Gordon Park was imagined by and is supported and maintained by its corps of volunteers. From clearing the invasive plants and debris, to installing hardscaping and planting more than 700 native plants, the transformation you see comes from the hard work of many. Our volunteers have included local neighbors, garden loving visitors, and Scout Troop 101.
For those new to the area or those looking for ways to get involved, volunteer opportunities range from participating in workdays where we clear out invasive plants and plant native species, to adding hardscape and mulching, to signing up to water those new plants when we are in a dry spell. And if you are a student and looking for some services hours we would love to have you join us.
While we tout being a native plant garden, if you have ambled by, you may have noticed a little corner of the garden that is dedicated to herbs. (Yes, we realize they aren’t native.) This is our gift back to the community. Many of us live in areas with yards beneath the canopy of old growth trees and don’t have the sunshine to grow herbs. They do better when cut on a regular basis, so come on by and add some herbs to that delicious meal you have planned for tonight!
Gordon Park Then...
“I was greeted, every time I stepped out the front door of my house on Ashland Avenue, by the sight of an overgrown garbage-filled vacant point of land at the intersection of Virgil and Ashland. The year was 1979. The lot, running 122 feet on Ashland and 96 feet on Virgil, was owned by a man in Lithonia. He had owned the land since 1956 and had acquired it as part of a plan to build apartments in the area. After some negotiation with the owner, he agreed to donate the land to the neighborhood. On September 1, 1979, A.H. Parker handed me, as neighborhood president, the deed to the property; Inman Park now owned what would become a small park. We set about clearing and beautifying. Brickwork was added and adorned with a sculpture by neighbor Chris Sibley, who lived at the corner of Ashland and Ashland Drive. Now all we needed was a name for our new acquisition. Mac Gordon lived on Hale Street with his mother, a long-time community activist from the 1950s and 60s. Mac was a local fixture who frequently walked the area of Virgil, Ashland, and Hale Street, a long club in hand, keeping an eye out for anything threatening the community. After the passing of Mac and his mother, we named the spot Gordon Park.”
by Joseph Drolet