Remembering Two Decades with Executive Director Carleton Wood
The year was 2004. George W. Bush was re-elected as our 43rd president, and it would be three more years before Apple rolled out its first iPhone. America said goodbye to Ronald Reagan while Georgia mourned the loss of native son and iconic musician Ray Charles. In sports, Bobby Cox managed the Atlanta Braves and John Smoltz was their closing pitcher. Google was launched as a public company by two young entrepreneurs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. (Anyone wise enough to buy and hold just one share at its $85 IPO, you would now have an impressive $6,000!)
In that same year, Hills & Dales Estate opened as a public house and garden museum. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the opening of the classically inspired Visitor Center, designed by the architectural firm of Cole & Cole of Montgomery, Alabama. Their challenge was to create a building plan that would blend with the existing architecture and provide guests with an appropriate welcome to the estate. It was October 4, and we were honoring the wishes of Alice Callaway, who gifted the estate upon her death in 1998 with the request that it be “preserved for the instruction and enjoyment of the public.” This date was not an arbitrary choice but was an impelling one because it is her birthday.
It had taken six years to transition from a private home to a public cultural attraction, and it was bittersweet for the Callaways’ descendants. They were excited to open the house and garden to the public, but sad that Hills and Dales would no longer be the scene of family gatherings. The smell of a hot cooked meal would never again waft from the kitchen. No one would dive into the swimming pool, play a friendly game of pool in the Billiard Room, or sleep in one of the numerous bedrooms.
Tommy Gresham, who worked with Fuller and Alice for decades and was a longtime friend, spoke at the dedication in 2004.
“As they grew older, Mr. and Mrs. Callaway gave much thought about the future of Hills and Dales. They both agreed that they wanted it opened to the public for their pleasure and education. They interviewed several national and state organizations, which had experience in owning and operating significant historical houses and gardens.
They reached the conclusion that they preferred a local organization own and operate the estate. They chose the Fuller E. Callaway Foundation, the family foundation started by Mr. Fuller E. Callaway, Sr. in 1917…If Mr. and Mrs. Callaway were with us today, and I believe they are, I think they would be very pleased with the choice.”
With this gift, the estate was changed forever. While old traditions ended or were moved to different locations over the ensuing twenty years, new ones were initiated to fulfill their dream. A multitude of historic preservation projects were undertaken to ensure the estate would stand the test of time. Mother Nature presented numerous unexpected challenges, but a good number of special surprises also arrived at our doorstep. Now, two decades later as we celebrate our “China” anniversary, it seems like a good time to pause and reflect on all that has been accomplished. After all, twenty years is an important milestone and anniversaries are all about celebrating memories. So, we hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane. Some successes will be highlighted, and we’ll remember a few important people who helped us along the way. We’ll reminisce about several significant projects and share a few challenges we overcame with the goal of putting this current sum of years in perspective. After all, in the wise words of Maya Angelou, “You can’t really know where you‘re going until you know where you have been.”
Preserving the Home and Garden
When I arrived in LaGrange 21 years ago, I vividly remember Charles Hudson Jr. sharing with me his thoughts on my responsibilities as the first Executive Director of Hills and Dales. I don’t remember his exact words but, to him, it was very simple. To paraphrase: “Carleton, your job has two parts. First, my grandparents’ home and garden need some work to be ready for public visitors. We need to get it all fixed up so that it looks great when we open. And secondly, it has been private all these years. Nobody knows about it. We need to spread the word so that people will come, visit, and enjoy the home and garden.”
We were successful at getting it ready back in 2004, but as you might imagine, it’s a never-ending process. Over the years, numerous preservation and conservation projects have been tackled to prevent the inevitable weathering and deterioration that occurs over time. One particularly interesting project was our exterior historic paint analysis that was done prior to opening. The house needed painting, and we wanted to use the original 1916 color palette. What our investigation revealed were more contrasting and colorful details than the monochromatic look it currently had. When Ida Hudson, Mrs. Callaway’s daughter, saw the newly painted house, she nearly cried. She had forgotten the shutters were once basket green, and it brought back great memories of her childhood at the estate.
Perhaps the most iconic spot in the garden is the large central fountain on the First Terrace, which is an original Neel Reid design. It is featured in numerous photos and provides the backdrop for a famous portrait of Ida Cason Callaway that hangs in the Music Room. Standing over six feet tall and weighing thousands of pounds, the structure supporting the large bowl had begun to fail. A special team led by sculptress Ode Droit was brought in for its restoration. After careful study, they decided the best solution was to create huge molds and fabricate an exact duplicate of the original design. After eight months of work, it was exciting to see the fountain splashing once again!
By far and away the biggest initiative we have undertaken to date began five years after the initial opening of the home’s first floor. What started as some plaster, painting, and wallpaper repair to ready the second and third floors for tours ballooned into a major preservation project. A team of preservationists, craftspeople, and engineers worked diligently for over a year prior to this second “opening” in 2010. We had to remove all the furnishings from the home. New heating, cooling, electrical wiring, and fire protection systems were installed. Historic carpets were cleaned, plaster was repaired, custom wallpaper printed, floors were waxed, and paintings were conserved. Finally, on April 28th, Fuller Sr. and Ida’s anniversary date, guests were invited to climb the grand staircase and experience the upper floors for the first time. At that point, our house tours expanded from eleven to thirty-one rooms. The preservation work was overseen by Dan Gilmore of Structor Group. Tragically, Dan passed away in 2014. Every time I walk up the stairs, I think of Dan and what a fine job he did. While his name is not widely known, he was indeed a fine preservationist.
Engaging the Community
Fuller Jr. and Alice wanted to share the estate with the community so, once we had the property open in 2004, we began preparing programs that would be of interest to guests. Tours of the historic house and garden shared the story of the Ferrell and Callaway families and their time here. Inspired by Mrs. Callaway’s love of nature, flowers, and decorating, we decided to regularly adorn the home with fresh flowers from the garden to bring it alive. Now that we’re beginning our third decade, well over 200,000 people have toured the estate, and many families make an annual pilgrimage to see the gardens in spring or to enjoy the house decorated at Christmas time. Following a tradition that began in 1916, visitors are asked to sign our guestbook and record a memory. We are on book twenty-seven and counting!
Several seasonal events were created to engage the community. The Alice Hand Callaway Annual Lecture was initiated in 2005 and is held each fall around her birthday, with topics ranging from gardening to historic preservation. Some of my favorite speakers were Pearl Fryer, widely known as the Edward Scissorhands of garden topiary, and Giff Beaton, a renowned ornithologist! We partnered with the Azalea Story Telling Festival and the Lafayette Society for Performing Arts to start Stories in the Garden, which features nationally prominent tellers every fall. Offering family friendly programs is important to us, so an old-fashioned garden picnic is hosted each year on Mother’s Day weekend. It’s always fun to see the children running around, smiling, playing games, and, for many, experiencing their first ever pony ride. We also introduced “A Children’s Christmas Celebration” and Children’s Summer Activities. Lastly, every year in July, we remember Fuller E. Callaway Sr. by opening up free to the public and serving homemade lemonade, paying homage to the old mill employee celebrations that were historically held at the Callaway Memorial Tower.
Unexpected Challenges and Surprises
Perhaps needless to say, we have had to overcome a variety of unexpected challenges, not unlike Mrs. Callaway who once lamented that: “We’ve had many disasters, an unbelievable amount it seems to me.” In 2006, two years after opening, a hailstorm pummeled the greenhouse, damaging numerous plants, and extensive glass repairs were required. Then in 2015, during a strong thunderstorm, a lightning strike hit a chimney in the house causing significant damage. After the strike, we could smell burning, but thankfully it was contained within the chimney. More recently, our garden staff have been combating boxwood blight in several areas of the garden. The blight was introduced into the US from Europe and has been causing problems with boxwood up and down the Eastern seaboard. Dealing with the adversity reminds us of another famous quote of Alice’s about the importance of “patience, perseverance and acceptance.” Inspired by her, we keep battling!
Numerous wonderful surprises and gifts have also come along the way. For example, the daughter of one of Mrs. Callaway’s longtime best friends, Katie Mitchel Lynn reached out and told us her mother had kept most of the letters, postcards, and notes she received from Mrs. Callaway. Amazingly, they span from 1929 to 1993 and are now part of our archives. They are a treasure trove and provide wonderful insight into her life. Equally important was the discovery of numerous rolls of film shot by Fuller Jr. back in the 1930s and 40s. There are still dozens of rolls we have yet to explore. Perhaps most significant of all, the gift of several reels of the original 35mm film featuring Mrs. Callaway telling the story of the garden and sharing memories. These were digitized, and clips are regularly shown to our visitors every day as part of our orientation film.
Celebrating 100 Years
My favorite memory of the last twenty years was on April 28, 2016, when the 100th anniversary of the home was celebrated. We had special performances from the Georgia Tech Glee Club and the LaGrange College Music Department featuring songs like “Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider,” “The Dearest Spot on Earth,” and “Bless this Home.” I still find myself periodically replaying the lyrics in my head.
Looking Ahead
So, here we are with issue number thirty-six of The Portico and twenty years under our belt. While indeed proud of our accomplishments, the staff is even more enthusiastic about what lies ahead. Observing firsthand the joy and pleasure the estate has brought to so many people and seeing the smiles on their faces encourages us to work on continuing to provide enriching experiences and expanding our impact over the years to come. While the next major anniversary will be years to come, our focus will remain on Mr. and Mrs. Callaway’s wish that the estate be used for “the enjoyment and instruction of the public.” That, in itself, is an admirable goal, and we sincerely hope Mr. Gresham is right that “they would be very pleased.” ~CW
Muir Stewart painted this watercolor rendering of the proposed Hills & Dales Estate Visitor Center in 2003. The drawing was based on the classical building design created by Cole & Cole Architects of Montgomery, Alabama. |
2004 ribbon cutting for the new Visitor Center at Hills & Dales Estate. Left to right: H. Speer Burdette III, Ida H. Russell, Mark C. Callaway, Ellen H. Harris, Jane Alice Craig, Charles D. Hudson Jr., Jane Fryer, Janis Cannon, Jeff Lukken, and Tim Duffy. |
This South Elevation photograph shows the original Neel Reid exterior color palette featuring green shutters. Photo by Ami Powell. |
All of the furnishings in the home had to be removed in 2009 as part of the 2nd and 3rd floor restoration project. Here, staff members from CV Fine Arts are removing the large V’soske rug from the Living Room. |
The large central fountain on the First Terrace. Photo by Donna Terrell. |
Jo Phillips, former Horticulture Manager, worked at the estate for 28 years. Here, she is giving a tour of the historic Ferrell Gardens, one of many educational offerings. |
In the spring of 2005, the greenhouse, damaged by hail, was completely covered in plastic to protect the plants from cold until the glass could be replaced. |
The Georgia Tech Glee Club performing during the 100th Anniversary Celebration in 2016. |
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