 acres to Doctor R.L. Hope.
July 1864 ~ Battle of Nancy Creek
Confederate Cavalry engages Federal troops at Powers Ferry bridge.
1900 ~ Fulton County acquires ownership for alms houses
Fulton County acquired the property at the turn of the century. The original parcel was approximately 1000 acres. Fulton County planned to use the property to build a new almshouse for the county poor.
In 1909 the County constructed the two almshouses on W. Wieuca Road. Morgan and Dillon, an Atlanta architectural firm, designed the neo-classical revival buildings.
The white almshouse was built in a characteristic horseshoe shape with a center courtyard.
It was designed to accommodate a maximum of 145 residents and the black almshouse was designed for a maximum of 85 residents. During the Depression, the facilities were operating at more than capacity. There were no other nursing homes, and as many as 200 individuals were housed in the white almshouse.
The black almshouse was a white frame building also in the classical revival tradition, featuring a covered portico around its L-shape layout.
In the1930s, a Negro Women’s Convict Camp opened near the alms house property, where convicts managed work farm north of Nancy Creek.
A dirt road led south to the Alms House Cemetery on Lake Forest Road at approximately the third hole of the present day golf course. No record of this cemetery being removed from the site has ever been found.
In 1936, the Fulton County Commission changed the name of the facilities to Haven Home. The alms houses remained in use until 1967.
1933 ~ Park development begins, initially called the North Fulton Park.
Fulton County took the approximate 1000 acres that included the alms farm and allocated 268 acres to what is now Chastain Park. The remainder sold for development in the 1930’s. Troy Chastain owned property adjacent to Chastain Park where he built a cabin.
To encourage residential development in North Fulton, the County Commission decided to provide a major recreation facility on the farmland south of W. Wieuca. Chastain was a major force in developing the Park facilities. Chastain was a member of the Fulton County Commission from 1938 to 1942 when the majority of the Park was developed. He and others were determined that this park would be a showplace for recreation facilities. Many of the current facilities or venues, including the pool, bathhouse, stables, tennis center, picnic areas and lakes, were built under their direction by the WPA and labor from the prison farm.
Much of the decorative stonework in the picnic areas north of W. Wieuca and other stone steps laid into the steep slopes throughout the park were built in the early 1940’s. William L. Monroe, Sr., owner of Monroe Landscaping, was on retainer to the County to supervise WPA and prison labor who built the grills and walls that remain in the picnic areas and the amphitheater itself. Thes projects represent an outstanding example of quality stone masonry.
1935 ~ Golf Course Opens
The 18-hole North Fulton Golf Course was developed on the farmland south of the alms houses. The course was designed by H. Chandler Egan in collaboration with Perry Maxwell in 1934.
The County started constructing the course in 1934 with a combination of WPA labor and labor from a temporary prison farm located in the general ball field area.
In 1948, the course was the site of the U.S.G.A. National Amateur Public Links Golf Championship, an important occasion since it was the first time a U.S.G.A. national championship event was held in the South. The main clubhouse was built in 1947 for this championship. The original golf clubhouse, which became the women’s clubhouse, just to the east of the current facility, was demolished in the 1990s. During the 1950s, North Fulton Golf Course was host to the P.G.A. tour’s North Fulton Open. This event was played a week prior to the Masters and therefore many of golf’s greats played the North Fulton course on a regular basis. This event was discontinued after the founding of the Atlanta Classic Golf Tournament.
1940s ~ Tennis Center Built
The tennis center, with a total of 9 courts, was considered to rival the courts at Jekyll Island in quality and class.
The original tennis center building was destroyed by fire and replaced in 1979. The new facility includes equipment sales, locker rooms, restrooms, offices and a small concession area. The courts have been modernized over the years.
1942 ~ Swimming Pool Opens
The 50-yard Olympic-size pool was built as a competition facility. Originally, it operated on a fill and draw system from the one-acre lake above it. The pool had the first pool filter system installed in Atlanta. The bathhouse was constructed in 1942.
In the early years, teams came from as far away as Havana, Cuba to compete in the Hav-Atlanta Games.
There were pool renovations throughout the years, with a new filter system in 1972 and a new concrete deck in 1982. The pool was saved from condemnation when the North Atlanta Swim Association (NASA) agreed to lease and operate the pool and its facilities for the community.
1944 ~ Amphitheater Opens
Troy Chastain was interested in building an amphitheater in the Park. Thomas P. Glenn, then President of the Trust Co. Bank, paid the expenses for the Commissioners Chastain and Charlie Brown and Judge Eugene Gunby to visit amphitheater facilities in Richmond, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Daytona, Louisville and Chicago. The Chastain amphitheater is built in a natural bowl area, its design is similar to the Richmond facility. The success of the first season was marred because of small crowds, in part due to lack of publicity and the continuing strain of World War II.
During the 1950s and Mayor Hartsfield’s term, the Atlanta Pops Orchestra began a pops season and several local opera/ theatre companies had runs at the amphitheatre, of varying lengths and degrees of success. In the late 1950s, Theatre Under the Stars began a 15-year stint producing musicals and operettas at the amphitheater. In 1971, the company builds a large storage facility at north end of park to house stage equipment and company offices. Since that time, the company changed their name to Theater Of The Stars (TOTS) and now performs at the Fox Theatre at Ponce de Leon and Peachtree Street, but remains in the building at the north end of the park.
In 1973, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra began its summer pops series at Chastain. The amphitheatre hosted touring concerts (like Cream featuring Eric Clapton in 1968) and theatrical performances (like South Pacific and Oklahoma) along the way, in addition to graduations and other local events.
1945 ~ Stables Built
The riding stables were built in 1945 to house horses for the polo fields along W. Wieuca Road. These stables were built as a result of an ongoing rivalry among polo teams that stabled their horses across Powers Ferry Road and on W. Wieuca, east of the park. Local residents typically had horses and stables on their property. Bridle paths meandered through the Park and surrounding rolling hills.
The center ring was developed as one of the largest and best facilities for horse shows in the state. On these occasions attendees would camp in the Park. An annual event was the Thanksgiving Breakfast and Ride hosted by the Fulton County Commission from the late 1940’s until 1955 when the original crowd of 25 grew to 300. The polo field was located south of W. Wieuca Road at the current location of the NYO ball fields.
In the late 1990’s, Chastain Horse Park, Ltd. (CHP) was formed as a 501 (c) (3) organization to lease, renovate and operate the property.
1945 ~ Troy Chastain Dies
1946 ~ Park is Dedicated: Troy G. Chastain Memorial Park
1950 ~ Fulton County deeds land to American Legion Post 140, with condition that it revert back to the County if the Post no longer used the property.
1952 ~ Chastain Park Annexation
The park was annexed into City of Atlanta under a “Plan of Improvement”, which annexed much of north Fulton County into the city limits. The alms house buildings and eight acres were retained by Fulton County when the city annexed the Park and surrounding area.
1960 ~ Ball Fields Built
Local home builder, Steve Arthur, helped build the Pony League field (now Garr Field) in 1960 to expand the age range of children who could participate in organized baseball. The younger Pony League had already been playing baseball at a Buckhead park.
Football teams were managed by the original Northside Youth Organization (NYO), formed by Robert E. Blackwell in 1951 with 13 boys. By 1966, the NYO had run out of room with its 700 players and cheerleaders, so they moved from their Buckhead park location and entered into a long-standing agreement with the City of Atlanta to lease space at Chastain Park. In 1974, Dowis Field House was built and the field in Chastain Park was renovated, expanding to include girls’ softball.
The ball fields and facilities--press boxes, concession building, restrooms and parking –have been expanded and improved through the years.
1967 ~ The Galloway School Opens in Former White Alms House
The white alms house was leased shortly after the facilities closed to Elliott Galloway. He opened Galloway School, a private school offering classes from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Galloway later acquired the property from the County in 1988 for new buildings and expansion of its campus. The Galloway School has made a number of improvements including renovations to the alms house, the pool house, and the grounds.
1969 ~ Chastain Arts Center Opens in Former Black Alms House
The black alms house was sold by Fulton County to the City of Atlanta in 1967. The Chastain Arts Center began operating under the Department of Parks and Recreation and was located in this facility.
A new pottery wing and additional structural renovations to the roof and porches were made in 1978. Another renovation effort in the late 1980’s created a professional gallery space in the old prisoner/ caretaker quarters.
1972 ~ Gymnasium Built
The gym was completed in 1972. The building was partially funded by contributions from the Northside Youth Organization (NYO).
1994, 2000 ~ PATH Phase I and Phase II
2000 ~ Playground Built
2007 ~ Today’s Park remains true to Troy Chastain’s vision and is a tribute to his foresight. Chastain is remembered as saying he was “imagining” what this park would look like. The park essentially was developed as Troy Chastain imagined. The only major additions to the Park since his death were the ball fields, the gym, and the PATH system.
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