Decatur Off The Beaten Path

Dr. & Mrs. Chet Morse moved to this 7 acre site in 1946. The built their home and began clearing the wild vines which had covered it, but left most of the pine trees and began adding hemlocks, beech and magnolias as well as azaleas and rhododendron, hydrangeas, hostas and Japanese maples. Dr. Morse went to where they were building a dam just north of Atlanta and got plants that would have later been covered by the water. He also began his "camilla patch" and today it contains over 50 varieties, many of which he grafted himself. Last year the Morses and their children decided that, rather than the children inheriting and probably having to sell the property for development, they would give it to Decatur as permanent green space. For more info see my travelogue, "Woodlands."
THE WOODLANDS IS NOT YET OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS IT IS STILL THE MORSE'S HOME. THERE ARE OCCASIONS WHEN IT IS OPEN SUCH AS GARDEN TOURS, ETC.

Decatur is the county seat of DeKalb County. This bust is tucked away at a lesser used end of the square and depicts Baron de Kalb whom one writer describes as having been a soldier of fortune. He volunteered to serve in the American Army and, after being commissioned as a major general in Paris, his commission was ratified by Congress and he served under Washington in the American Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He actually came to the colonies with a group of volunteer officers which included Lafayette. From what little I know, he was not terribly successful in his 2-3 year career and was killed in South Carolina after 11 wounds. He is regarded as something of a hero of the American Revolution and I suppose that is why our county was named after him.