Phoenix Flies, 2010

Who was James “Whispering” Smith and what do Julia Roberts, Dorothy Shay (The Park Avenue Hillbilly) and an Atlanta Mayor have in common? During the Atlanta Preservation Center’s Phoenix Flies Program, Buckhead Heritage Society President Wright Mitchell revealed the answer to about 40 tour attendees and talked about the history and restoration of Harmony Grove Cemetery.

 

Founded in 1870, Harmony Grove is one of the few remaining landmarks that hearken back to Buckhead’s origins as a rural farming community. Abandoned and neglected for decades, the cemetery recently found new life as a historic attraction and green space in Buckhead due to the efforts of the Buckhead Heritage Society, which was awarded a 2009 Preservation Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. (Photograph courtesy of Tim Small)