"Before there was corn and cotton, potatoes, peas and other vegetables, there was fruit."

It’s 1873 and the Reverend R. W. Foote isn’t playing around.

He’s the first Superintendent of the newly established Methodist Children’s Home in Decatur, Georgia, and the burdens of its 218 acres of virgin forest and ag lands rest squarely on his shoulders. Beyond the generosity of neighboring church congregations he’s got little money for operating expenses and looming debts that will soon need to be paid. And to top it all off, he’s got a farmhouse full of children, orphaned by war, who need to be fed.

That’s not something you can just get around to.

Food was paramount. As detailed in Home Life: The History of the United Methodist Children’s Home by Gerald Winkler, Rev. Foote “was particularly concerned that the [property] be made to produce crops as soon as possible. Three hundred fruit trees were set out that first year as were a number of grape vines.”

Tasked with creating a productive and sustainable home for parentless children, Rev. Foote's first initiative was an orchard. Before there was corn and cotton, potatoes, peas and other vegetables, before there were mules, cattle, hogs and chickens, there was fruit.

Fruit of the earth, fruit of the spirit.

Humble beginnings, blooming with promise.

Past meets present meets past

Take a walk around the property today and evidence of its agricultural past is all around you. From the newly refurbished granite Dairy Barn and livestock watering hole to rusted old farming equipment and the recently installed three-rail fencing paying homage to the property’s history, it tells stories of a time when such activities weren’t just a matter of education and character building. They were a matter of survival.

It was thus no great surprise when, during 2018’s visioning sessions for what is now Decatur’s 77 acre Legacy Park, community participants identified agricultural history as a cherished part of the property’s cultural landscape — one worthy of recognition in the emerging master plan.

Their persistence paid off. Nearly an acre of land was ultimately set aside to re-establish the original orchard. And just like the founding of the Children's Home 145 years prior, it was prioritized among the first things to get done.

The prospect of an all new orchard — a proper tribute to those who originally occupied the property — was within sight.

All it needed was a champion.

An old farming cart contributes to Legacy Park's rustic charm.

From vision to reality: The kids are alright

Among the participants in the Legacy Park visioning process were members of the Decatur Youth Council (DYC), a city-sponsored, community-based leadership program for local high school students, who recognized the proposed orchard restoration as an ideal subject for their yearly community-building project.

Gathering their resources, they along with different city departments and volunteers from across the community came together in 2019 to plant 25 blackberry bushes, 19 pear trees, and 14 apple trees obtained through a grant from the Atlanta Local Food Initiative. 

Decatur High School student and Youth Council chair Alix Wagner was among them, leading the charge, recruiting volunteers and planting trees. She ultimately received a Hometown Hero award for her efforts.

"It was incredible to see so many groups come together for a common goal," she reminisces today, "and one that's still growing years later."

"After the initial planting, while I was still a part of the Council, we hosted multiple follow-up volunteer events in order to support the continued growth of the orchard. At each of these events, we could witness the slow but steady progress, which was beautiful to see. I remember the first time I went to the orchard and saw an apple on one of the trees — it was so exciting and made me incredibly happy."

The poetic symmetry is hard to miss, like hand-crafted bookends on a shelf of old stories: An orchard originally planted to serve the young ultimately restored by the young for the benefit of all.

Angela Threadgill, Planning & Economic Development Director for the City of Decatur, summed up the civic impact of DYC's achievement in a 2020 article on Decaturish: "The Legacy Park Orchard commemorates the history of the land and its former occupants," she noted, "and provides an orchard that feeds, teaches, and inspires the Decatur community.”

(Top left) Alden Wright, Sydney Wagner and Alix Wagner of the Decatur Youth Council, photo provided by Sydney Wagner; (Top right) The first harvest, as photographed by Thomas Cizauskas. (Bottom) Decatur Youth Council volunteers gather during one of their work days, photo courtesy of the DYC.

New stewards for a new era

Since its initial installation, Global Growers, the nonprofit caretakers of Legacy Park's Kitchen Garden, have emerged as the orchard’s long-term stewards.

Global Growers partners with people from diverse cultures to grow fresh food for their families and for local marketplaces. Their experiences at Legacy Park, which date back to 2012 when the United Methodist Children's Home was still in operation, have solidified them as both a valued city partner and an integral part of the park’s ecosystem.

Each year they produce thousands of pounds of healthy fruits and vegetables employing land design practices and other techniques that support effective soil and water management. Since assuming responsibility for the orchard, they’ve increased the number of plantings, nurtured the different varieties of trees, bushes and berry vines, installed irrigation, and more.

Global Growers continue to make improvements to the orchard, including signage and irrigation.

In a memo accompanying their service agreement with the city, the organization spells out their intentions: “Our vision for the new and recently expanded orchard plot is to create opportunities for residents to harvest their own fruit and share with neighbors in need — from public, pick-your-own events to increased learning opportunities for the community.”

It's a work in progress. With each new day, the restored orchard continues to come into its own. Growing and thriving, much like the community it was planted to both symbolize and serve.

It's our orchard. It's your orchard. It's one small part of the legacy we'll leave behind.

Afterword

The spirit that created the restored orchard is no anomaly. It’s a part of the Decatur community — a spirit that we at Legacy Decatur work every day to cultivate.

One aspect of that work is our 200 Trees initiative. In partnership with Trees Atlanta and in support of Decatur's 2023 Bicentennial, we’re making 200 front yard shade trees available, free of charge, to Decatur homeowners and planting memorial and celebration trees in parks throughout the city.

All trees will be planted by a Trees Atlanta representative, identified with Bicentennial Tree markers, and included on a digital map for posterity.

Be a part of Decatur's Bicentennial celebrations. Click through and get your free tree today.

COVER PHOTO CREDIT: © Thomas Cizauskas

Celebrate Decatur's 200th Birthday with Your Gift to the Bicentennial Fund

Legacy Decatur – in its capacity as a city-affiliated 501(c)3 — has launched its bicentennial-themed "$200K in 200 Days" capital campaign with the ambitious goal of raising $200,000 to endow a series of legacy-oriented projects in support of the Decatur community — both today and in the century ahead. Your generous gift will be matched, dollar for dollar, by the City of Decatur.  >> Give Today >>

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